The Longest Yard (2005) Review

 

The Longest Yard (2005)

Another big gap, my apologies everyone. Working a lot BUT occasionally I get to watch movies here, and so without further a-due...

The Longest Yard is about ex-NFL star Paul Crewe after he goes to prison. It’s here that the Warden instructs him to captain the inmate football team against the very guards at the prison.

What can I say, this movie is so much fun! It’s rare that you get a remake, of a Burt Reynolds movie no less, that is better than the original. But this is it! While the plot is a bit goofy at times, considering it’s about a football player who must lead a group of inmates against the guards in a football game, it works wonderfully for what it is trying to accomplish, which is friendship, brotherhood, and good old fashioned fun, with a hiint of revenge.

The cast is what takes the movie over the top and makes it so fun, with heavy hitters (pun intended) Nelly, Chris Rock, Bill Goldberg, Stone Cold, Kevin Nash, Michael Irvin, Terry Crews, William Fichtner, James Cromwell, and of course, Adam Sandler, in what I consider one of my favorite roles of his. All of the A-listers and former NFL, WWE, and pop-culture stars make this movie a trip, that is great, with each playing their own integral role, without feeling cluttered at all. Not to mention the cameo appearances from original actors Burt Reynolds and Ed Lauter are priceless. They all have an electricity, connection, and brotherhood that not many big casts are able to pull off, but they did.

The Longest Yard is also hilarious with some of the best one liners, and sarcasm in a HG movie next to The Water Boy. Sandler is simply at his best when it comes to sports movies because it isn’t cheesy and over the top, it feels right at home and is inherently natural for him.

What ensues is an awesome & kick ass film that can not only make you laugh your butt off and smile ear-to-ear, but also sadness and contempt, something Happy Gilmore movies do so weirdly well.
One of my favorite sports films of all time, and is easily one the best movies Adam Sandler has done, with a killer soundtrack, supporting cast, and a timeless story that was reinvented perfectly 30 years later.

7.5/10