By Kevin Huxford
I went into the screening of Semi-Pro last evening expecting to see another Will Ferrell vehicle. That's not a bad thing, mind you.
But what I got was a much more well-balanced flick where all of the cast has its moments, especially Woody Harrelson and André (Andre 3000 of the Outkasts) Benjamin. It doesn't spare the laughs by doing so, yet gains some heartfelt moments along the way.
To be sure, Ferrell still leads the way on the belly laughs here. About 75% of the funny in this film is borne out of his scenes. The rest of the crew often plays the straight man to his funny so often. But it works, time after time.
The casting here is inspired. Maura Tierney (as Harrelson's love interest) looks remarkably like Jenna Fischer here, which helps keep the feeling going that Ferrell movies recycle the same cast, even when they aren't. She's initially paired with Rob Corddry, in what this reviewer would call his best work outside of The Daily Show. The results of their strange love triangle wind up leading to some
of the most satisfying laughs of the film. Note to those casting Corddry in the future: wigs work well on him.
Much of the rest of the cast is made up of sketch comedy alumni. Will Arnett & Andrew Daly (the sketch superstar who managed to be on Upright Citizen's Brigade, Mad TV, and SNL) make a wonderful announcing team that provides a fair share of laughs. Lord knows what the Oscar nominated Jackie Earle Haley is doing in a bit part here, but he plays a hippie-dippie, stoned fan perfectly.
It is hard to really go into any amount of detail about the movie
without giving up some of the twists. Yes, it is a comedy that focuses on the laughs more than the story, but one wouldn't want to accidentally telegraph the punchlines for any of the fans. Suffice to say, this is a very funny flick that uses ludicrous scenarios and, at times, copious amounts of foul language to great effect. The poker scene is an interesting take on a somewhat cliche scenario that is, nevertheless, outstanding.
Get yourself a courtside seat for Semi-Pro this weekend and, if possible, score a corndog at the concession stand.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Schwapp@TheMovies: SEMI-PRO
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