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BOTTOM LINE: For a comedy there are hardly any laughs, and despite some great production design, visuals and a strong performance by Woody Harrelson, this film is a waste of time, especially with Will Ferrel's unfunny and stupid lead character.
THE GOOD: I wasn't quite sure what to expect when going in to this film. The previews seemed to suggest a stupid Will Ferrel comedy and surprisingly, there's an actual story in here about an ex-70's pop-star turned manager of the Flint Michigan Tropics Basketball team and his attempt to keep his team alive during the merger between the NBA and ABA. The production design and visuals are very good, having a glossy, authentic feel to them. Woody Harrelson is excellent as the new addition to the team who becomes the coach of the Tropics. He's the only sane man in the team and he does a very good job of carrying the film when Ferrel doesn't (see below!). This is a decent period piece film, and the story is sustainable enough for you to sit through it and not got bored.
THE BAD: The film is billed as a comedy but there are no laughs. That might be a problem... Okay, I'm being harsh. I think I suppressed a chuckle once or twice during the running time. Considering the way the film is built around Will Ferrel as a star vehicle, he doesn't really deliver anything comedic and in fact, it looks as if putting on this performance for him was akin to pulling teeth. He is endearing, but he's also stupid, and gets up to stupid antics. Wrestling a bear? The Disco-Stu hair cut and outfit? Being the heart and soul of the Tropics team but single-handedly also ruins their chances at every turn? Flapping your arms around and making silly noises will only make a baby laugh and unfortunately you have to sit through 90 minutes of it. To be fair it's the script; Ferrel just doesn't have anything to work with except for silly scenarios which given the structure of the story seem completely out of place. Even the two Tropics radio announcers, who are akin to the two old men in the Muppets, are a wasted opportunity for laughs given their unfunny banter. I really hated the final sequence where Ferrel is in heaven talking to his momma... Not good. It's moments like that that kill the rest of the film, whatever there is that's good. I don't know if this film could have been funny, but perhaps if it had been moved towards the more light-hearted drama genre it would have worked better.
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