The movie is full of the tackiness, inelegance and intentional lack of sophistication that traditionally govern men at their most relaxed and unguarded. But it fails to imbue the locker-room world with the edge that would turn this careless toss of a premise into a three-pointer. And it blows the chance to showcase Ferrell doing what he does best.
What guys appreciate about Ferrell -- if they put down their beers and think about it -- is the way he brings a bird-just-born innocence to male stereotypes. He is a perpetual child forever trying to come to grips with a complex world. And he makes it okay, funny and lovable to be a dude, no matter what character he's playing -- overgrown college boy in "Old School," mustachioed sexist in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," or swaggering goofball in "Blades of Glory."
But in "Semi-Pro," he's just a bushy-haired loser, given to jarring profanity. This isn't our Will Ferrell, and the collection of oddballers around him are even more clueless about comedy than they are shooting hoops. Co-stars Andr¿ Benjamin, Woody Harrelson, Maura Tierney and David Koechner -- all talented -- seem amazingly zombielike here, malfunctioning holograms of their former selves.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with movies that address without apology some of the chestnuts and traditions that allow us to revel in our sexual identity. But we can do it, and have done it, in a smart way. Among last year's top 100 box-office hits, "Transformers" was an astute and entertaining boys-love-their-toys experience. And even though "The Heartbreak Kid" was a decidedly inferior remake of its 1972 predecessor, it had its hilariously inspired comic moments. For the gals, there was the romantically stirring "Dan in Real Life" and "Music and Lyrics," both of which were witty, touching and savvy enough to reach their audiences so they didn't feel embarrassed when they stepped back into the light.
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