There are only so many things Will Ferrel can do with this "Character"

Rating: 8/10 (9 June 2008)

For much of his career Will Ferrel has only played one character, the cocky, flamboyant and loud idiot who generates all his laughs by whoring himself out. It worked once in Anchorman and for some reason it worked here. Semi-Pro is unlike the other Will Ferrel comedies in the fact that it exists in a semi-serious world. Will Ferrel's Jackie Moon is surrounded by real characters instead of sidekicks like John C Reilly. Wooody Harrelson is probably the key to why I actually enjoyed this movie. His character Ed Monix is the straight man to Will Ferrel's clown and that is just what the clown needed to be funny again but there are scenes when this character Will loves to play looks simply pathetic.
The plot of Semi-Pro actually plays off of the interesting merger between the ABA and the NBA during the 70's. Jackie Moon owns and plays for an unsuccessful ABA team called the Flint Michigan Tropics. The Tropics have horrible attendance and an even worse record. Moon wants his team to make the NBA but he is informed that only the teams that are actually successful will be included in the merger. Moon is able to get a deal that states that the teams who have the best records will be allowed to go to the NBA. This plot is actually better than that of Anchorman or Talladega Nights. This variation of the character isn't successful to begin with and his cockiness doesn't stem from him being on top, it stems from a delusional reality. Eventually Moon has to admit that he has nothing going for himself and it is one of the best scenes in the movie. Moon brings veteran player Ed Monix to Flint to play for his Tropics. Monix agrees to the deal because his old love lives in the area. Monix is probably the best character in the film because he is an actual basketball player and not a cardboard cut out of one. Jackie brings in his nude wife to the locker room during halftime and Monix snaps yelling that shoving tits in someone's face won't win basketball games. I was surprised because Monix was saying what I as an audience member was thinking. The team soon recruits Monix to be their new coach much to Jackie's displeasure. They begin winning games and improving their attendance due to funny promotions(I Jackie Moon will wrestle a Bear) Their efforts are in vain though because the NBA says they will not take the Flint Tropics. With nothing to play for in their last regular season game, the team decides they have to play for pride in an ending that is more satisfactory than anything WIll Ferrel has allowed his character to do before.
I hated Ricky Bobby, and Chazz Michael Michaels but for some reason I liked Jackie Moon. Jackie never had the success those characters had and he is truly a pathetic piece of existence but for some reason I felt for him and found his punchlines funny. He is cocky but he does care about his team and he is a competitor who has to fight for what he wants unlike those other sports characters.
Semi-Pro is funny and hopefully this character will be retired on a high note