Football fun behind bars - The Longest Yard Reviews

Let's face it, if you are interested in seeing this movie, you are not expecting to see any Oscar-worthy performances or story lines. But if you go in expecting to laugh and to be entertained, you will not be disappointed. The story follows the same plot as the original: Superstar quarterback goes to jail and assembles a makeshift team of sacrificial lambs to take on the abusive and overbearing team of guards. I like the basic storyline of the underdogs getting a chance to pay back the bullies but parts of the storyline get a bit outlandish. I really thought that getting the game televised on ESPN2 was a strech. But in a day when "professional" dodgeball has a better TV contract than the NHL, who am I to doubt it? The acting was mostly left to funny one-liners and slapstick/smashmouth physical comedy which I fully expected and got. Considering that much of the acting was done by former athletes such as Brian Bosworth, Bill Romanowski, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and Bill Goldberg, the acting was at least believable but I don't envision any of these guys in a leading role even in a silent movie. Adam Sandler delivered his usual offbeat comedy but I was actually most entertained by the sharp, quick-witted humor of Chris Rock. The action scenes were well done overall and I also liked the use of split-screen shots to show different angles and players during the game. On a side note, I wish they had used the split-screen on Courtney Cox in the opening scene of the movie because I found myself trying to figure out if those things were real throughout the rest of the movie. I was also fairly impressed that the actors and athletes were able to at least appear on film like real competitive football teams. Overall, I found the movie to be very funny, entertaining, and worth the price of admission.