Semi-Pro

As usual, I tried to tell my daughter Joanna that this was an inspirational, based-on-a-true-story sports movie, one of her favorite film genres. As usual, she didn’t believe me. She’s on to my tricks. But doggone it, SEMI-PRO really is sort of based on a true story – the merger of the NBA and the ABA, something I remember quite well from the mid-Seventies – and it tries to be inspirational in places, or at least pretends to.

There’s no need to go into much detail about the plot. Will Ferrell plays a singer, a one-hit wonder, who owns an ABA basketball franchise and also coaches and plays on the team. There’s nothing in the script to justify this bizarre set-up; it just is, which is actually pretty effective. In order to be absorbed into the NBA, the team has to finish in the top four in the league. Not much chance of that, because they’re terrible. Ferrell’s character signs a new point guard, a burned-out NBA veteran played by Woody Harrelson. From there it’s pretty much the same sort of crass, crude, silly comedy you almost always get from Will Ferrell movies, although there’s a little about redemption and loyalty and other serious subjects like that as the team chases that all-important fourth place finish. If you like Ferrell’s other movies, which I do, you’ll probably like this one, too. I certainly did. The Seventies setting, with all the disco music and big hair and goofy clothes, made me like it, too, because God help me, I remember all that stuff. All too well, in fact.