This movie just doesn't work

Rating: 3/10 (2 August 2005)

I admit that I have not seen the 1974 version of "The Longest Yard" so this comment will not attempt to compare the versions. However, I thought as a comedy, this movie just doesn't work nearly as well as other football movies such as "The Waterboy" and "The Replacements", both of which I absolutely love, and both of which have a strong element of fantasy - neither plot is supposed to seem too realistic and the comedic humor and drama for each movie just "works". Both are more than just stupid comedies.
This movie had plenty of funny bits. I laughed a lot. I also felt cheated out of the money I paid to see it, although I knew the reviews were mixed and I knew I wasn't there to see an Oscar-nominated film.
I think too much was crammed into this movie for this movie to be good. Too many gags, too much "drama", just too much crap. It just doesn't work. I sat there wondering why so many good actors, artists, and athletes (and sports personalities -- I even saw Peter King from SI.com up there) chose to do this movie after reading the script. Even the Swami is better than this. This is just not a good movie, in my humble opinion, of course....But somebody's gotta say it.