Semi-Pro [Blu-ray]
by Kent Alterman
![Semi-Pro [Blu-ray]](/images/Semi-Pro-Blu-ray-B0016MOV9W-L.jpg)
List Price:
Our Price: $27.95
You Save: $12.03 (30%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $8.87 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jackie Earle Haley, Maura Tierney, Patti LaBelle, Tim Meadows, Woody HarrelsonDirector: Kent Alterman
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Shane Hurlbut
Composer: Theodore Shapiro
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-06-03
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: New Line Home Video
Movie Reviews of Semi-Pro [Blu-ray]
Movie Review: Will Ferrell Throws an Air Ball with Semi-Pro
Summary: 2 Stars
Perhaps it is becoming more and more evident that Will Ferrell is far better cast as a cameo appearance actor. Though he tends to be quit humorous in roles where he is not the lead actor, it is when the weight of the success of the film is in Ferrell's shoulders that he seems to falter time and time again. One really not need look any further than Taladega Nights to realize this but if that is not enough proof to support the hypothesis for you, then check out Semi-Pro.
Directed by Kent Alterman and written by Scot Armstrong, Semi-Pro is a rather lackluster comedy film that nails stupidity quite well but falls short in providing any real comedy throughout the entire film. There are merely a glimmer of comedy spread here and there throughout the film but the movie really seems to be a lot of tired old Will Ferrell jokes and humor.
Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) is the owner-coach-player of the American Basketball Association's team the Flint Michigan Tropics. Moon, a sultry R&B artist known best for his song "Love Me Sexy" is equally as good at being an owner, a coach and a player on a professional ABA team, and that does not say much. His basketball prowess focuses on catch and pass time and time again and his coaching and ownership stake is more focused on coming up with witty pre-game introductions than it is on running a basketball program.
Andre Benjamin (of Outkast fame) plays the part of Clarence, perhaps one of the finest players on the Tropics squad. However, his skills being so far above some of the others on the Tropics also makes him the constant prized possession of so many other basketball teams. Though Clarence does change his name in the film to Coffee Black, there is nothing really all that strong about the peformance that Benjamin puts into the film.
The diamond in the rough for this film is the character of Ed Monix played by Woody Harrelson. Harrelson plays the part of a washed up former NBA player whose stints included spending significant time for several clubs on the court, but mostly on the bench. If it were not for Harrelson's performance in this film the entire movie would have needed to have been scrapped.
When the ABA decides that they are going to downsize and fold the remaining teams into the NBA, the owners need to come up with some sort of way to determine which teams will be on the chopping block and which will make it to the big time. The ultimate decision that was rendered now leaves the Flint Michigan Tropics fighting for a chance to make it into the big scene.
Moon decides that since his playing is certainly not going to launch him into the NBA that perhaps he can reinvigorate the fan base in Flint by a series of stupid entertainment promotions. Not only are Moon's ideas quite cheesy, but the fact that the viewer is subjected to have to sit there and watch his ideas come to life on screen is just as cheesy on the part of the writer and director.
Though when Will Ferrell is involved you are not expecting the most cinematographic piece of excellence, Semi-Pro does not even deserve to be called a minor league film. Just as the Flint Michigan Tropics were never going to make it in the basketball world, this film is never going to be thought of as being anything close to quality and in fact is not even really worth watching at all.
Almost as bad as the Boston Celtics were the year before their NBA Championship season this year, Semi-Pro is nothing more than a bunch of air balls and bricks and Semi-Pro ends up the loser.
