Semi-Pro

Will Ferrell is a force of nature who can get the most out of his characters, but Semi-Pro is merely an ode to his own narcissism, which is annoying right from the get-go. Also, this perfectly dry story about a bunch of losers who made it somewhere suffers from a severe lack of really good catchphrases and memorable scenes, which is its second big problem. The first issue is Woody Harrelson, who pretends to be on the set by mistake... and the Anton Chigurh-style haircut really doesn't add to his look. (31/05/2008)

Will Ferrell plays the same character for the umpteenth time, but this time in such a charmingly goofy movie! I was amazed at how much I enjoyed Semi-Pro. Moments like the fight during the commercial break or the revolver scene, Woody Harelson's performance ("If you see a possum, try to kill it. It's not a pet!"), the sensational jibing of two sports commentators, a hippie whose check they won't cash... It was all (except for a minimum amount of awkwardness) very fresh and funny. It was definitely a good move not to write the script so that only Ferrell would make jokes, but to give a generous portion of them to the other characters. Add to that Shapiro's excellent music and lovely period atmosphere. Great. (17/04/2013)

I don't know what it is, but Will Ferrell has been turning me off lately. When he plays the lead role, he doesn't really try to adapt, he doesn't want to change, he just keeps playing the same thing. This sports comedy definitely isn't something that should change that. Ferrell attracts attention to himself, even though the characters of Woody Harrelson, but also André Benjamin, are more interesting. It doesn't change the fact that it's a rather mediocre comedy, which doesn't try to change or overturn the clichés of sports movies, but instead relies on them. (18/03/2014)