Will Ferrell in new basketball movie Semi Pro
Will Ferrell must be getting into great shape because the next two movies he is in are sport’s themed flicks. This one is called Semi Pro, and he has another in the works called Blades of Glory. The folks over at monstersandcritics.com give us this:
Will Ferrell is lacing up his high-tops for “Semi-Pro,“ a basketball comedy from New Line Cinema. New Line executive Kent Alterman will be stepping down from company duties to make his directorial debut on the picture, which will co-star Woody Harrelson.
Written by Scot Armstrong, who worked with Ferrell on “Old School,“ the fictional story is set in the last year of the now-defunct world of the American Basketball Assn. and follows Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of the fictional Flint Michigan Tropics. Moon must lead his team on a desperate attempt to make it to the big leagues.
I smell something rotten, like a hack premise. So basically the story is about an underdog sports team that must work hard to make it to the big time. Sounds like.. .A league of Their Own, Dodgeball, The Bad News Bears and many more.
Hey, we all know that Will Ferrell is a great comedic actor and I’m dying to see Woody Harrelson in something but this story just leaves me numb inside.
It’s not that Scot Armstrong , hasn’t done good work, he’s written winners like Road Trip, Old School and School for Scoundrels, all very funny movies. However, usually Armstrong writes with his writer/director buddy Todd Phillips. I wonder if it was the premise that kept Phillips away from this one.
I can see the reasoning behind Ken Alterman choosing this movie for his directorial debut. A nice light comedy, a resonably high budget and experienced, reliable actors. I can even see him likeing the story because really when it is a paint by numbers plot the editing room is far less daunting. But it certainly doesn’t float my boat as an audience.
Semi Pro seems to have a lot going for it, a good writer, great cast and a new director with a lot of experience and enthusiasm with films. But I can’t help feeling that this movie is going to flop harder than a chubby man flying face first into a pool.
1. Norddeth replies at 30th October 2006, 2:40 pm :
Im in wait-and-see mode on this one.
On one hand you’re right, horrible cliche of a premise.
But on the other hand, Dodgeball had an equally sketchy premise and I laughed my ass off.
nord
2. Darren J Seeley replies at 31st October 2006, 8:24 am :
1) Flint Michigan Tropics? That sounds nice; I hope they actually film in Michigan. If they film in the Flint area, that’s even better. That’s in my neck of the woods.
2) “A League Of Thier Own” isn’t an underdog comedy about a team working hard to be big time.
3. nak replies at 9th November 2006, 11:10 pm :
Flint is good enough to base your story on, but not good enough to shoot it? Why don’t you just take the Tropics to Denver?
4. Jay Jenkins replies at 31st December 2006, 2:29 am :
Its sounds like a great movie. Who cares if some of the same old plots are used. Sleeples in Seattle launched about 10 movies based on the same plot and some of them were really good. It may not win an oscar, but it will probably make alot of money and alot of laughs.
Can’t Wait
5. Tyesha replies at 8th January 2007, 4:38 pm :
I’m from Flint and Flint is the perfect place to take place at!
6. hiphoprickles replies at 23rd February 2007, 7:36 pm :
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7. ryan replies at 10th April 2007, 8:44 pm :
I heard that they need extras for a seen in flint, like 500 of them I that would be so assume to do because I love Will Ferrell.