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Semi-Pro

Buzz says:   MPAA Rating: R
Current Showtimes: No showtimes available

A certain degree of low-brow humor should be relished and revered. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a staunch advocate of February’s Oscar fodder and some of it is quite decent. But to a certain degree, something about infantile humor and an egomaniacal man-child is quite hilarious.

I give Semi-Pro credit for being its own entity instead of succumbing to recent comedy trends of quirk and pseudo-witty banter (you again, Diablo Cody). Will Ferrell’s comedy isn’t exactly subtle; it clubs you over the head, kicks you in the groin, and laughs in your face.

At the announcement of a Ferrell-ized comedy, the eyes of college kids everywhere glaze over as if they’ve just seen the "One Ring" to rule them all. And don’t think Hollywood execs can’t see this either. Sitting on box office behemoths like Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights, Ferrell’s bankable star power proves its weight in gold.

Though the premise rehashes gags from many of his former features, Ferrell again trumps the wide world of sports, this time as the ABA player/coach/owner of the Flint Tropics, Jackie Moon. That’s the American Basketball Association, for you non-sports aficionados, which eventually merged with the grossly over-paid, though slightly more prolific NBA.

See, not all ABA teams were deemed worthy of being invited. So it’s up to Moon and his motley crew of rebels, weirdoes, and schmoozers to pull a Mighty Ducks to save the team and their salaries. Bear wrestling, Evel Knievel-esque stunts and profane insults ensue.

It’s certainly nothing we haven’t seen before; but Ferrell succeeds in surrounding himself with talented comics ranging from Arrested Development’s Will Arnett and the perennial David Koechner to respectable acting talent like Woody Harrelson and Jackie Earle Haley.

Unfortunately, it’s the R rating that disappoints me. Coming from scribe Scot Armstrong who penned the classic, Old School, I was expecting that manic brilliance and bold mixture of comedic acumen that marked the previous Ferrell companion piece. But Semi-Pro seemed watered-down. Almost as if the raving protagonist was gloating over the role and ignoring the comedy.

It’s too early in his career to be billed as a self-parody, but Ferrell seems to be well on his way. His established persona brought childish humor into a flailing, awkward man. But until he re-teams with Anchorman and Talladega helmer, Adam McKay, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing that brilliance any time soon.