Opening

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17% A Green Story May 24
—— Alyce Kills May 24

Top Box Office

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8% The Big Wedding $1.2M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31
89% The East May 31

Semi-Pro (2008)

tomatometer

21

Average Rating: 4.5/10
Reviews Counted: 157
Fresh: 33 | Rotten: 124

Semi-Pro is an intermittently funny, half-hearted attempt at sports satire, and one of Will Ferrell's weaker cinematic efforts.

29

Average Rating: 4.9/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 25

Semi-Pro is an intermittently funny, half-hearted attempt at sports satire, and one of Will Ferrell's weaker cinematic efforts.

audience

41

liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 272,964

My Rating

Movie Info

The American Basketball Association is on the verge of collapse, and when a former NBA benchwarmer returns to his hometown of Flint, MI, to whip his former team into shape for the playoffs, redemption is just a free throw away in this period sports comedy starring Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson. Penned by Old School scribe Scot Armstrong, Semi-Pro tells the tale of a 1970s-era basketball player who doesn't have much luck in the NBA, but vows to leave his mark on the sport by coaching the Flint

R,

Comedy

Scot Armstrong

Jun 3, 2008

$33.4M

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All Critics (160) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (126) | DVD (16)

The semifunny Semi-Pro is amiable enough, but you never feel there's much at stake.

March 31, 2008 Full Review Source: Newsweek
Newsweek
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Judging from this low-scoring sports comedy about the mystique of men with balls, Will Ferrell needs to call a time-out from belly baring to refocus his fan-favorite game of playing clueless male doofuses.

March 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic IconTop Critic

You take the Will Ferrell formula and you plug it in, but somehow it just feels kind of uninspired and flat.

March 3, 2008
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic IconTop Critic

There are some ludicrous sight gags and uniquely silly, if foul-mouthed, laughs. The movie falters when it tries to be serious. Fortunately, those moments are few.

February 29, 2008 Full Review Source: USA Today
USA Today
Top Critic IconTop Critic

You can't help but marvel, and laugh at, Ferrell's indefatigable enthusiasm and willingness to make a complete ass of himself.

February 29, 2008 Full Review Source: Toronto Star
Toronto Star
Top Critic IconTop Critic

I laughed from start to finish at its relentlessly, energetically profane absurdity and a cast crammed with funny actors in even the smallest roles.

February 29, 2008 Full Review Source: Seattle Times
Seattle Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Semi-Pro will likely leave its star with a sore throat and bruised pride but a bulging wallet nonetheless: it's possibly the first movie ever to be less funny than the products it advertises.

October 14, 2012 Full Review Source: TheShiznit.co.uk
TheShiznit.co.uk

Semi-Pro isn't the most well-designed of comedies, it's far too disjointed without enough thought given to making it work as a whole, but there are enough genuinely funny moments, especially from upstart Daly, to make it worth a look.

March 30, 2011 Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net
ComingSoon.net

Root-canal territory all the way

August 27, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion
CinePassion

Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro is a dreadful comedy. It's lazy and slipshod.

February 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Fayetteville Free Weekly
Fayetteville Free Weekly

No amount or combination of shame, absurdity and unflattering outfits seem to dint Ferrell's fierce commitment to character.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Screen International
Screen International

It isn't a good enough sports movie to please sports fans and it's not an outright funny enough movie to please Ferrell's fans.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs
Three Movie Buffs

In the end it's too simply all too familiar.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk
Q Network Film Desk

Semi-Pro offers nothing new.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review
3BlackChicks Review

You end up with a movie that is way too simple-minded for adults on an ABA nostalgia trip, and way too dirty for kids.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News

A lot of it is funny, but the problem is that it doesn't amount to much.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders
Entertainment Insiders

Unfortunately, the outrageousness lessens in the second half of the film, becoming your straight forward underdog movie.

October 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Hollywood.com
Hollywood.com

Coming from someone that didn't like Ferrell's last few comedies, I can say that this is an improvement.

July 22, 2008 Full Review | Comments (2)
Sin Magazine

we don't really need any more of these movies

July 5, 2008 | Comments (4)

Audience Reviews for Semi-Pro

Semi-Pro wasn't too bad, I liked the way they visualised the 70's, they often get it wrong but here they got it right. I liked the supporting actors more than the main actors, Andy Richter in particular. The script was also reasonably funny, the gambling/Gun scene being stand out. I just can't help but think this would have been a great film with a different lead actor, I just don't find Will Ferrell funny. He plays the same character in every film he's in and his improv just isn't very good.
October 22, 2012
SirPant

Super Reviewer

More like semi-funny. Good thing Will Ferrell made up for this flop with Step Brothers right after.
September 14, 2012
Eric Alvarez

Super Reviewer

    1. Jackie Moon: Everybody panic!
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    1. Jackie Moon: It's just like the Titanic but it's full of bears!
    – Submitted by Graciela C (4 months ago)
    1. Jackie Moon: If you see a possum try to kill it okay, it's not a pet.
    – Submitted by Wesley W (7 months ago)
    1. Jackie Moon: Everybody love everybody!
    – Submitted by Aaron R (14 months ago)

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