Better than Waterboy, but still unremarkable

Rating: 6/10 (5 June 2005)

Paul Crewe (Chris Sandler) is a former American Football Player who fell from grace because of cheating. After violating a parole order, he is sent to jail, to one of the most brutal and most corrupt prisons which would not be found in any government or UN chart. After taking a few beatings from the guards, Crewe announced his plan that would bail him out of prison: He'll form a team made of Convicts that will rival the Guards. With the help of a Con known only as Caretaker (Chris Rock), He sets up a team that is totally unskilled, unfit, and inexperienced. But with the help of former Am. Football player Nate Scarabourgh, and a Con Basketball squad led by Nelly, this ragtag team becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Unsurprisingly, Adam Sandler is recognised for creating films that audiences love and critics tend to dislike. This formula is still intact. It was a nice thing to include Burt Reynolds--who played the main part in the 1974 original-- in the cast, which gives the film some style and substance. Sandler and Rock also give impressions with their adequate sense of humour that fit the movie perfectly well. Rapper and "Bad Boys" star Nelly also contributes to the franchise as a the captain of an unofficial Basketball team who joins Sandler's cause, and his scenes are some of the best and the funniest of the movie.
But there are several drawbacks: the movie is so full of clichÃ©s that people tend to feel a bit frustrated. The slow motion Rap walk of Nelly's squad and the transsexual cheer-leaders are just a few examples. The supporting characters are basically flat and one dimensional and are there just to serve the leads' purposes of making a Dream team. The play scenes are usually fun, but they are so commonplace--and also so aggressive-- that you feel like you're watching a BMW or Toyota commercial.
All in all, this movie is better (and currently more successful) than the critically-unacclaimed Waterboy (which was a surprise hit) and improves on some that movie's flaws. The relentlessly fast pace and rush, as well as the Sandler-Rock-Reynolds trio make this movie stand out from your average sports comedy. I'm satisfied with one viewing of this film (I saw it in the US, since it won't hit the UK until October 2005).
**1/2 out of ****