Adam Sandler plays lead in this american football remake film. As in the original, it also stars Robert Reynolds, though he understandably plays a different role this time around.

Crewe (Sandler) is a washed up football player, living off his girlfriends (Courtney Cox) estate. When he gets sick of her bossing him around he locks her in a cupboard and goes out for a drive under the influence of alcohol.

She reports the car stolen, and so he gets stopped by the police (because its just that efficient!) They question him and recognise him as a star. One of them wants to let him go, but the other having been insulted by his comments demands he get out of the car. Crewe denies their request and drives off. A pursuit and a crash follow. Crewe ends up in prison.

Once there he is forced, by the terribly corrupt guards, to train a convict football team that the guards can beat before their first season match to boost morale.

Chris Rock plays "The Caretaker", Crewe's friend in prison. He and Sandler work well to keep the feel of the movie light.

There were things about this movie I liked. It started well, with some good action and comedy scenes. Throughout there was enough comedy to at least keep me there. As with most comedies these days, there is a cringe factor (and not in the same way as in the Office). In this film it's the men in drag as cheerleaders.

My other problem was, and I admit it was only a film, but the prison guards were all cruel and horrible people who lived to make people's lives a misery. The prisoners on the other hand, although rough and tough, came accross as being more generally "nice" people. Never once do you find out what any of them did to go to prison in the first place.

All in all, if you take this for what it is, a comedy, then you'll enjoy it though it does have that cringe factor.

see also:
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, Bruce Almighty, Dinner for Shmucks, Land of the Lost

User rating: 4.6 (10 votes) [rate this movie] [official site]
photo © Paramount Pictures.