Crude, Boorish, and "Jock"ular. Sandler's Longest Yard is a Guy's Dream Football Comedy.

Rating: 7/10 (12 November 2017)

I have no connection to the original The Longest Yard, the classic Burt Reynolds sports flick, so my review of Adam Sandler's remake comes without the full context. That being said, I find the 2005 film one of Sandler's best. A hearty mixture of prison comedy, football drama, and vice-versa, The Longest Yard is nothing if not entertaining, especially for fans of the gridiron.
Adam Sandler stars as Paul Crewe, a former football star who is sent to jail for drunk driving. Once there, the corrupt Warden Hazen (James Cromwell) organizes a football game where the sadistic prison guards can take out their frustrations on the inmates. Crewe gathers an eclectic team to take on the guards, and this is where kickoff starts, so to speak.
The Longest Yard boasts an all-star cast, but not in the traditional sense. Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Burt Reynolds are the headliners here, but the real genius of the casting in The Longest Yard is in its supporting characters. The use of other kinds of stars, namely actual athletes who play the inmates and guards is no less than inspired. A rapper, Nelly, professional wrestlers Bill Goldberg, Bob Sapp, Dalip Singh (The Great Khali), and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and NFL stars Michael Irvin, Terry Crews, and Brian Bosworth, are the heart of The Longest Yard. The athletes' here have screen presence to spare, and the movie oozes with goofy machismo. Each of the supporting players, including other comedians like Nicholas Turturro and Tracy Morgan, are cleverly drawn comedic characters. Each player has his place in the story. Both teams are made of people you can remember, and root for (or against) by the time the big game rolls around.
As funny as The Longest Yard is, and it is at times up-roaringly hilarious, the movie works on more than just one level. Unlike another Adam Sandler football comedy, The Waterboy, The Longest Yard has some truly sensational football sequences, as well as a dash of genuine drama in a couple later scenes. On the topic of the "Big Game" that the movie builds to, I really can't think of a time I have been more amused by such a well-worn cliché. These football scenes are a joy to watch, if only because the inmates vs prison guards framing device allows the filmmakers to go above and beyond what you'd see on a regular Sunday. The players hit each other absurdly hard, but there is still a layer of authenticity to the scenes, thanks to the professional athletes in front of the camera.
I'm not one to turn my nose up at Adam Sandler or his popular comedies, but The Longest Yard is more wildly and consistently entertaining than just about anything he has ever done. From the start, there is a macho zest coursing through this movie's veins. It's a guys flick if ever there was one. For dudes who can handle some good-natured racial ribbing, and tackles that make your head rattle just watching them, The Longest Yard is as cathartic as a touchdown and as satisfying as a cheeseburger.
75/100