You can see the meeting now: a bunch of executives are sitting around a table trying to think of an idea for a new comedy vehicle for Will Ferrell. Its getting tense because Will has already driven a car and done ice skating. Suddenly a young maverick rises to his feet: “I’ve got it!” he screams “what if Will had an afro?!”
Silence.
The room erupts. Champagne is poured. A backstory about a failing 70’s basketball team is filled in later and American comedy retreads the same footsteps all over again.
Here’s the thing – Semi-Pro is, in itself, an okay film. The story is pure cheese but it remains reasonably funny and short enough not to outstay it’s welcome… but it is just more of the same old stuff. Exactly the same old stuff. Big, likeable, idiot (i.e. man-child) deludes himself then is forced to get real and eventually triumph in the face of some adversity. Fine. It’s worked before and it works okay here but it really does beg the question – just how has Ferrell become the king of comedy?
If you use this film as exhibit A then it just doesn’t stack up. His co-star, Woody Harrelson out classes him at every turn. He is consistently funnier, subtler and invests the serious moments with genuine feeling (this guy is one of the great underrated American actors). Similarly, the heart of the film rests not with it’s star but with Andre Benjamin as the one player with a future. Comparing Farrell to either of these actors is like comparing this film to the recent improvised poker comedy The Grand (coincidently starring Harrelson) – it’s no contest. The tall shouty guy was once a great supporting turn (Old School and Zoolander are still his best work) who reached his peak and is seemingly intent on repeating that ad-infinitum. Similarly how many more films can we really take about idiots (lovable or otherwise) whose biggest problem is that they need to grow up?
…depressingly, Ferrell’s next film is called Step Brothers. It’s about two men (who are ‘lovable idiots’ i.e. weird man-child types) who are forced to share a room when their parents get married… judging by the poster this one is ‘what if Will wore a tank top?!’
Silence.
The room erupts. Champagne is poured. etc etc etc…
4/10
