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Semi-Pro: Let's Get Sweaty Unrated Edition
R1 - America - New Line Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Andreas Petersen (1st June 2008). |
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The Film
 More than anything, Will Farrell comedies have confused me over the years. When Farrell’s cinematic career began to pick up speed, I was in high school, and it seemed to be that I was the only person who wasn’t completely in love with his antics. This lead to me just getting more annoyed every time one of his movies came out. For whatever reason, when I saw the trailer for "Semi-Pro", I thought it looked funny. It was probably because Will Arnett had some good lines, and I’m a huge basketball fan. Sadly, neither of these elements contributed to a successful comedy. "Semi-Pro", directed by Kent Alterman, tells the story of a 70’s basketball team of the now-defunct ABA attempting to survive a merger with the NBA. The team in question, the Flint Tropics, is run by stupid yet eccentric pop-artist Jackie Moon (Will Farrell). One thing leads to another, and the team trades their washing machine for ex-NBA star Monix (Woody Harrelson). The team strikes a deal with the commissioner of the ABA, stating that the 4 best teams in the league will join the NBA at the end of the season. Now the terrible team is fighting just to stay alive. "Semi-Pro", like many of Farrell’s films, is a part of a niche of absurdist comedy. Absurdism is hard to nail, because if done correctly, it can be the most unique form of comedy practiced today. However, if done incorrectly, you can feel as though you’re not even watching a comedy, but rather a group of people overacting and before you know it, the movie’s over, not having produced a single laugh. This, at least for me, was the case for "Semi-Pro". None of the jokes ever seemed to hit for, and just fell flat. I feel as though the dirty jokes mixed with obvious explanations have all been done before, and not just by Farrell. All in all, this just doesn’t feel like anything new. We’ve seen Farrell dress up in funny clothes and act serious. It’s time to move on. That isn’t to say the movie isn’t without its good components. Aside from Farrell, the actors portraying the other Tropics team members were very good. This includes André Benjamin, who, despite the silliness of the film, acts amazingly well. I know he’s done drama before, but this movie made me want to see more of his abilities in front of the camera. Also, Harrelson is always great, and I really enjoyed DeRay Davis and Bee Bee. Also, another thing that I liked about this movie is the overall message. As stated before, I’m a huge basketball fan, and in a day when I feel as though the fundamental game has been tarnished by capital interests, I’m always open to hear a story relaying the message of “It’s not about winning, but how you play”. That said, "Semi-Pro" does falter many times from being a comedy, and into cliché sports-movie conventions, and these points were nearly unwatchable. I had high hopes for this one (sort of). I wanted to believe that Farrell was capable of making a movie that I’d like. Whatever, though that "Step Brothers" (2008) trailer looks sort of funny… Also, it should be noted that two versions of the film are presented, including a theatrical cut, and an unrated “Let’s Get Sweaty” edition. The unrated cut includes some extended scenes, usually adding nudity or lewd sexual jokes.
Video
"Semi-Pro" is presented in a very sharp looking 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Just like any period piece set in the 70’s, color plays a huge part in telling this film’s story, and I was really impressed with how high the quality of picture was. At times, I couldn’t even imagine this film looking better in an HD format. This actually may be one of the best looking DVD's I have seen, if we are strictly speaking about picture quality.
Audio
"Semi-Pro" is offered in a decent English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX audio track as well as an English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track. The audio that is there comes through clean enough, but I never felt like the disc made full use of its 5.1 presentation. In the chaotic basketball games, I was hoping for a bit more folly work, and really wanted to hear the sound of shoes squeaking and the likes. There are optional subtitles in English and Spanish.
Extras
New Line has provided "Semi-Pro" a healthy supply of extras in this 2 disc set, including deleted scenes, featurettes, music videos, and trailers. They are examined below: DISC ONE: The first disc includes a few bonus trailers including: - "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D" running for 2 minutes and 31 seconds. - "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" running for 2 minutes and 25 seconds. - "Run Fatboy Run" running for 1 minute and 15 seconds. - "Shoot ‘Em Up" running for 33 seconds. - "Anti-tobacco" Truth ad running for 32 seconds. - "Old Spice" ad running for 32 seconds. DISC TWO: First up on the 2nd disc are a few deleted scenes. They include: - "Dick Pepperield Opening", running for 1 minute and 27 seconds, which was meant to be an alternate opening to the film, in which the announcer offers exposition. - "Monix Prologue", running for 1 minute and 58 seconds, which was to be a flashback, showing that Monix was at one point in the exact same situation that Jackie Moon was at the film’s end. - "Tropical Fever Dance", running for 54 seconds, in which the entire show-opener is presented. - "Alternate Ending: Where Are They Now?", running for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, in which the characters are shown in their lives after the events of the film. Next are a few scenes which offer some improv provided by the actors. They are: - "Dick and Lou", running for 1 minute and 39 seconds, in which Will Arnett and Andrew Daly riff off each other. - "Tropics Weekly", running for 3 minutes and 42 seconds, in which Farrell and Daly improve together on the film’s talk show. - "Andy, Amy and Will", running for 3 minutes and 18, in which Andy Richter improves a few scenes in which he pleads for his job, as well as Amy Sedaris heckling Harrelson, and Farrell complaining about his eyes. "A Short History of the ABA" featurette, running for 6 minutes and 50 seconds, is probably the most interesting feature on the disc. This short feature explores what made the failed league so special, and offers interviews with former players in the league. "Re-Creating the ABA" is another featurette running for 12 minutes and 45 seconds, acts as an examination in how the film re-captured the feel of ABA basketball in the 70’s. This includes not only the look of the arenas, but also how the players in the film played the game. All the actors had to attend basketball camps in which they were taught how to play ABA style ball. "Love Me Sexy – The Story Behind The One Hit Wonder" featurette runs for 5 minutes and 24 seconds, goes behind the scenes concerning the creation of the film’s iconic song. Seeing as how I wasn’t entirely sold on the song, I didn’t really care for this feature. "Bill Walton Visits the Set" featurette runs for 2 minutes and 40 seconds, in which the famous player came to the set to play some one-on-one with Farrell. Also, Alterman recounts stories with Walton concerning old ABA games. "Four Days in Flint" featurette runs for 5 minutes and 38 seconds, showcases the process of filming in the motor city, as well as an explanation as to why the city was chosen as the setting. "The Man Behind Semi-Pro" featurette runs for 24 minutes, acts as the disc’s making-of. It all begins with the writing of the script, by Scot Armstrong, and his collaboration with the director. Farrell is interviewed as well, and doesn’t “turn off” for it at moments, and actually comes off as sort of irritating. “Love Me Sexy” Music Video is also included and runs for 1 minute and 58 seconds, acts just as its namesake. Farrell sings the song, as the lyrics appear on screen in a 70’s font, all of which is inter cut with footage from the film. "Flint Tropics Hot Talk With Dick Pepperfield", includes two interviews with the character, which include “Ball Girls”, which runs for, 1 minute and 15 seconds, and “Pancakes and Camels”, running for 1 minute and 25 seconds. Both are presented as though they were from an old VHS recording. The disc finally contains three versions of the film’s trailer, including the teaser trailer running for 46 seconds, the theatrical trailer running for 2 minutes and 27 seconds, and the red-band trailer running for 1 minute and 50 seconds. Also included is a digital copy of the film.
Overall
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