"Semi-Pro" only semi-funny
Monday, March 3, 2008, 11:12 EST
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For Nonie Vonnegut-Gabovitch, a day is well spent if it was spent improving someone’s day, whether it was by bringing a meal to an elderly person or inviting a well-known author to inspire a college student.
It’s a quarter to 10 a.m., and Mary Anne Scott is gathering up her sheet music to head to voice lessons at Lilly Hall. She pulls on her dark brown blazer that complements her beaded necklace, and leaves Schwitzer Hall for another day of music classes at Butler University. Yet one thing sets her apart from the 449 other Schwitzer Hall residents. Mary Anne is not a student -- she is a visiting assistant professor of music.
If you are craving authentic Indian food on a limitless budget, India Garden is a perfect choice. India Garden serves up traditional Indian cuisine that can be altered to your own tastes. Each dish is made based upon your own preference level of spices.
India Garden is also known for cooking its meats tandoori style. Butler University Media arts productions and Dawgnet's vodcast with SGA president Laura Michel.
In “Semi-Pro,” Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a has-been pop singer turned player, owner and coach for the Flint Tropics, a semi-professional basketball team.
Moon tries to lead his less-than-talented team and its star player Clarence “Coffee” Black, played by Andre Benjamin, to victory so that they might be allowed to merge with the National Basketball Association.
Moon trades the team’s washing machine to get Monix, played by Woody Harrelson, to revamp their team. The film follows Moon and Monix as they try to boost their fan base and talent in order to prevent the American Basketball Association from dissolving their team.
The film is set in ’70s era Flint, Michigan and is jam-packed with pastel leisure suits and afros. There is even a funny reference to Michael Jackson when one character comments that the kid from the Jackson Five just seems a little weird. But the leisure suits and ’70s setting feel a little too familiar. Wasn’t that same scenario used in a movie about anchormen a few years back?
It doesn’t matter whether Ferrell is playing an anchorman, race car driver, figure skater or basketball player. His character is basically the same in every movie: over-the-top, loud-mouthed and egotistical.
In Ferrell’s first blockbuster comedy released in 2004, “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” this character worked because the comedy was fresh and Ferrell’s energy didn’t seem forced.
But it’s four years later, and the comedy is not fresh any longer. It has a left-over, reheated quality that is just not as hilarious.
“Semi-Pro” is not without a few amusing one-liners, however. The Flint Tropic’s announcers, played by Will Arnett and Andrew Daly, are usually good for a laugh. There is an unfunny scene where Moon tries to wrestle a bear. The bear handler played by Kristen Wiig, who was a scene-stealer in last year’s “Knocked Up,” gets the most laughs.
There are several actors who have worked with Ferrell on previous movies like “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” such as David Koechner and Andy Richter. Unfortunately, the humor of those blockbusters is not recreated in “Semi-Pro.”
“Semi-Pro” is semi-funny, but if you are looking for something new and fresh from Will Ferrell, don’t waste your money.