Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 2 ratings
Jackie Moon is the owner, promoter, coach, and star player of the Flint Michigan Tropics of the American Basketball Association (ABA), the worst team in the league. In 1976 before the ABA collapses, the NBA plans to merge with the best teams of the ABA at the end of the season. Only the top four teams will make the move and the worst teams will fold. If the Tropics want to make it to the NBA, Jackie Moon must rally his team and start winning.
Semi-Pro is a fairly by-the-numbers Will Ferrell sports comedy that doesn't distinguish itself meaningfully from his other sports vehicles like Blades of Glory or Talladega Nights. The 1970s ABA setting provides mild novelty but is underutilized. The plot is predictable underdog fare, the acting is competent but largely on autopilot, cinematography is functional at best, and the ending offers little surprise. It's an average, forgettable entry in a crowded subgenre.