by Brett Parker
According to Wikipedia there was a basketball league called the American Basketball Association (ABA) that once competed with the NBA “until reaching an agreement of merger in 1976.” The ABA was said to have “pioneered the now-popular slam dunk contest” as well as displaying “a more wide-open, flashy style of offensive play.” It was ultimately “the lack of a national television contract and protracted financial losses” that caused the ABA to succumb to the NBA market. Only four ABA teams (New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs) survived the merger to live on in the NBA.
From this information alone, it sounds to me like the ABA could make for an interesting movie. The fact that this story is used at the basis for a Will Ferrell comedy I find to be downright hilarious. Seriously, the first time I read the plot synopsis for Semi-Pro, I laughed out loud. Having Ferrell play an ABA coach resorting to wacky ways to save his team from foreclosure is such a random and peculiar comic concept that it almost borders on brilliant.
It’s too bad the filmmakers didn’t realize how fully rich this concept is. Semi-Pro is yet another Will Ferrell vehicle that plays more like episodes of his wacky humor than an actual film. “Compelling idiocy” I think is the term to best describe Ferrell’s zany shtick. While Ferrell’s films don’t exactly have me rolling in the aisles, they’re still likeable movies that make me smile. Semi-Pro is no exception, but the movie truly had potential to be something exceptional.
Ferrell stars as Jackie Moon, who begins the film as the writer and performer of a disco funk jam called “Love Me Sexy.” The single goes gold and provides Moon with the money to buy a (fictional) ABA franchise in Flint, Michigan called the Flint Tropics. Now the owner, Moon appoints himself as the coach and captain of the team. To call the franchise ragtag would be an understatement. The Tropics are a skid row business with hardly any fans in the stands and nowhere near as prosperous as other ABA teams. Moon’s wacky attempts at promotions (a free corn dog night, a wrestling match with a bear) and star player Clarence Black (Andre Benjamin) provide the only distinguishable traits the Tropics have outside of other league teams.
Halfway through the season, the ABA Commissioner announces to the team owners the merging of the ABA with the NBA and the fact that only four teams will be transferred over between the leagues. It is decided upon that the four surviving teams will be the ones with the best records and the best attendance numbers by the end of the season. This causes Moon to motivate his team towards actually winning games as well as pumping up the excessiveness of his wild promotions. With the help of a new player (Woody Harrelson) and Black’s talent, Moon makes a mad dash to keep his fading franchise alive.
If you’ve ever seen a Will Ferrell movie before, you know the drill. His movies present silly concepts that serve as a springboard to let Ferrell’s crazed man-child run amuck. Ferrell’s brand of humor may not be the funniest, but it certainly can never be accused of being boring or flat. It’s hard not to be in awe of how Ferrell’s humor thrashes between the random and the insane. The plot usually doesn’t matter in these comedies; Ferrell’s humor usually proves to be competent bread and butter. The problem this time is that the film’s ideas prove to be more interesting than the humor we’re presented with.
The film’s biggest weakness is that it constantly reminds us of earlier, better comedies. Once we compare those films with Semi-Pro, we realize the gravity of its lost potential and how much funnier it could’ve been. The film’s concept reminds us of Slap Shot, George Roy Hill’s vulgar masterpiece also about a 70s sports team that resorts to manic methods to save its franchise. Slap Shot was great in the way it realized its ideas and humor with a comedic intelligence and a take-no-prisoners attitude. There’s no way Ferrell’s humor alone can match the chaotic hilarity of Hill’s film. The presence of Wood Harrelson as a basketball player reminds us of White Men Can’t Jump, the funniest basketball film ever made. If one were to recall the colorful and observant profanity of that film’s dialogue, they would realize that Semi-Pro wastes a perfectly good R-rating. Sure, a few f-bombs are dropped here and there, but if the dialogue pushed the envelope the way White Men Can’t Jump did, the film would have a hilarious authenticity about it. The film’s love for 70’s nostalgia also reminds us of Roll Bounce, the disco roller skating comedy. That film had a better sense of retro energy and musical selection to help highlight the era.
As it is, Semi-Pro is still a durable entertainment that will surely please Will Ferrell’s fan base. Despite its comedic shortcomings, there are still sections that are very funny. As I look back at sports movies of recent memory (Pride, Glory Road, Gridiron Gang, to name a few), it appears they strictly follow age-old dramatic formulas with very little freshness. In a time when these movies have grown so dependent on clichés, it’s kind of refreshing to have a film point and laugh at those very clichés.
It all basically comes down to this: you either find Will Ferrell funny or you don’t. If Ferrell’s comedy completely turns you off, you’re going to find yourself pretty bored at Semi-Pro. If you can quote Old School to perfection and even consider Kicking & Screaming an underrated gem, you’ll find this comedy pretty enjoyable. It’s doesn’t come close to touching Anchorman, but I honestly enjoyed it more than Talladega Nights, probably because I find the ABA a funnier target than NASCAR. Now, if only the filmmakers had felt the same way!
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