Say it ain't so, Will.
I'll admit it; I was once convinced that Will Ferrell could do no wrong, that moviedom's preeminent funnyman could continue recycling the same basic premise ad infinitum and still deliver the laughs by the truckload, as he'd done with Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights. "Just put him in front of a camera, give him a crazy outfit to wear and let him do his thing," I'd say. "The result, almost invariably, will be funnier than just about anything not made by Judd Apatow."
But alas, Semi-Pro has proven me wrong. One Will Ferrell does not a good comedy make; it also needs a script. And despite Ferrell's best efforts, as well as those of Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett, Rob Corddry and the rest of the director Kent Alterman's (Mr. Woodcock) more than capable supporting cast, Semi-Pro can't seem to rise above Scot Armstrong's (Old School) stale, lifeless screenplay.
The story, for what it's worth, centers on Jackie Moon (Ferrell), a former R&B singer who used the profits from his lone hit, the embarrassingly catchy "Love Me Sexy," to purchase The Flint Tropics, a fictional franchise of the real-life American Basketball Association, the short-lived rival of the NBA. In addition to owning the team, Moon also functions as its head coach and starting power forward -- facts that might explain why the Tropics are perpetually near the bottom of the standings.
No matter, Moon and pals are content to be cellar-dwellers, preferring to focus more on post-game festivities. That is, until the ABA commissioner declares that the financially-strapped league is folding at the close of the season, with the top four teams being absorbed into the NBA and the rest shutting down forever. If the Tropics are to survive beyond the current season, Moon will have to pull his gang of misfits together to make a last-ditch run at fourth place.
It's a more-or-less standard sports comedy formula. Which would be perfectly fine, if executed properly. But Ferrell's talents are mostly wasted (or perhaps they're growing stale -- something I'd prefer not to consider), and co-star Harrelson languishes in a pointless romantic subplot, resulting in a comedy that is uneven, uninspired and too often unfunny.
ReelzChannel Rating: 