Look, I like Will Ferrell, ok? I really do.
But I was a little disappointed when I heard about Semi-Pro, his upcoming comedy set in the last days of the ABA basketball league. For most people, Will Ferrell doing a sports movie written by one of the guys involved with Old School and Starksy and Hutch sounds like a slam dunk. But I’m among the few who were underwhelmed by Talladega Nights, and the Blades of Glory trailer looks like more of the same. Frankly, the guy seems stuck in a rut. I’m not so sure I want to be around as the likes of Checkmate, Bitch! or Toughman: The Log-Lifting Trials of Rock Luger make their way to a studio’s development slate.
The silver lining in this cloud of repetitiveness is that he does give some nice comedic shine in these films to his co-stars. And in Semi-Pro, he just got a big Ace to stack the deck with: Will Arnett of Arrested Development fame. He’ll be playing the team announcer, and he joins the already solid ensemble of Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, and Andre Benjamin/Andre 3000. Of course, Arnett and Farrell are already working together in Blades of Glory as rival skaters.
Here’s hoping to Farrell not wearing out his welcome and Arnett finally getting a post-AD gig that will do him justice by putting him on the same path the past Farrell cohorts like Steve Carrell and Sasha Baron Cohen are on.