Not the Burt Reynolds version, and that's not a bad thing (MINOR spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 2005)

Let it be known that I would be one of the first to stand up against all the Hollywood remakes. This is actually the first time I've wanted to see a remake, and I caught it the weekend it came out. And I must say, I was entertained the whole time. I think if you look at this movie as a football comedy, and not try to compare it to the Burt Reynolds version, you'll enjoy it. I think a lot of people are turned off by this movie for that reason, and because they see this as being nothing more than "The Waterboy Pt. 2". But it's not, despite the cameo by Rob Schneider (sp?), which honestly, I could've done without. The characters could've been a little more developed...I mean, why should we root for the "Mean Machine", other than the fact that the guards were really corrupt? With no character development, it just seemed like we were rooting for the lesser of two evils. The library racism scene w/Nelly was a nice start, but there could've been a few more scenes like that.
Like I said, it's a pretty entertaining movie, once you realize that 1) it's not the Burt Reynolds version, and 2) it's not trying to be. I give it 7/10. If you're a football fan, you'll like this movie. The game will probably get you energized, especially the last moments of the game. I usually don't like a bunch of gratuitous split-screens and camera shots, but for a movie like this, it works (in this case, it almost seems like a homage to the original).
7/10