a very funny remake

Rating: 7/10 (13 July 2005)

Adam Sandler leads an all-star cast to pull together a very funny remake of The Longest Yard, originally created in 1974 starring Burt Reynolds. Sandler plays Paul "Wrecking" Crewe, a former quarterback of the professional football league. Crewe finds himself behind bars as he leads police on a high speed drunken chase. All bets are off as Sandler is forced to pull together a group of lawless inmates to face the guards in what Warden Hazen (James Cromwell) calls a "tune-up" game.
Sandler once again snags a hit with a sports film, with other successes being Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy. Fellow SNL alum Chris Rock takes on the role of Caretaker, the lovable team manager, whose wise cracks and racial dialogue keep you laughing from first to last shot. The biggest acting surprise of all comes in the form of Michael Irvin, who has no films to his credit, plays the very talented wide receiver (shock) Deacon Moss. I suppose all the time in front of the camera on ESPN Sunday mornings has paid off.
I would sum up The Longest Yard as a "pick me up" summer laugh riot to make up for a season of "not so funny" films. This is one of those classic underdog stories that climaxes with one of the finest theatrical football games I've ever seen.