Andrew Pace
Will Ferrell has starred in several sports comedy films, including the basketball-themed Semi-Pro, a 2008 release about a fictional ABA team's struggle to survive the league's merger with the NBA. Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, the owner-player-coach of the Flint Tropics, who tries to lead his teammates to the NBA. The film also stars Woody Harrelson, André 3000 (André Benjamin), and Maura Tierney. While it received generally negative reviews, Ferrell's performance was praised, and the film has become a favourite among some fans.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Film Name | Semi-Pro |
| Genre | Comedy, Sport |
| Year | 2008 |
| Director | Kent Alterman |
| Writer | Scot Armstrong |
| Producer | Jimmy Miller |
| Starring | Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André 3000/André Benjamin, Maura Tierney |
| Will Ferrell's Character | Jackie Moon, the owner/player/coach of the Flint Tropics |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score | 23% |
| Worldwide Gross | $43,884,904 |
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What You'll Learn
Will Ferrell's performance in 'Semi-Pro' received praise
Despite receiving generally negative reviews, Will Ferrell's performance in the 2008 sports comedy Semi-Pro was praised by critics. The film, directed by Kent Alterman, centres on the fictional American Basketball Association team the Flint Tropics and their owner-player-coach, Jackie Moon, played by Ferrell.
Although the film was criticised for its script, Ferrell's performance was well-received, with one review stating that the actor was on top form. Another review noted that Ferrell was the center of all the gags and [had] most of the funny lines, and that the film was undoubtedly his.
In the film, Jackie Moon tries to help his basketball team secure a spot in the NBA. Ferrell's character was famous for the ageing disco hit "Love Me Sexy", and he also performed the song I Love Me Sexy for the film's soundtrack.
To promote the film, Ferrell appeared in character as Jackie Moon in several Super Bowl ads for Anheuser-Busch. Ferrell also featured in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue spread with Heidi Klum.
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Ferrell's character wrestles a bear in the film
In the 2008 sports comedy film Semi-Pro, Will Ferrell's character, Jackie Moon, wrestles a bear. The film is set during the final season of the American Basketball Association and tells the story of a fictional ABA team, the Flint Tropics, desperate to survive the league's merger with the NBA.
The scene in which Ferrell's character wrestles a bear is based on a real promotion. On April 2, 1975, at halftime of an ABA game between the Utah Stars and the Indiana Pacers, an Alaskan brown bear named Victor, or Victor the Wrestling Bear, came out to wrestle some people and entertain the Indiana crowd.
In the film, Ferrell's character, Jackie Moon, is the owner, player, and coach of the failing Flint Tropics, famous for the aging disco hit "Love Me Sexy". In one scene, Jackie Moon wrestles a bear to promote his basketball team. The bear is described as a 5-year-old, 7.5-foot-tall (2.3 m), 700-pound (320 kg) male grizzly bear named Rocky. Stuntman and trainer Randy Miller doubled for Ferrell during the wrestling match with the bear.
Tragically, on April 22, 2008, just seven weeks after the film's release, the bear bit and killed 39-year-old Stephan Miller, Randy Miller's cousin and fellow trainer, during a photoshoot. Stephan Miller was an experienced trainer and had been filming a promotional video at the Predators in Action facility when the bear, Rocky, attacked and bit him on the neck, piercing his jugular vein and carotid artery.
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'Semi-Pro' received generally negative reviews
Will Ferrell's 2008 sports comedy film Semi-Pro received generally negative reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval score of 23% based on 160 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. The critical consensus on the site describes the film as an "intermittently funny, half-hearted attempt at sports satire, and one of Will Ferrell's weaker cinematic efforts." Similarly, Metacritic reported an average score of 47 out of 100, based on 29 reviews.
Despite the negative reviews, some viewers enjoyed the film, with one Rotten Tomatoes user describing it as "hilarious" and "lots of great jokes." Another user on the site exclaimed, "Forget the critics reviews!" However, some viewers agreed with the critics, with one IMDb user stating that while the first 30 minutes of the movie were good, the rest of the film "goes downhill." This viewer also noted that the supporting cast of characters was not as strong as in other Will Ferrell films like Anchorman and Dodgeball.
Critics and viewers alike praised Ferrell's performance, with Peter Travers of Rolling Stone stating, "when the script [...] shoots air balls, Ferrell is a slam dunk." Similarly, Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote, "Although not exactly a slam dunk, Semi-Pro is definitely more than semi-funny."
The film's director, Kent Alterman, was also defended by a reviewer from The Village Voice, who acknowledged his attempt to "tweak the formula by adding a dash more sincerity and humanity to the froth but [he] doesn't get too adventurous."
Semi-Pro was the last film from New Line Cinema and, as of 2024, the only film directed by Kent Alterman.
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Ferrell's character is the owner, player and coach of a basketball team
In the 2008 sports comedy film Semi-Pro, Will Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a basketball team owner, player, and coach. The film is set during the final season of the American Basketball Association and tells the story of the fictional Flint Tropics team, who are desperate to survive the league's merger with the NBA.
Jackie Moon is a washed-up singer, famous for the ageing disco hit "Love Me Sexy", who becomes the owner, player, and coach of the failing Flint Tropics. He rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true. Moon is also known for wrestling a grizzly bear to promote his basketball team. Ferrell's character is described as a "one-hit-wonder" who "stepped up to play power forward and showed us what real heroes do".
The film received generally negative reviews from critics, who described it as "an intermittently funny, half-hearted attempt at sports satire, and one of Will Ferrell's weaker cinematic efforts". However, Ferrell's performance received praise, with one review stating that "while Anchorman and Dodgeball had a great supporting cast of characters, Semi-Pro only has Will Ferrell and the two commentators that raise a laugh". Another review states that "Will Ferrell is on top form in this movie but a lot more could have been made of his character".
The film also stars Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, and Maura Tierney, and features appearances by former American Basketball Association players, Artis Gilmore and George Gervin. The soundtrack for the film was released on February 26, 2008, and included songs by LaBelle, WAR, Curtis Mayfield, and Will Ferrell, among others.
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The film is set during the final season of the American Basketball Association
The 2008 American sports comedy film Semi-Pro stars Will Ferrell and is set during the final season of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The film follows Jackie Moon, the owner-player-coach of the fictional and failing Flint Tropics, a team in the ABA. Moon is famous for the ageing disco hit "Love Me Sexy", written by Nile Rodgers, Scot Armstrong, and Will Ferrell, and performed by Ferrell in the film.
The plot of the film centres around the team's desperation to survive the league's merger with the NBA. Moon rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true. The film also features a scene where Ferrell's character wrestles a bear named Rocky, a 7-foot-tall, 700-pound grizzly. The bear was portrayed by stuntman and trainer Randy Miller, who doubled for Ferrell during the scene.
Semi-Pro was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut and written by Scot Armstrong. It was shot in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Flint, Michigan. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, who criticised the script, although Ferrell's performance was praised. The film grossed $43.8 million worldwide, with a production budget of $55 million.
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Frequently asked questions
The name of the basketball movie starring Will Ferrell is 'Semi-Pro'.
'Semi-Pro' is a sports comedy film set during the final season of the American Basketball Association. It tells the story of a fictional ABA team, the Flint Tropics, desperate to survive the league's merger with the NBA. Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of the Tropics, rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true.
The cast of 'Semi-Pro' includes Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin, Maura Tierney, Will Arnett, David Koechner, Andy Richter, Rob Corddry, DeRay Davis, and many others.
The runtime of 'Semi-Pro' is 1 hour and 31 minutes.
