Rated R for language and some sexual content.
Directed by Kent Alterman (First Feature Film)
Starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Will Arnett, Jay Phillips, Josh Braaten, Rob Corddry, DeRay Davis, Maura Tierney, Jackie Earle Haley
Sex, Drugs and…Basketball. I’d Skip It.
Will Ferrell stars in Semi-Pro, the outrageous comedy set in 1976 against the backdrop of the maverick ABA – a fast-paced, wild and crazy basketball league that rivaled the NBA and made a name for itself with innovations like the three-point shot and slam dunk contests. Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder who used the profits from the success of his chart-topping song “Love Me Sexy” to achieve the 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.
This is a typical Will Ferrell movie (excluding Elf) and although there were a few jokes that made me laugh, for the most part it was too rude, too crude and too over the top to have any real entertainment value (and that was the theatrical version, not the unrated one). Some of the funnier moments included Ferrell wrestling a bear and his pep talks but even those were basic retreads from other Ferrell movies.
I think Will Ferrell is one of the funniest men on the planet, but he’s seems stuck in remaking the same basic movie. There’s nothing really new except for pushing the envelope…so skip it.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No, but I know a ton of kids already have. So be ready to engage in conversation with them.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
