Grade: D+
I'm not sure why I watched it months after it was torn to pieces from critics and viewers alike. But there's a part of me that will always go see a Will Farrell movie, almost as a sign of respect for the decade of laughter he provided me on SNL. I don't want to believe that his comedic genius is dropping, don't want to admit that maybe he wasn't that funny to begin with, don't want to admit that I'd rather see him in dramas even though I thoroughly enjoyed Stranger Than Fiction. So like a Jets fan convincing himself they have a chance to win the Super Bowl this year just because they have Favre, I convince myself that this Will Farrell movie will be good just because another year has passed. And the final verdict was that...no...no it was not.
Granted, I laughed loudly a couple of times during the film, but I also did that in The Departed, American Beauty, and Braveheart. That doesn't make those films comedies. But Semi-Pro sells itself as one and past the couple of laughs that total of to a minute of screentime, we're left with a story I don't care about, another wasted performance from Woody Harrelson, and more proof that Farrell should cut his work by at least half, so he actually cares about honing the characters he plays. Whereas 6 hours worth of character development was enough for Craig Buchanan or Tom Wilkins, it's just not enough for a feature length film.
Semi-Pro feels like one of those unfunny SNL skits -- you know the ones that feel painful to watch, as forced giggles make their way to the screen for a skit that everyone knew should have been cut. Except this skit lasts 90 minutes without a laugh track, a commercial break, or even Jimmy Fallon's laughter as an extra. Seriously, where is Jimmy Fallon when you need him?
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