Mean Machine Redux!

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 2006)

Okay, going in, I will admit freely that I am not the biggest Adam Sandler fan. I liked "Big Daddy" and I thought "Anger Management" was okay; you can have "50 First Dates". But this movie was very not bad!
But, the one thing I do like about Adam Sandler is the fact that the soundtracks in his films are top-rate. And this one is no exception. Every song used in this movie fit the story and the action to a T, and I really liked that the opening chase scene featured the same song (Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Mr. Saturday Night Special") as in the original.
But enough about the music. Let's talk about the movie, while it's still fresh in my mind. In a nutshell, I enjoyed it. Some plot points were changed around from the original (like relocating the prison from Florida to Texas). But for the most part, "The Longest Yard" basically follows the same exact story line of the 1974 original. I was especially surprised about the library scene, something I did not expect in today's PC society. In case you haven't seen this film (or the original) yet, then I will stop here about the story.
James Cromwell slips into the shoes of Warden Hazen well, and seeing Burt Reynolds (star of the original) lend his support as Nate Scarborough was refreshing. Chris Rock, whose work I have enjoyed for years, was well-cast as Caretaker. As for Sandler, he took what was a dramatic story with funny moments into an all-out comedy with serious undertones. And, in a tip of the hat to Richard Kiel, this version of "The Longest Yard" features not one, but two XXXL players: Pro wrestler Dalip Singh (all 400 pounds of him), and heavyweight martial arts fighter Bob Sapp (whom Chris Berman himself described as a "refrigerator with legs"). Throw in some former NFL players (Brian Bosworth, Michael Irvin), more wrestlers (Bill Goldberg, Steve Austin), and a hip-hop star (Nelly), and you got yourself a team (or two). And, oh yeah... Adam Sandler's in it too (Just kidding! He does a good job here!).
I liked some of the characterizations here. For example, Warden Hazen has a motivation for this football game of his (I won't say what it is, though -- That's what they call a "spoiler"); in the original, the warden just seemed absently maniacal. At the same time, Scarborough was too shallow. No offense to Burt Reynolds, but I couldn't help thinking that some people would watch this film and ask "Okay, so who's the old man on the team?"
Technically, this version flowed a lot more smoothly than the original. I also like that the editing style employed in the game (as well as in a basketball scene and some of the practices) was an homage to the original. To me, it seems that Sandler wanted to honor the original, while making it his own film with its own legs at the same time. If that is so, then to me, he succeeded.
If you like the original, don't be afraid to watch this. Believe me, it's worthy. If you haven't seen the original yet, then do so (After all, it's Reynolds in his prime). I won't review the original here, but I did post it.
So, there it is. "The Longest Yard" excels in some spots, falls a little short in others, but this remake is worth a look.