I was unimpressed with the red-band Semi-Pro trailer we linked to a while back, but I’m open to the idea that this is a more of a character-based comedy than a gag-a-second affair (kinda like The Foot Fist Way), in which case the trailer could be a tad misleading. And if you’re wondering why I’m going well out of my way to make excuses for this movie, it’s because I’m a huge basketball fan and would love nothing more than to see the sport get its Slap Shot. Now, I’m not fool enough to expect anything that epochal, but the milieu of the American Basketball Association (especially throughout the 1970s) was rich with enough boozing, snorting, cavorting and sensationally entertaining basketball to fill ten movies. And if this broad take on an already outlandish subject hits with audiences, maybe we’ll finally get a more realistic depiction of the ABA.
Until then, I’ll try to remain cautiously optimistic. This just-released poster helps.
As the poster says, Semi-Pro opens wide on February 29th.