Sandler, Rock score in average 'Longest Yard'

By Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

THE LONGEST YARD Opens Friday, May 27 (Fair-to-Good)

Since the film wasn't very good the first time around, there was hope that director Peter Segal would make improvements. Sadly, he did not.

"The Longest Yard" 2005 is a nearly scene-by-scene remake of its 1974 predecessor, which brings up two questions: Why drop good money to see it when the original is out on DVD? And why watch either film with better choices in theaters?

The answer, of course, is that studios have learned to make bad movies look good. They have, after all, had practice. Audiences also have a weakness for Sandler, who has made only a handful of good films yet commands an A-list salary.

With "Spanglish" and "Punch-Drunk Love," Sandler showed he can do great things, but he is terribly miscast as former pro quarterback Paul "Wrecking" Crewe. Burt Reynolds held the role in 1974 and he was believable as a star athlete jailed for reckless driving and auto theft. He was handsome, athletic and rugged — adjectives seldom used in conjunction with Sandler. Thus it's difficult to view Sandler as a pro athlete, let alone tough enough to convince jailbird comrades to join him for a football game against the guards.

Segal apparently saw the problems and addressed them by giving his movie a broader comedic touch than the original. It's a strategy that works and had he also rewritten the script's more dramatic passages, he might have developed a winner. Alas, this is one project destined to go out on downs.

One bright spot is Chris Rock as Caretaker, the prison yard's go-to con. Every jail film has a character that can wheel and deal everything from weapons to women, and Rock excels as that guy. He and Sandler also have nice chemistry, and they are funny together.

The filmmakers also cast Reynolds as Nate Scarborough, an aging college football star who agrees to coach the convict team. Reynolds is solid in the role, and his appearance is nostalgic, which no doubt was the plan.

Sadly, "The Longest Yard's" good points are just that — points — and they're overwhelmed by the surrounding mediocrity.

Average films don't improve with time. How 'bout we quit expecting them to?

PG-13 for sex, profanity, violence and drug references.

Forrest Hartman is the film critic for the Reno Gazette Journal.