Semi-Pro is a
2008 American sports comedy film from
New Line Cinema. The film was directed by
Kent Alterman and stars
Will Ferrell,
Woody Harrelson,
André Benjamin,
Maura Tierney,
Will Arnett and
David Koechner. The film was shot in
Los Angeles near
Dodger Stadium (in the gym of the
Los Angeles City Fire Department Training Center), in
Detroit and in
Flint, Michigan. It was released in theaters on February 29, 2008, and was released on
DVD and
Blu-ray on June 3, 2008.
Plot
Set in 1976, Jackie Moon is a singer who has used the profits from his
one hit single "Love Me Sexy", to buy a basketball team in the
American Basketball Association, the
Flint Tropics, becoming the owner, head coach, and starting
power forward. The ABA commissioner announces plans for the
ABA-NBA merger with the
National Basketball Association, but only four teams will move to the more established league. The Tropics, the worst team in the league, are in danger of dissolving. In response, Jackie argues that the teams with the four best records overall should be merged into the NBA. The commissioner reluctantly accepts Jackie's offer.
Now that the Tropics have somewhat of a shot to be an NBA franchise, Jackie trades away the team's washing machine to the
Kentucky Colonels for Ed Monix, former backup point guard for the NBA Champion
Boston Celtics. Soon, the commissioner reveals that as well as having a top-four record, the Tropics will also have to have a stable fan base and have an attendance of at least 2,000 fans every remaining game of the season.