Semi-Pro airballs

Finally, Will Ferrell delivers what movie screens across the nation and the world have been missing: a comedy about a sport. Not since Ferrell’s last movie Blades of Glory, well actually he has another sports spoof Talladega Nights. Okay, so maybe the world’s moviegoers were not yearning for another sports spoof, but Ferrell was going to shove it down our throats anyway.

The massive build up for this movie included numerous Old Spice commercials and a naked promo shot (as Ferrell said in his 2004 Anchorman “don’t act like you’re not impressed”). But behind the commercials, short shorts, afros and furry chests is nothing more than a Will Ferrell movie that we have all seen before, which even for this Ferrell fan, has gotten old.

The film is about the American Basketball Association (a real professional basketball league in the early 70s) and owner/coach/player Jackie Moon. He runs a small market team in Flint, Michigan, which struggles to turn out fans or wins. Moon’s priorities change from pure entertainment to basketball success when it is announced that the top four teams from the ABA will be moving up to the NBA. Along with this announcement, Monix, an old veteran player, joins the team in order to help Moon take the Flint Tropics to the NBA.

You probably could have guessed the plot already. Lets think about Blades of Glory, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Anchorman. Each film is based around an over zealous main character who is famous for absolutely no good reason played by Ferrell. I did not believe that Ferrell had become hackneyed despite these similarities because his commercials and previews were still new and fresh.

Unfortunately, just watching the preview would give you the same amount of laughs as if you had watched the entire movie. Ferrell, just like Jackie Moon, is a great promoter, but in the end the film just could not deliver.

One of the most important aspects that this film lacked, which Ferrell’s past successes had, were supporting characters who could deliver laughs. The largest supporting roles were more serious than funny, and other than Rob Corddry, no other supporting actors could deliver. Corddry is a balding actor approaching 40, who unlike his hairline is reaching a new height in his career,

Ferrell just could not deliver consistent laughs, and depended on physical comedy in the movie, instead of witty ridiculous dialogue that made Anchorman so good. Its time for Ferrell to go back to the drawing board and maybe take a break from the sports-spoof. Another Stranger than Fiction film could help him get back into the good graces of moviegoers. Actually, Ferrell’s next film Step Brothers, about two middle aged men living at home, is set to release in 2008.

Woody Harrelson shines, as much as one can as an actor in a Ferrell comedy, as Monix the washed up veteran who still is in love with a Flint local. Harrelson actually manages to maintain and promote this romantic motif in a very bona fide manner, despite all of the failed antics of Ferrell’s. Harrelson’s Owen Wilsonesque appearance and charm in the film match up perfectly with Maura Tierney, an actress from ER, who plays Lynn.
André Benjamin also is strong in the film, in one of the more serious roles, as the young star player of the team caught between the dream of an NBA career and the harsh reality of a normal life (sounds pretty deep for this movie). Benjamin will not hear his name next year for best actor, but what he does in the film is surprisingly good for a man more known for his musical accomplishments.

Despite Will Ferrell’s lackluster performance, the fantastic previews led the film to the top of the box office with an opening weekend total of $15 million. I gave Semi-Pro a C for 90 minutes of sports-spoof that we have all seen before.