STUDIO: New Line
RELEASE DATE: June 3, 2008
STARRING: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, and Andre Benjamin
WRITTEN BY: Scot Armstrong
DIRECTED BY: Kent Alterman
FEATURES: “Love Me Sexy – The Story Behind the One-Hit-Wonder” featurette
“Recreating the American Basketball Association (ABA)” featurette
“Four Days in Flint” featurette
“The Man Behind Semi-Pro” featurette
Behind the scenes footage with Bill Walton, Bob Costas and “Dick Pepperfield”
“Love Me Sexy” music video
Theatrical teasers and trailers

Will Ferrell made one sports comedy too many. Can you blame him? The former SNL star made millions falling on his face in movies like Old School, Talladega Nights, and Blades of Glory, so a goofy comedy about '70s basketball seemed like a no-brainer. But Semi-Pro was one of the least successful films of Will's career, critically and commercially, proving that movie goers had seen enough of Ferrell acting competitively goofy. What do you do when your movie completely misses the basket? Get it on DVD as soon as conceivably possible, while the commercials are still fresh in viewer's minds. Comedy often plays better at home than it does in theaters and if you can add a few scenes and make it unrated, it's possible to save a failure like Semi-Pro from the jaws of movie history. So, three short months after Semi-Pro played in theaters, New Line treats the comedy like it was a smash hit with a two-disc package that includes an unrated version and a whole disc of special features. If you miss the basket the first time, get the ball and shoot again.

The movie is nine minutes longer in its "Let's Get Sweaty" version and, unlike a lot of films that scream "Unrated!" but are really just as tame as the theatrical version, this one actually has boobs. It turns out that an entire character was excised from the theatrical version of Semi-Pro, the often-naked wife of Ferrell's Jackie Moon, Staci (Kate Lubyen). She flashes the team bus, sleeps around, and even rides a bull in a see-through t-shirt as a halftime show for the Flint Tropics. Other than the Staci subplot, the unrated edition adds a few moments with Monix (Woody Harrelson), a new introduction for Clarence (Andre Benjamin), and a funny bit with Jackie and the rest of the team singing Randy Newman's "Short People". Is the unrated version better? It's just about the same, but if you're looking for nudity with your slapstick, you'll find it in the unrated edition. Both films only work in fits and starts with promising moments followed by prolonged scenes with few laughs. The subplot involving Harrelson's Monix and his rekindling of a love affair with Maura Tierney's Lynn is particularly poorly handled and feels nearly from another movie. Honestly, I could go on and on about mistakes here and there, but the problem with Semi-Pro is real simple - it has a few laughs, but it's just not funny enough.

You'll only find the extensive collection of bonus features on the two-disc unrated edition of Semi-Pro and, like the movie, they're a mixed bag at best. First and foremost, can every DVD producer who might possibly be reading this demand that a "Play All" button be included on every collection of featurettes? Getting thrown back to a main menu every five or six minutes is incredibly frustrating. Anyone who's going to take the time to explore the second disc of Semi-Pro can handle more than one five-minute featurette in a row.

The features disc is split up into three sections. The first, "From the Cutting Room" features six-and-a-half minutes of deleted scenes and eight-and-a-half minutes of improv. None of it is really worth your time and was appropriately cut from the final film. Yes, it's always fun to see talented people improv, but director Kent Alterman made the right calls in the editing room. The second section of special features is called "Behind the Scenes" and features "A Short History of the ABA", "Recreating the ABA", "Love Me Sexy - The Story Behind the One Hit Wonder", "Bill Walton Visits the Set", "Four Days in Flint", and "The Behind Semi-Pro". The final featurette is the most extensive, running nearly half an hour and covering most aspects of the production. It's really the only one that you need to watch. Finally, a section called "Promotions" features some of the funniest stuff on either disc including a video for "Love Me Sexy", "Flint Tropics Hot-Talk with Dick Pepperfield", and the very well-made trailers for the film.

How do you judge a DVD like Semi-Pro? The film is far from a complete failure (there have been over a dozen worse comedies released so far this year) and the DVD gives it the all-star treatment. But it's a near-miss, a failed buzzer beater. At the same time, the DVD looks gorgeous, gives fans extra footage, and a dozen special features. The story of Semi-Pro is that of a so-so comedy with a pretty excellent DVD treatment. If you missed the game in theaters, a rental is probably all you need, but those who fall in love with the comedy enough to pick up the two-disc edition won't be disappointed.