(This movie is only slightly rotten) Early in Will Ferrel's career he was known as a scene stealer. (This is meant to be complimentary.) He would play these bit parts in movies such as Dick, Starsky and Hutch, Zoolander, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. He would come into the movie, take it over for a couple minutes with a ridiculous character, and then high tail it out of there on a high note. I bring this up because Will's character in Semi-Pro is not unlike the hilarious one dimensional scene stealers he once played, except in this one, Will (Jackie Moon) stays for the entire picture.
I never thought I would say this, but I think this movie would have been better if there was less Will Ferrel. Not that he isn't funny, its just his character is not someone you base a movie around. His character would make a kick ass scene stealer that enters when the movie needs a boost true, but then he should leave until the movie needed him again. Unfortunately Ferrel is such a big star he may not ever play those small great roles again. It was imperative that this movie was made about him, after all he was being paid the most. But the character is ridiculous and it hurts the movie that the camera would be so close that one starts seeing the impossibility of such a person.
The movie should have been about Monix (Woody Harrelson) and Black Coffee (Andre Benjamin). These two are capable actors, though not comedians, that could have provided this movie a greater center. Instead their stories are somewhat ordinary and cliche and Andre sort of disappears in the second half. There is a host of other comedians here in bit roles. I recall seeing Rob Cordry, Ed Helms, Will Arnet, Andy Richter, and David Koechner. Andrew Daly provides the movie with some of its funniest lines as the commentator Dick Pepperfield. But the movie itself doesn't juggle these guys as well as Ferrel's other sports movies like Talladega Nights and Blades of Glory. When it comes to WIll Ferrel sports movies, this movie is not up to par with the rest. (I will say though, that a poor Will Ferrel movie is better than a lot of mediocre comedies. This movie does contain laughs)
I think this ought to be the last sports movie Will does. He's pretty much said all there is to say, and in this one, he wears his welcome out a bit. He needs to move on. (Actually looking at his future projects, it seems that he has. I'm looking forward to Step Brothers this Summer)
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