SEMI-PRO
Rated R
Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Will Arnett, Rob Corddry

Brian's Rating

I am not going to apologize for laughing at Will Ferrell. I know that many of my colleagues consider him a modestly talented buffoon, but I would point to his impressive performance in Stranger Than Fiction as proof that this guy can deliver the goods.

He has made some less-than-stellar movies; Kicking & Screaming comes to mind, as does Bewitched. But I loved him in Blades of Glory, Old School, Elf and Talladega Nights and I love him in Semi-Pro, now on DVD.

So let's give this guy a break and acknowledge that the world needs actors like Will Ferrell and movies like Semi-Pro, the fictional account of an underperforming basketball team during the decline and fall of the former American Basketball Association.

The humor is slapstick and the dialogue is decidedly not Mother Goose, but there is an endearing quality to this very authentic look at the '70s and I couldn't stop laughing.