Semi-Pro [Two-Disc Unrated “Let’s Get Sweaty” Edition]

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As expected, Will Ferrell’s latest film delivers his trademark humor, and while it may not be his most thorough success, Semi-Pro certainly deserves attention.  Complete with a would-be all-star cast of C and D-list actors/comedians, the movie is funny and well-crafted, but, unfortunately, it lacks the necessary je ne sais quoi to make it an uproarious gut-buster.  And although the movie isn’t quite outstanding, it is certainly a respectable piece; if nothing else, the amount effort poured into Semi-Pro certainly merits the title ‘sweaty’.

The Movie

Set in 1976, the movie revolves around Jackie Moon (Ferrell), Flint, Michigan’s semi-famous native son.  A one-hit wonder whose musical success allowed him to purchase an ABA (American Basketball Association) team and move it to Flint, Jackie is currently the owner-player-coach of his Flint Tropics, although he still enjoys performing, playing, and listening to his number-one hit, “Love Me Sexy”, as frequently as possible.  In fact, Jackie simply loves to perform, and he works tirelessly to promote his team with events like ‘Free Gerbil Night’ and ‘Free [Dry] Pancake Night’ and with stunts ranging from ramping over the Tropic ball-girls to wrestling a bear.  Embodying much of the largesse of the ‘70s, Jackie really just loves … period … he loves everyone and everything; he has a ring that says ‘Love’; and the team motto is ‘E.L.E.’ – ‘Everybody love everybody’.

What Jackie doesn’t love is that when the ABA merges with the NBA at the end of the 1976 season, his Tropics will not be included in the new league, as only four ABA teams (the Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, and Spurs) will be picked up by the NBA and the rest will be dissolved.  But when he is able to strike a deal to have the four teams with the best records continue in the NBA, Jackie sets out to revive his last-place Tropics in order to save the franchise.

Jackie’s first move is to trade [the Tropics’ washing machine] for former Boston Celtic and NBA champion Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson), a seasoned veteran who may be passed his prime but who still helps restore some structure to the team, especially to their flashy and well-epitheted  but undisciplined star, Clarence “Jumping Johnny Johnson” “Sugar Dunkerton” “Downtown Funky Stuff Malone” “Coffee Black” Withers (André Benjamin).  Although the team’s rejuvenated play and Jackie’s tireless promotion help revive the ailing Tropics, it may not be enough to save the franchise.  Will they be able to achieve fourth place or better by the end of the season?  Will the Tropics upgrade to the glory of the NBA?  Will Monix get the girl?  (Oh yea, I forgot to mention that Monix’s ex-girlfriend with whom he’s still in love (Maura Tierney) conveniently lives in Flint.)  Will they ever find that bear that escaped from the arena?  …  You’ll have to watch to find out.

Overall, the movie is clever and funny enough, but I think its downfall is that, at its core, it’s another typical Will Ferrell film.  This, however, does not mean that the movie is without merit.  Although it is not overly complex, I can appreciate the story, which is appropriately exaggerated and absurd.  Moreover, the effort expended to create the retro styles of the 1970s and of the ABA is certainly commendable.   The acting is well-suited to the movie, such that while Harrelson and Tierney do not stand out in their relatively serious roles, they deliver the parts appropriately.  Similarly, Benjamin’s character is somewhat unremarkable, but he aptly captures the character’s essence, simultaneously embodying the showmanship that was a trademark of the ABA.  Additionally, it’s nice to see Benjamin continue to experiment with a variety of projects and roles in his relatively young acting career.

What is most impressive about the movie, though, is its variety of comedic performances.  Although Ferrell is the only ‘big-name’ comedian, numerous comedians are featured throughout the movie, and while the brand of comedy is consistent throughout, each comedian is allowed to add his/her own flavor to the movie.  This comedic variety prevents Ferrell from being featured too prominently, making the movie as a whole seem unique and well-rounded.  Everything from cameos by Tim Meadows and Kristen Wiig,  to the relatively minor roles played by Andy Richter, Rob Cordrry, Matt Walsh, and David Koechner, to the supporting roles delivered by Will Arnett and Andrew Daly contribute a distinctive quality that helps Semi-Pro feel more like a unique original and less like just another Will Ferrell movie.

The movie overall, though, is just that, simply another Ferrell film, and although this diverse supporting cast injects some originality and creative improv into the movie, ultimately, Semi-Pro is the same sometimes slapstick and sometimes raunchy improv-style comedy that Ferrell has delivered in his prior movies.  (To be honest, I think much of the foul language is extraneous and could have been omitted without jeopardizing the movie’s humor.  This might have simultaneously made the film a little less harsh while also earning the movie a PG-13 rating, both of which would have given the movie broader appeal.)  While Semi-Pro is nonetheless funny, it is too typical of Ferrell to stand out as particularly creative.  

