The Longest Yard scores with music television crowd

Rating: 6/10 (31 May 2005)

The Longest Yard is a better than average movie that is likely to disappoint moviegoers that enjoyed the original in its box office run. Anybody would be able to enjoy this generally well put together story, but its MTV-style production is a miserable failure that is both obnoxious and over-the-top.
In fact, this film's desire to appeal to the music television crowd is not only its worst aspect, but its embarrassing at times. Chris Rock, while funny in the supporting role as Caretaker, the friendly inmate that can things from the outside, is almost as racy on his HBO specials, and his racial comments are frequently unnecessary and inappropriate. In fact, The Longest Yard is filled from top to bottom with cultural stereotypes and builds on unnecessary racial barriers.
And no football film could be complete without cheerleaders; unfortunately, the unit is comprised entirely of guys in outfits that can only be described as upsetting. While this may have been funny to see once or twice, there are no fewer than 5 shots of the spectacle, and the group is in way too many other scenes. There is so much more here that is simply wrong, and to put it simply, some stuff just is not funny and some people are going to be offended.
If the possibility of being offended appeals to you, there is a pretty solid movie here. Adam Sandler stars in what is arguably his best film in years, and he is very believable in the role of a washed up quarterback. The supporting cast is also mostly superb, right up to bit roles like the one sportscaster Dan Patrick plays at the beginning of the film. Former NFL wide receiver Michael Irvin and rapper Nelly are also notable for their excellent performances.
While there are a lot of good things to be said about the cast, the direction of the film strays at times. Some of the more serious scenes were corny (yes, corny) to the point where I wanted to laugh out loud, and on the total opposite end of the spectrum, many of the events that took play were completely irrational, totally ridiculous, or just flat out impossible.
In the end, what you get is a typical Happy Madison movie with MTV's production. The results are some fantastic camera work, a ton of celebrities and athletes in the cast, and of course hip music. The Longest Yard is a success because it isn't a failure, but it falls short of being a really good movie.