Semi-Pro (2008)

Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of the American Basketball Association's Flint Michigan Tropics, rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true.

Director:

Kent Alterman

Writer:

Scot Armstrong

Stars:

Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André 3000

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Ferrell	...	Jackie Moon
Woody Harrelson	...	Monix
André 3000	...	Clarence (as André Benjamin)
Maura Tierney	...	Lynn
Andrew Daly	...	Dick Pepperfield
Will Arnett	...	Lou Redwood
Andy Richter	...	Bobby Dee
David Koechner	...	Commissioner
Rob Corddry	...	Kyle
Matt Walsh	...	Father Pat the Ref
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Dukes
DeRay Davis	...	Bee Bee Ellis
Josh Braaten	...	Twiggy Munson
Jay Phillips	...	Scootsie Double Day
Peter Cornell	...	Vakidis

Storyline

Three men, three dreams. It's 1976 in Flint, Michigan. Jackie Moon's American Basketball Association team languishes in last place, with few fans in the seats. Jackie dreams of a merger with the NBA. A tough-minded point guard named Monix is at the end of his career; he's played on the champion Celtics but accepts a trade to Flint to be close to Lynn, the love of his life. Clarence "Coffee" Brown dreams of stardom: he's the Tropics' best player, but he's a hotdog who doesn't value teamwork. When the trio learns that a merger is in the works that won't include the Tropics, they pull the team together to try to achieve the impossible. Can dreams come true in Flint?

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Plot Keywords:

original story | new line cinema | violence | male protagonist | flint michigan | 

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Taglines:

Putting the funk into the dunk.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lou Redwood threatens Cornelius Blanks with a Smith & Wesson Model 19 revolver, with a four-inch barrel. It was commonly issued to police officers in the 1970s, and is still carried by some. Like most .357 revolvers, it can fire .357 or .38 and .38+P rounds.

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Goofs

The San Antonio Spurs are portrayed as the best team in the league finishing in first place. During the 1975-76 ABA Season when the movie took place, the Spurs finished third in the standings. When the regular season ended that year, the best record in the league belonged to the Denver Nuggets.

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Quotes

Lou Redwood: Jackie Moon is Flint's favorite son. And he has done more for this city than any human being who's ever lived on this planet!
Dick Pepperfield: With the possible exception of eh, Henry Ford... Jackie Moon has done a lot for this city, you're right about that.

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Crazy Credits

"No person or entity associated with this film received payment or anything of value, or entered into any agreement, in connection with the depiction of tobacco products."

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Alternate Versions

The Unrated version released on home video is ~7 minutes longer:

• 14 alternate material
• 1 theatrical version only material
• 1 changed background music

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Connections

Referenced in Golic and Wingo: Episode #1.62 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Why Can't We Be Friends
Written by Papa Dee Allen (as Sylvester Allen), Harold R. Brown (as Harold Ray I. Brown),
B.B. Dickerson (as Morris DeWayne Dickerson), Jerry Goldstein, Lonnie Jordan (as Le Roy L. Jordan),
, Charles Miller (as Charles William Miller), Lee Oskar and Howard E. Scott
Performed by War (as WAR)
Courtesy of Avenue Records

User Reviews

Silly movie...but what did you expect?

I never for a moment believed that this movie would be earth-shattering or mind-blowing. I expected it to be along the lines of "Talladega Nights" or "Kicking & Screaming," and it was. There were a few laugh out loud moments, and a few mildly amusing stretches, and then there were parts that just weren't funny at all.

But the overall experience wasn't that bad, considering I was just looking for a movie that would make me laugh and pass the night away on those rare date nights with my wife.

The only real complaint I had about it was the language. I thought some of the profanity was a bit excessive, especially considering past Will Ferrell movies. And that's really all the R rating is there for.

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 February 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Semi-Pro

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,200,000, 2 March 2008

Gross USA:

$33,479,698

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,004,502

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Mosaic, Donners' Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 98 min (unrated DVD) 99 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1