Special Features

While the main feature doesn’t show a lot of growth in Ferrell’s repertoire and, therefore, is a bit uninspired overall, the special features further show that a great deal of effort was put into the project, making it respectable if not quite successful.  And while I was skeptical at first, there is certainly enough intriguing and entertaining bonus material to merit a second disc.  

To start, the unrated ‘Let’s Get Sweaty’ edition of the movie includes about nine minutes of additional material compared to the theatrical edition, both of which are available on the first disc of the two-disc package.  The additional scenes don’t add a great deal to the story, but they’re probably worth the extra nine minutes of your time.  Further, there are deleted scenes that didn’t even make it to the extended version included on the second disc, which contains both deleted scenes in the conventional sense and multiple takes of various improvised scenes.  Again, this material isn’t vital, but it’s funny enough to be worth the time.

There are also several features included on the second disc, beginning with ‘A Short History of the ABA’, which, as its name implies, provides a brief overview of the film’s backdrop, the American Basketball Association.  ‘Re-creating the ABA’ is another basketball-centered piece, focusing on the project’s ‘70s-era style and on the training that the actors and extras endured in order to appropriately capture the feel of the ABA.  Both of these features will help those unfamiliar with the ABA understand the stylistic differences between the NBA and the ABA, the latter of which more heavily emphasized showmanship and contributed innovative aspects like the three-point line and the dunk to professional basketball.

Aside from the style of the ABA, another motif in the movie is Jackie Moon’s number-one hit, “Love Me Sexy”.  As such, there is a feature that covers the creation of this original song, following the ‘hit’ from its conception in the script, which contained only the lyrics, to the birth of the melody as improvised by Ferrell during a cast read-through, to its final completion in the recording studio as supervised by composer/arranger/producer/Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers.

There are also a couple of brief features covering more specific aspects of the project, like the aptly named ‘Bill Walton Visits the Set’, which documents Walton’s day on the set for a Semi-Pro/ESPN cross-promotional shoot.  ‘Four Days in Flint’ is another brief piece that reveals some of the production aspects of the shooting that was done on location, explains the reasons Flint was chosen as the home of the Tropics, and shows the cast having fun with one another and with the citizens of Flint.

Finally, ‘The Man Behind Semi-Pro’ functions as the conventional making-of feature, complete with explorations of director Kent Alterman’s vision and style, the production techniques used to film the movie, the story and its characters, and the cast (many of whom, as it turns out, are old friends of Alterman’s, which likely contributed to the fun that all involved seemed to have had during production).  While it contains no great revelations, the feature is an interesting one that covers all the areas you would expect a making-of feature to cover.

Finally, some of the movie’s promotional materials are also available on the second disc, including three trailers, the “Love Me Sexy” music video, and a couple of ‘70’s-quality segments of ‘Flint Tropics Hot Talk with Dick Pepperfield’, which feature humorous interviews with Jackie Moon.

Presentation

Like the movie’s production quality and special features, it is easy to tell that a fair amount of effort was devoted to this two-disc DVD package, from the ‘tropical’ theme of the case design, to the clever basketball prints on the physical DVDs, to the thoroughly crafted DVD menus.  Complete with ‘70s-style player cards, funky audio tracks, and fittingly extravagant menus, the DVD setup is almost a spectacle in its own right.

Although more moving video would have provided an upgrade, omnipresent audio, clever transitions, fluid mechanics, and a consistent and well-developed theme that extends throughout both discs make the DVD package highly impressive and nearly flawless.  In addition to viewing the movie and its special features, I suggest you take a little time to enjoy the often-neglected art of the DVD menu, as Semi-Pro’s menus are skillfully designed and every bit as fun as the movie itself.

Overall

With Semi-Pro, Will Ferrell delivers another funny and entertaining comedy, filled with his trademark humor and its nonsensical exclamations, comments, and comparisons that fly from left-field like ladies fly to Odeon’s Sex Panther cologne.  Unfortunately, despite its skillfully improvised humor, its laudably retro style, strong performances from the supporting cast, and a masterfully crafted DVD package, the movie simply revisits the same ground Ferrell has already covered with Old School, Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Blades of Glory (of which, Anchorman is still probably the best).

While Ferrell’s latest project is perhaps just as funny at times as any of his other movies, and it may have even required the greatest production effort to master the style of the ‘70s and of the ABA, ultimately, Semi-Pro shows no evolution in Ferrell as an actor.  His audience is already well-aware that he can deliver slapstick and slightly raunchy improvised comedy with great ease and humor.  However, Ferrell’s legacy will depend on whether or not he chooses to expand upon this repertoire.  As he shows in Stranger than Fiction, he can quite expertly deliver entertaining and still-humorous dramatic performances, but the question is ‘Will Will further experiment with diverse roles or will he simply continue to produce funny but safe comedies?’.