Semi-Pro

NEW YORK (CNS) -- "Everybody panic!" yells the main character in one of the few genuinely funny scenes in the outlandish sports comedy "Semi-Pro" (New Line).

This voice of unreason belongs to Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell), a singer who has used the proceeds from his one hit song to become the owner and playing coach of the Flint, Mich., Tropics, a fictional team in the actual but short-lived American Basketball Association. The year is 1976 and the Tropics are, as usual, in last place.

That's bad news for Moon because the ABA is about to merge with its better established, more lucrative rival, the NBA. The terms of the deal provide that only the top four outfits in the upstart league will be absorbed; the others will cease to exist.

Desperate to ensure his franchise's survival, Moon brings in veteran NBA player Monix (Woody Harrelson), whose experience, combined with Moon's offbeat marketing abilities and the skills of the Tropics' established star, Clarence "Coffee" Black (Andre Benjamin), offers hope of escaping sudden death. Observing the team's progress, whistle at the ready, is referee-priest, Father Pat (Matt Walsh), a generally amiable character who's not above using salty language to prove he's one of the guys.

Executive producer and director Kent Alterman's feature debut has a few scenes of well-choreographed chaos and some sly '70s references (fondue, anyone?). But, for the most part, the film lumbers along with the cast strictly on autopilot.

The film contains brief sexual activity with partial nudity, pervasive rough and crude language, some uttered by the priest, some profanity and much sexual and scatological humor. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops