Can Drag At Times With An Exciting Climax

Rating: 6/10 (19 March 2019)

It will never go down as a timeless classic, obviously because this a remake and remakes usually never are, but still even the original 1974 film wasn't anything we can call memorable either. This version of "The Longest Yard" has a mixed array of comical nastiness, with some prison drama for good measure and a climactic football scene at the end. There are scenes that are at times hit or miss, but if you stay till the end, you've managed to witness the best part of the movie.
Though it tries to recapture the essence of the original 1974 version, it's still just another added lazy attempt to take an old movie just to add a modern spin to appease the younger generation. What gave the 1974 version of "The Longest Yard" a fresh take on the sports genre was that through all the plodding and conflicts aside, the fans can genuinely sit through a fictional game while at the same time, the filmmakers can do some manipulating by making it feel like it was a real game. The energy, the action and the intensity looks and feels very authentic. Since then sports themed movies have captured that formula ever since.
Adam Sandler steps up here while taking himself out of his man-child phase to play the role as Paul "Wrecking" Crewe, a former NFL star player who while drunk-driving in his girlfriend's (Courtney Cox) Bentley and then his car was smashed in a pileup. Crewe was then taken to jail at a maximum security prison where he's being roughed up by the guards who take the pleasure to abuse their power like every prison drama (the cliches come alive here).
James Cromwell stars as the scheming Warden Rudolph Hazen was the man responsible for Crewe's imprisonment. His prison guards are also trained football stars and he wants his elite to win the state championship wish will guarantee that he will win his seat as the State Governor. Crewe agrees to coach this team and wants the guards to have an exhibition challenge where Hazen suggests it be up against the inmates.
And so the story takes off from there, just everything from the original version is redone and recycled and it's up to the audience to make comparisons and judgments between the two. Even though it wasn't a common trend back in 1974 it is now. Like in every sports themed movies all the repeated scenarios come into play. We have the overwhelming coach, the bumbling underdog team that lacks in coordination, training sessions don't go as planned, the tough love approach, the underdogs emerging on top and other stuff that has been done to death. In the end it can be a bit of a drag with each scene doing the same things repeatedly. Crewe goes to great lengths to get big or fast guys on the team with his recurring belief that going against the guards will be the best way for them to get their comeuppance and to exploit them for who they really are.
The movie does manage to stroll along, but very sporadically. if it weren't for the performances of Chris Rock who provides the most laughs here and Burt Reynolds who starred in the 1974 version and returns here which is nice as they play important roles in getting their team together. It's nice that Reynolds is playing a supporting role and not some nostalgia pop cameo role. Nice some nice comic relief from Cloris Leachman who plays an old lady who has the hots for Crewe.
If you could survive two thirds of this formulaic cliche of a movie, then you are in for a real treat because the football action is filled with excitement and atmosphere. You can't get any better than this. If you're a WWE fan, you'll be pleased to see several wrestler appear here including Bill Goldberg, The Great Khali, Kevin Nash and Steve Austin. This movie may not be for everyone, especially for those who hate remakes, football or prison dramas. Please be advised there are scenes with crude humour sexual innuendos.