The Longest Yard Review
by "Steve Rhodes" (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)May 28th, 2005
THE LONGEST YARD
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
Nominally a remake of the 1974 film of the same name, starring Burt Reynolds, who has a small part this time, THE LONGEST YARD is really just the 1,000th remake of THE BAD NEWS BEARS. Running two long and dreary hours, the film feels more like THE LONGEST GAME. The movie's star is box office champ Adam Sandler, who plays Paul 'Wrecking' Crewe, an NFL MVP QB who was indicted and guilty but not convicted of point shaving in throwing a game. After being thrown out of professional football, Crewe finds himself locked up in a federal prison, located in a dusty area of Texas that roughly approximates Hell, for a drunk driving incident that is covered OJ-style in real-time on national television.
Once Crewe is incarcerated, a nefarious and politically ambitious warden (James Cromwell) cons the con into leading and quarterbacking his fellow inmates in a televised game against a bunch of steroid using guards whom the warden has recruited from all over the country. Director Peter Segal, who previously teamed up with Sandler in FIFTY FIRST DATES and ANGER MANAGEMENT, doesn't have a clue about how to film sports action. Instead of football action, we get slow-mo, split screens and helmet cams watching men in football uniforms attempting a WWE type of unrealistic mayhem. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, the prison queens in drag camp it up as the cheerleaders. Let me lead you to a wise decision to pass this one by, not by a yard, but a mile.
THE LONGEST YARD runs 1:55. It is rated PG-13 for "crude and sexual humor, violence, language and drug references" and would be acceptable for kids around 12 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, May 27, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: [email protected]
***********************************************************************
Want free reviews and weekly movie and video recommendations via Email?
Just send me a letter with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
