The Movie Oracle: Semi-pro (2008)

The gods are coming back?

Dionysos, god of wine: Yes, we are! Long ago the gods grew weary of man's problems and "outsourced" our duties to upstart religions. But retirement got boring and now we're turning once again to the mortal realm, and finding it a very different world. Where to begin getting in touch with this new culture? With movies, of course!

Athena, goddess of wisdom: And other things. I look out for social issues, Dio for aesthetics. Apollo goes for the intellectual, Ares for action, Hera for family values, and so on. Each god gives their unique view on today's cinema and society.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Semi-pro (2008)

Ares, god of war: Is this supposed to be funny? I can't tell. Except for the bear-wrestling scene and the dirty hippie, of course. Thumbs down.

Dionysos, god of wine: Not much for subtlety, are you, Ares? The humor here, as Ares points out, is not heavy on crude slapstick. Rather, it's filled to bursting with Will Farrell's signature style: dry, situational absurdity. For example, witness the dramatic, emotional scene where the players "fire" their coach. This while dressed as seahorses. Or consider the situation between NBA star Ed Monix, his former-girlfriend Lynn, and her new husband. It's a classic love triangle, except that the husband is such a fanatic fan of Monix, he'll do anything for him. The movie is chock full of this kind of humor. Critics scorned it, but in my opinion this is Mr. Farrell's opus. Thumbs up.

Nik e, goddess of victory: No team ever worked so hard for fourth place. That alone is enough to make me laugh. Thumbs up.

Two thumbs up, one thumb down

SEMI-PRO
Jackie Moon (Farrell), a one-hit wonder for his single "Love Me Sexy", leads the Flint Tropics, a bottom-of-the-barrel team in the American Basketball Association (ABA). When word comes down that the second-rate ABA will be merging with the pro NBA, and only four teams will be allowed into the NBA, the Tropics are in trouble. Jackie Moon does everything in his power to turn his team around, including trading their washing machine for washed-up NBA star Ed Monix (Harrelson). Absurdities ensue as the Tropics vie to make it into the top four.
Director: Kent Alterman
Cast: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Maura Tierney, David Koechner, Will Arnett, Andrew Daly, Andy Richter, Rob Corddry, Matt Walsh
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 20%.
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DID YOU KNOW? In his poem Works and Days, Hesiod teaches two kinds of strife, one bad and one good. The good kind of strife encourages excellence by striving against one another in competition. The Greeks were deeply fond of competitive games, and held them at funerals to honor the dead. In fact, the first stirrings of a united "Greek" culture found expression in the great games in which all the tribes participated. The games at Olympia, fore-runners of the modern Olympics, were one of these great pan-Greek events.