Semi-Pro 2008

If you like Will Ferrell and his troupe of comedy actors, well some of them, you’ll probably like this film depending on your mood. Therein, of course, lies the rub, it really does depend on what mood you are in. As full on silly comedy Semi Pro probably just makes it but with a lineage going back to the great ice-hockey comedy Slap Shot it has given itself a tough task.
It is not that the preposterous situations are funny, the scrapes, the goodies and the baddies, they are all okay in their own way but it genuinely is not anything you haven’t seen before.

Will Ferrell’s manic, almost mentally impaired, fool with a heart, is not anything he hasn’t done before and not anything he cannot do in his sleep. In fact, at times during the film you can definitely feel he is cruising somewhat.

Likewise, the cast all funny in their own right, are hardly stretched from the start to finish. In particular Woody Harrelson is not given much to work with that he hasn’t done several times before and has not been seen even more times in other films by other actors, strangely enough he plays his pivotal role like he is in a straight drama. He’s not bad, but it’s just formula.

It is not as if the film is not funny or has laugh-out loud moments, it does, but if you’ve seen "Anchorman", "Ricky Bobby", "Blades of Glory" you will have seen his film, except it is about basketball, and that is a shame as there is definitely no lack of talent on display throughout.

If it’s raining outside and you’re at a loose end than pop this in the player, if you are really looking forward to a great comedy…hmmmm.