About Semi-Pro

Semi-Pro is a 2008 American sports comedy film from New Line Cinema. The film was directed by Kent Alterman and written by Scot Armstrong. The story is set in 1976 and follows a fictional professional basketball team, the Flint Tropics, a struggling team in the American Basketball Association (ABA) that dreams of making it to the big leagues – the NBA. Jackie Moon, a one-hit-wonder, who becomes the team's owner, coach, and player, will do everything to achieve this dream.

Making / Production

The script of Semi-Pro was initially included in the "Black List", a list of the most admired unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. 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. Scenes of the team's home games were shot at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The film was directed by Kent Alterman and produced by Jimmy Miller.

Actors

• Will Ferrell stars as Jackie Moon, an owner-player-coach of the team. Will fills the shoes of his character brilliantly with his classic humor and impeccable comedic timing.
• Woody Harrelson plays Monix, a former Boston Celtics player who joins the Tropics. Here, Woody plays an excellent foil to Ferrell's wacky Jackie Moon.
• André Benjamin plays Clarence "Coffee" Black, the team's star player. He manages to bring considerable charm and charisma to his basketball playing character.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• Will Ferrell's basketball scenes were mainly done by his double, who had played professional basketball in Australia.
• NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar makes a brief cameo in the movie.
• The film features authentic basketball plays from the 70s to maintain realism.

Quotes

• "ELE – Everybody Love Everybody!" - Jackie Moon
• "In the anals of history people are going to be talking about three things: the discovery of fire, invention of the submarine, and the Flint, Michigan Mega Bowl." - Jackie Moon
• "Let’s get tropical!" - Jackie Moon

Music, Soundtrack

• "Love Me Sexy" - Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell's character)
• "Lady Cab Driver" - Prince
• "Tell Me Something Good" - Rufus and Chaka Khan
• "The Greatest Love of All" - Jackie Moon