Prolonging the streak of uplifting sporting ne’er-do-wells begun in the 1970s with the The Longest Yard (1974) and The Bad News Bears (1976), and extended into the ‘80s and ‘90s with Major League (1989) and Major League II (1994), Semi-Pro is about a group of dysfunctional losers who, unlike their predecessors, are all too unlovable. By far the most profane comedy that Ferrell has ever carried, considering the fondness the “tweener” aged audience has for his lowbrow brand of humor, it may be disarming for unsuspecting parents (Ferrell’s previous sports-themed flicks were PG and PG-13, as was 2003’s Elf) how abruptly obscene the R rated language is. (“No, he didn’t call you a jive turkey. He only called you a co***ucker.”) The anguished sex jokes echo the Tropics’ own air of desperation.
Most noticeably, with the action shifted from the ice rink to the basketball court, Semi-Pro is either a wistful homage to, or an egregious rip-off of, Slap Shot (1977), starring Paul Newman, about a minor league hockey team that is likewise comprised of violent misfits playing on a semi-professional team in danger of disbanding. That movie, with its cult following of sorts, had its Three Stooges-inspired moments (you haven’t forgotten the Hanson Brothers, have you?) and one of the screen’s greatest movie stars advancing the action. Thirty years from now, there’s no shot anyone will be looking back on Semi-Pro with the same fondness we do with Bears and Slap Shot. You can bank it.
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