Reviewed by Johnny McNair 

New Line Home Entertainment – 100 minutes – 2008 – R-Rated & Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – DTS HD 7.1 Lossless Audio 
 

Ok, Will Ferrell needs to tell his agent to stop pushing him to do sports comedies, because what worked in Talladega Nights and Blades of Glory falls face down flat with his latest sports movie, Semi-Pro. There have been many basketball related comedies, and Semi-Pro appears to be borrowing from every one of them. Semi-Pro failed to draw an audience when it was released earlier this year, but now New Line Home Entertainment has gone all out to win them back with the unrated two discs Semi-Pro: Let’s Get Sweaty Edition Blu-ray. It’s a good package, but the film itself is sill DOA.

THE MOVIE

Semi-Pro takes place in the mid 70’s, telling the story of Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell), a one hit wonder who used his money from the hit song “Love Me Sexy” to buy a small time Flint basketball team called The Tropics, which he also serves as their coach and plays for. When Jackie discovers that American Basketball Association is setting up a deal to merge various local teams into the NBA, he is desperate to have his team apart of this pact, so that he can reap the profits. The only problem is that his team is so bad that they don’t stand a chance, triggering Jackie to do whatever it takes to make his team look like pros. This includes getting a former pro player Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson) and a B-ball street hustler (Andre “Andre 3000” Benjamin) to join the team. From this point on it becomes the wannabe underdog trying to rise to the top formula, filled with lame jokes and other tired gags that we’ve seen done better.

This is Director Kent Alterman’s first film and it shows, because it seems to be all over the place, with Ferrel doing everything to keep it together. Sure, there are funny moments, but a few chuckles does not make a good movie. The film has a lot going for it, with a really good cast; including Jackie Earle Haley who steals scenes as a shirtless stoner. And being that the film is set in the 70’s gives it a license for jokes galore, but none of this it utilized very well. In a sports film you’re supposed to root for the underdog, but Semi-Pro makes it very hard because you never get connected with any of the characters to make that commitment.

This Blu-ray gives you the option of watching the R-rated theatrical version or the seven minute longer unrated cut, where the only difference seems to be more dirty words and some thrown in T&A shots, that still can’t tip the scale to make this a better film. Somewhere on the cutting room floor, or if the script was re-drafted, Semi-Pro could have been a great sports comedy on the plateau of Caddyshack.

Will Ferrell is a very funny guy and some of his past films like Anchorman and Old School still rule, but he really needs to avoid any more sports flicks, before he’s suckered into doing a sequel to his soccer film Kicking & Screaming. Semi-Pro tries to hard to win the leftover audience from Super Bad, but misses the simple elements that made that film work. If you didn’t see it in theaters, rent this Blu-ray and see if it satisfies before you drop your cash on it. Ferrell fans will already be sold no matter what, and there are a lot of goodies to fill this package, but it seems like New Line was trying to pull the wool over your eyes to cover up what is actually a mediocre comedy.

VIDEO

Semi-Pro is presented in 1080p with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and the transfer is solid. The 70’s art direction and costume design is the highlight, displaying so many wild colors that the image quality truly stands out. Flesh tones look good, but blacks look somewhat flat not balancing out the heavy color scenes. If this was an old film it would have looked horrible, but being that’s it’s a new flick that is trying to look dated, it works.

AUDIO

Will Ferrell’s outlandish voice range will be bursting out of your speakers, offering a DTS HD Lossless Master 7.1 surround mix. The basketball game scenes sound great, with the reactions from the audience and the crude remarks of the sports commentators smoothly blended together. All the 70’s songs sound great, pulling you into the setting; and even the simple effects of basketballs bouncing or hitting the backboard are well mastered.

EXTRAS

Disc one features both the theatrical and unrated versions of the movie, while the second disc offers a laundry list of bonus features to keep you occupied.

‘The Cutting Room’ shows 15 minutes of deleted scenes that includes an alternative opening and ending. It’s obvious why most of this stuff was removed, because besides a few chuckles, there’s just not much here.

‘Four Days in Flint’ is a 5 minute segment going into some of the things that occurred during the Michigan shoot.

‘The Man Behind Semi-Pro’ is the longest feature, running almost a half hour, and is your basic behind the scenes look at the production that includes interviews with the cast and filmmakers.

‘Bill Walton Visits the Set’ is a 3 minute piece that looks at one of the inspirations for Semi-Pro, ABA star Bill Walton, who also makes a small appearance in the film.

‘Recreating the American Basketball Association’ is a 13 minute look at how the film tried to capture a realistic look of the ABA, showing the actors training and getting used to their funky 70’s wardrobe.

‘A Short History of the ABA’ is just that, a 7 minute history lesson with vintage footage and interviews.

‘Flint Tropics – Hot Talk with Dick Pepperfield’ a 2 minute mock promo simulates old archive footage and talks about the game as it was played in its day, including Ball Girls and pancakes.

‘Love Me Sexy: The Story Behind the One-Hit Wonder’ and the ‘Love Me Sexy’ music video go into the making of the Will Ferrell song and of course includes the video.

Finally there are trailers for both the R-rated and unrated versions of Semi-Pro.

BOTTOM LINE

Semi-Pro was a disappointment as a film, but tries to make up for it with this two discs edition that may win some over. It’s not the worst film out there, but you expect more from Ferrell who has proven himself as a movie funnyman. If you’re one of those collectors of “unrated versions” you’re going to own this disc, but for all others a rental may be the deciding vote.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 2.5