The Longest Yard

When a disgraced NFL quarterback (Adam Sandler) goes to prison, the corrupt warden (James Cromwell) coerces him into forming a team to play the prison’s brutal guards. The 1974 Burt Reynolds guy-flick butt-kicker fantasy is retooled for Sandler, with OK results. Sandler is a bit too much of a schlub to convey the cocky macho charm of Reynolds in his prime, but he’s passable enough. The film cranks up the crudity of the comedy to give it the same raunchy charge it had 31 years ago, and Reynolds himself is along to enjoy the ride. If anything, this remake proves that the formula (good vs. evil at football) is just about foolproof, even when the script (Sheldon Turner, adapting Tracy Keenan Wynn’s original) and direction (Peter Segal, taking over from the late Robert Aldrich) are nothing special.