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It's not simply that Semi-Pro is bad, it's that it has the appearance of a film actively doing everything in its power to be rotten as it can possibly be. At one point in the film, after making a cruel joke at the expense of another person's feelings, Harrelson's character takes an emotional step backward and questions/confesses, "Still not funny?" No Woody, not by a long shot.

Despite a riotous cast and a battery of what should be hilarious cameos, Semi-Pro shoots and misses the mark by a wide margin. Even the usually reliable Ferrell falls flat, prompting one to wonder if this film is uniquely bad or if Ferrell's brand of humor has finally reached its critical mass.

"Is there such a thing as an F minus?" one reviewer asked me as we filed out of the theater. If there is, it was invented for films such as this. Semi-Pro is the sort of film you'd describe as laughably bad except for the fact that you wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea by seeing the film's title and the word laughter together in the same sentence.

Semi-Pro has utterly no redeeming value, spiritual or otherwise.

>Talk About It

1. Monix sees his return home to coach the Flint, Michigan Tropics as a chance at redemption. Do you feel he finds it?
2. Jackie Moon loves to push the phrase, "Everyone Love Everyone." In what moments do the characters live up to that ideal? In what moments do they not?
3. Did the character of Father Pat offend you? Why do you think the filmmakers decided to make his character a priest?

The Family Corner

Semi-Pro is rated R for language and sexual content. While there is no nudity, there are several sexual situations. There isn't a joke that is some way or another isn't explicitly about sex. The language too, pervasive throughout the film, is sexually colored. This film arguably moves right past "use discernment" to "skip it all together."

Photos © Copyright New Line Cinema

© Brandon Fibbs subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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