Semi-Pro

Cast:

In 1976, the maverick ABA is a fast-paced, wild and crazy basketball league that rivals the NBA and makes a name for itself with innovations like the three-point shot and slam dunk contest. Jackie Moon is a one-hit wonder who used the profits from the success of his chart-topping song "Love Me Sexy" to achieve his dream of owning a basketball team.
But Moon's franchise, the Flint Michigan Tropics, is the worst team in the league and in danger of folding when the ABA announces its plans to merge with the NBA. If they want to survive, Jackie and the Tropics must now do the seemingly impossible--win

Comedy and Sports, 1 hr. 30 min, R

ATKBO Review

Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) is the loud and flashy owner/player/coach/promoter for the Flint Michigan Tropics, a semi-pro basketball team in the ABA during the 70’s. He is known more for his antics and theatrics off the court (claim to fame is his song love me sexy) then on as he is not that good of a player nor are most of his Tropics team mates apart from Clarence “Coffee” Black (Andre 3000 Benjamin). This is bad news as the ABA is about to fold and only the leagues top four teams will merge into the NBA.
Jackie decides to acquire Monix (Woody Harrelson) to help the team as he played on a championship team in the NBA. None of his new team mates take to him as most have had incidents with him throughout their careers. Coffee is especially unhappy with the inclusion of Monix and the two have beef constantly. Eventually after losing a number of games the two settle their differences and Coffee persuades Monix he can help the team in a coaching role. The tropics then start to roll through their schedule with a couple of wins and find themselves just one game out from the fourth and final spot. With only their final game headed against the league’s leader San Antonio left in the season will Jackie and his Tropics be able to make it to the NBA!

Will Ferrell steps into his familiar role from his past here, but this time he’s rocking the sneakers. And although some may have seen this role before from him and feel his act is getting a bit stale and annoying I’m thinking not so. Like in his previous films, Will again takes the very bright spotlight and with his flair creates yet another bigger than king kong performance here albeit a tad over the top. He does get all the laughs, one extremely funny scene during one game was if the Tropics scored 125 pts each of the audience will get one free corndog which cheapskate Jackie Moon isn’t going to hand over cheaply and will try to destroy his own teams chances to not let them get that total!
Of the rest of the players, Woody Harrelson still shows how white men can’t jump, and Andre 3000 should get props for costume design as one thinks he had some say in it.
The film as a hole I though was lacking that extra something, and left me somewhat disappointed.

ATKBO Ratings

• = A Bloody Classic!!!
• = Pretty Bloody Good!
• = Fair
• = Dumb
• = Bloody Awful