The Longest Yard | AccessAtlanta

'The Longest Yard': Still a few feet from a touchdown
by Eleanor Ringel Gillespie

There's nothing particularly wrong with "The Longest Yard," but there's nothing particularly right about it either. Best described as a genial crowd-pleaser, this remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds movie about a football game pitting convicts against guards casts Adam Sandler in the role Reynolds once played. Why Sandler chose to remake this particular movie is somewhat puzzling. It has none of the strange promise of "Punch-Drunk Love" or the goofy sparkle of "Happy Gilmore" or even the off-beat romanticism of "50 First Dates." He's fine, just not as memorable as he's been in other roles. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
A remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds vehicle, with Adam Sandler playing the role of pro quarterback Paul Crewe who leads a team of prison inmates to victory in a football game against the prison guards. Reynolds takes the role of coach Nate Scarboro.

FILM FACTS ...

Paramount Pictures

'The Longest Yard'

Director: Peter Segal
Starring: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, William Fichtner, James Cromwell
Run time: 109 minutes
Release date: May 27, 2005
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, violence, language and drug references.
See showtimes

On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require Quicktime

READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B-
"... by no means a touchdown, but it's pretty close to third and goal."

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Austin American-Statesman: 3 of 5 stars
"With so much comedy provided by other characters, Sandler opts for a mature approach not often seen in his films. ... It's all part of a skillfully directed blend of action and comic relief, a remake that scores big."

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The Middletown Journal: C+
"... most of its best moments are borrowed from the first film. Much of what the remake adds is poisoned by the juvenile humor that made Sandler's early comedies such chores to watch."

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The Palm Beach Post: C
"You have to admire Sandler's recent efforts to stretch, including such miscalculations as Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish, but The Longest Yard is hardly playing to his performance strengths."