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Written by Sean McBride
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Wednesday, 27 February 2008 |
Not a Slam-Dunk
“Semi-Pro”
NewLine Cinema
Directed by Kent Alterman
Starring Will Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Maura Tierney, Andre Benjamin, Will Arnett, Andrew Daily, Andy Richter and Rob Cordrey
Rated R
2 Stars
I’ll admit to being a fan of Will Farrell’s particular brand of doofus humor. I appreciate that the comedian is always willing to humiliate himself in search of a laugh, and the bottom line for me is that, more often than not, Will Farrell does make me laugh. I’m not always proud of my giggles, but I do laugh.
That being said, Farrell seems to have been on autopilot in his last few movies. I’m certainly not implying that he’s lost his touch; it’s just that he doesn’t seem to be trying as hard to make every moment count in his films. Farrell’s latest effort emphasizes this point. “Semi-Pro” is a basketball sports comedy set in the Disco-tastic mid-seventies, an era that is automatically amusing because of the music, costumes and hairstyles. Farrell plays Jackie Moon, a cheesy pop singer who makes enough off of his one hit song that he is able to buy the Flint Tropics, a perennially bad team struggling for respect in the American Basketball Association. Jackie is the team’s pre-game announcer, chief promoter, half-time choreographer and starting power forward.
He also wrestles bears to keep the crowd entertained.
Jackie learns that the top four ABA teams will be merging with the NBA at the end of the season, so he trades the team’s washing machine to the Boston Celtics for Monix (Woody Harrelson) a player at the end of his career but with just enough drive left to whip the Tropics into shape for a futile NBA qualifying run.
Ultimately, “Semi-Pro” has the cast acting out a traditional sports movie, with Will Farrell flitting around the edges providing funny counterpoint. The problem is that the sports section simply isn’t very stirring, and without a supporting cast dedicated to the humor, the film isn’t consistently funny either. Okay, so the sight of Will Ferrell in ‘70s style short-shorts, making granny free throws is good for a guffaw or two, but it’s just not enough to make “Semi Pro” into the slam dunk comedy we usually get from Will Ferrell.
Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published Wednesdays and Fridays in “The Port Arthur News.” He can be found weekly on KAVU-TV, KFDM-TV, and KVIC Radio. Additional reviews can be found at www.rottentomatoes.com, www.panews.com or at www.myvictoriaonline.com. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 February 2008 )
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