Summary of Semi-Pro [Blu-ray]
Will Ferrell stars in Semi-Pro an 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 contest. 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 his 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.Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre:?COMEDY/PARODY & SPOOF UPC:?794043121166 Manufacturer No:?1000038647The 1970s are back in all their excessive glory in Semi-Pro, an uneven but not uninspired Will Ferrell comedy about a professional basketball team that puts more energy into insane promotional schemes than playing well on the court. Ferrell stars as Jackie Moon, a former pop sensation who made enough money from a couple of hit records (the biggest: "Love Me Sexy") to buy Flint, Mich.'s the Tropics, a disorganized bunch of losers with one genuine talent named Coffee Black (Andre J. Benjamin). Despite knowing little about the game, Jackie is the Tropics' coach as well as a player, though his greater love is in coming up with such bizarre marketing stunts as wrestling a bear and attempting a motorcycle jump over a line of cheerleaders. When the Tropics look like they might be shut down, Jackie desperately agrees to let washed-up veteran player Monix (Woody Harrelson) take over coaching, turning the team's fortunes around--just a bit. The film's thin premise opens the floodgates to a series of absurd vignettes that suit Ferrell's silly-satiric brand of frat humor very well. There are choice moments, such as Jackie's table-shoving tantrum at a meeting of team owners (presided over by an aghast but tolerant commissioner, adroitly played by David Koechner), and his rapid escape from the Tropics' arena when he realizes everyone in the stands has won free corndogs (at Jackie's expense). Other performers shine, too, including Will Arnett and Andrew Daly as a glass-half-full/glass-half-empty pair of game announcers, and Maura Tierney as Monix's former love interest. The script is by Scot Armstrong (The Heartbreak Kid), and the film is the first directorial effort of producer Kent Alterman (Mr. Woodcock). --Tom Keogh
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in DVD
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Single Disc)INDIANA JONES & KINGDOM OF CRYSTAL SKULL (DVD; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $12.49
Price in other shops:
Iron Man (Two-Disc Special Collectors' Edition)IRON MAN-ULTIMATE EDITION (DVD MOVIE); Release date: 2008-09-30; DVD
Best price: $18.10
Price in other shops:
![Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Kingdom-of-the-Crystal-Skull-Blu-ray-B001E75QGG-X.jpg)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [Blu-ray]INDIANA JONES & KINGDOM OF CRYSTAL SKULL (BLU; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $20.60
Price in other shops:
The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $22.99
Price in other shops:
Iron Man (Single-Disc Edition)IRON MAN (DVD MOVIE); Release date: 2008-09-30; DVD
Best price: $10.98
Price in other shops:
Sex and the City - The Movie (Special Edition)Release date: 2008-09-23; DVD
Best price: $19.84
Price in other shops:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Two-Disc Special Edition)INDIANA JONES & KINGDOM OF CRYSTAL SKULL (DVD; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $19.58
Price in other shops:
![Iron Man (Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Iron-Man-Ultimate-Two-Disc-Edition-Blu-ray-B001GAPC1K-X.jpg)
Iron Man (Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray]Release date: 2008-09-30; DVD
Best price: $24.75
Price in other shops:
Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops:
![The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray] Image](/images/The-Dark-Knight-Digital-Copy-and-BD-Live-Blu-ray-B001GZ6QEC-X.jpg)
The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $24.95
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
![Vantage Point [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Vantage-Point-Blu-ray-B0018CWW3C-X.jpg)
Vantage Point [Blu-ray]Sony; Release date: 2008-07-01; DVD
Best price: $13.95
Price in other shops:
![Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Harold-Kumar-Escape-From-Guantanamo-Bay-Blu-ray-B0019K65PO-X.jpg)
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay [Blu-ray]Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-07-29; DVD
Best price: $19.67
Price in other shops:
![Cloverfield [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Cloverfield-Blu-ray-B0018QCXGY-X.jpg)
Cloverfield [Blu-ray]PARAMOUNT PICTURES; Release date: 2008-06-03; DVD
Best price: $16.73
Price in other shops:
![Be Kind Rewind [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Be-Kind-Rewind-Blu-ray-B0018LX9VC-X.jpg)
Be Kind Rewind [Blu-ray]Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-06-17; DVD
Best price: $15.99
Price in other shops:
![The Bucket List [Blu-ray] Image](/images/The-Bucket-List-Blu-ray-B0016P8OAG-X.jpg)
The Bucket List [Blu-ray]Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-06-10; DVD
Best price: $13.38
Price in other shops:
![Rambo [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Rambo-Blu-ray-B0015XHP2W-X.jpg)
Rambo [Blu-ray]LION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2008-05-27; DVD
Best price: $18.55
Price in other shops:
![10,000 B.C. [Blu-ray] Image](/images/10-000-B-C-Blu-ray-B0017U7PT6-X.jpg)
10,000 B.C. [Blu-ray]Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-06-24; DVD
Best price: $13.89
Price in other shops:
![Fool's Gold [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Fool-Gold-Blu-ray-B00178Z8SI-X.jpg)
Fool's Gold [Blu-ray]Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-06-17; DVD
Best price: $12.40
Price in other shops:
![Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2-Disc Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Walk-Hard-The-Dewey-Cox-Story-2-Disc-Unrated-Edition-Blu-ray-B0012IWRDC-X.jpg)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2-Disc Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray]Sony; Release date: 2008-04-08; DVD
Best price: $13.74
Price in other shops:
![Jumper [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Jumper-Blu-ray-B001794FOK-X.jpg)
Jumper [Blu-ray]TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2008-06-10; DVD
Best price: $19.85
Price in other shops: