On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 10/10 |
Amanda Jones |
Will Ferrell is, at this point, beating a dead horse. There's nothing wrong with formula to a point, but his badly needs a refresh. |
| 30/31 |
Les Winan |
Disappointing on a variety of levels. Just not funny. Highly uneven tone and pacing. |
| 43/43 |
Kim Hollis |
Aggressively unfunny. |
| 81/98 |
David Mumpower |
Not even semi-funny. Makes Kicking and Screaming look like Airplane...and I couldn't stand Kicking and Screaming. |
| 142/196 |
Max Braden |
Derivative of Ferrell's previous comedies, but the bear wrestling got me laughing. |
Will Ferrell has become the go-to guy for the sports send-up. After breaking into the big time with Elf and Anchorman, Ferrell has had two major hits in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Blades of Glory, which poked some fun at NASCAR and ice skating. Now, he moves into the arena of professional basketball, and the results are likely to be hilarious.
Semi-Pro is set in 1976, when the ABA was a league side-by-side with the NBA. The ABA was a bit more innovative and fun than the NBA at the time, as they were responsible for such fun additions as the three-point shot and the slam-dunk contest. Ferrell plays a musician named Jackie Moon, a guy who had a one-hit wonder type of song with "Love Me Sexy". He uses the profits from that song to buy an ABA team, the Flint Michigan Tropics.
Sadly, Moon's team isn't particularly good. In fact, they're the worst team in the ABA when Moon gets the word that the ABA is planning to merge with the NBA. The Tropics are in danger of folding, which means that Moon and his team are going to have the achieve the impossible - win - to survive.
If Ferrell's past recent success is any indication, Semi-Pro should be a hit. However, distributor New Line has had a rough go of it recently, and will need to market the film within an inch of its life to ensure its success. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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