Home Media Magazine - June 1-7, 2008 - (Page 18)

REVIEWS I THE ONION MOVIE Street 6/3 Fox, Comedy, $26.98 DVD, Unrated. Stars Len Cariou, Larissa Laskin, Scott Klace, Sarah McElligott. Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I ROCK THE PAINT Street 6/10 Allumination, Drama, $29.98 DVD, ‘R’ for language. Stars Douglas Smith, Kevin Phillips, Sam Stone, Christopher Innvar, Jas Anderson. T his just in The Onion Movie is crude, obscene, ironic, a little blasphemous and wholeheartedly politically incorrect. If none of that offends you, it’s also pretty funny. This isn’t the kind of movie that tries for critical acclaim. Halfway through, the movie even takes the time to review itself, with two critics debating whether it is a brilliant skewering of contemporary social mores or if the film simply used the prospect of satire to present vulgar, lowdown humor that panders to the lowest common denominator. The film is inspired by the satirical The Onion, a newspaper and Web site (theonion.com) that presents its avid readers with a trove of comedic fake news. The story, such as it is, involves a broadcast of “The Onion Nightly News With Norm Archer,” complete with fake commercials. The humor focuses more on social attitudes and shies away from hard-hitting political satire such as the variety seen in the superior “The Daily Show.” However, the movie soon deviates from its formula and starts offering random sketches, loosely connecting them to the next scene or back to a news report. The news show itself is thus treated as just an extended sketch and turns into a parody of Network, as veteran news anchor Norm Archer (Cariou) objects to corporate meddling in the broadcast. Two fresh-faced execs want to use the news to promote a faux Steven Seagal movie called Cockpuncher (featuring the real Seagal in the first of many celebrity cameos). Eventually the sketches drag on too long after making their point, much like the movie as a whole. The structure is too inconsistent to be considered a real film, but that shouldn’t take away from the brilliance of isolated scenes. The DVD is light on extras, save for a few deleted scenes. Some of these contain aborted punchlines to sketches that are in the movie; they probably could have been left in. It’s too bad there isn’t a commentary to explain why they were taken out. – John Latchem T his coming-of-age story stars Smith (“Big Love”) as Josh Sendler, a white basketball star out of Indiana who joins the allblack team at his new high school in Newark, N.J. Meanwhile, Josh’s father (Innvar) is struggling with his wife’s death and his new teaching position. Josh’s younger brother Tim (Stone), a wannabe rapper, runs with the wrong crowd. Josh does have some positives in his life, primarily his teammate Antwone (Phillips of American Gun), who helps with his game and his adjustment to the city. I SEMI-PRO Street 6/3 New Line, Comedy, B.O. $33.5 million, $28.98 DVD, $34.99 two-DVD set, $39.98 Blu-ray. Available in ‘R’ and unrated editions. Stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Maura Tierney, Will Arnett, Andy Richter, Rob Corddry, Andrew Daly. ports comedies have become second nature to Will Ferrell, and Semi-Pro fits him like a glove. It may be a broken-in, well-used, familiar glove, but there’s no denying Ferrell’s unique brand of comedy has its followers. Previously, Ferrell has tackled soccer (Kicking & Screaming), auto racing (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) and figure skating (Blades of Glory). Add to this flavor a dash of the 1970s (a la Anchorman), and you get Semi-Pro, a solid effort that doesn’t stray too far from the sports-movie formula. First-time director Kent Alterman has made this film as much a tribute to the old American Basketball Association as it is a vehicle for Ferrell’s pompous shtick, but Ferrell’s fans should appreciate it all the same. Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, the flashy player-ownercoach of the Flint Michigan Tropics, a team slated to fold when the ABA merges with the NBA in 1976. Jackie S convinces the commissioner that if the NBA wants to absorb only four ABA teams, it should be the best four, and he sets off to help his team claim fourth place. The only problem is, his team sucks. Jackie trades the team’s washing machine for a cagey veteran named Monix (Harrelson, in his first basketball movie since White Men Can’t Jump), whose greatest career achievement was riding the bench in the NBA. To boost fan interest (reported attendance at one game is 97), Jackie will resort to every stunt in the book, even wrestling a bear. Outshining Ferrell, however, are the Tropics’ announcers, hilariously played by Will Arnett and Andrew Daly. Their comic interactions between not only themselves, but also other members of the team, are priceless. Deleted scenes flesh out more of the background of some of the characters, especially Jackie, while an alternate ending (narrated by Bob Costas) shows what happened to some of them. Alterman’s efforts in successfully re-creating the spirit of the ABA are laid out in several behind-thescenes featurettes. Sports fans will love the ABA retrospective that fondly remembers the league that brought us the three-point line and the slamdunk contest. The only thing missing is a collection of the hilarious Bud Light commercials starring Ferrell as Jackie Moon, which have been airing the past few months. – John Latchem These crises propel Rock the Paint but also cause it to unravel. Too much happens far too quickly that the movie loses dramatic credibility. Two examples: Josh goes from being an overmatched scrub to the teenage version of Larry Bird in no time flat, while young Tim’s evolution into a street thug is comical and jarring considering the movie’s gritty depiction of street life. Those looking for salvation in the basketball scenes should rent White Men Can’t Jump or Blue Chips. When debut director Phil Bertelson doesn’t favor quick cuts or medium shots, Smith looks uncomfortable and awkward handling the basketball, a description not usually associated with basketball stars. Viewers won’t be left empty-handed as Smith and Phillips deliver solid performances (away from the hardwood, of course) as two young men from different backgrounds who try to connect over the sport they love. – Pete Croatto 18 Home Media Magazine June 1–7, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://theonion.com

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Home Media Magazine - June 1-7, 2008

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