Whether you're socially inept, stuck in prison, or involved in a sexual assault allegation, there's nothing that can stop you from playing the great game of football! This is “Movie Night”!
*theme song plays*
Hello, and welcome to “Movie Night.” I'm your host, Jonathan Paula.
Tonight, in honor of Super Bowl XLV, we'll be taking a look at two classic football films, the first of which is the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy, "The Waterboy."
Coming off the heels of the very successful "Wedding Singer," Sandler produced, wrote, and starred in "The Waterboy"...
in the title role, as Bobby Boucher, a socially inept water boy for the struggling Mud Dogs, a college football team in Louisiana.
Thanks to his overprotective mother, played amazingly by the venerable Kathy Bates...
who shelters Bobby from everything and everyone in the world that she believes to be "The Devil"...
Bobby has strongly repressed anger issues. While helping the Mud Dogs during practice, Coach Klein...
played brilliantly by Henry "The Fonz" Winkler, in a role that completely resurrected his career...
notices that Bobby's hidden anger makes him an amazingly strong tackle on the field, and decides to have Bobby play for the team.
What follows is your typical feel-good football movie about a little guy rising up to the occasion, standing up for himself, and winning the big game.
Adopting a childish demeanor and stutter for the character, Sandler is often hit or miss with his jokes...
but it's the amazingly strong supporting cast around him that helps bring the laughter in nearly every scene.
Familiar faces like Clint Howard, Blake Clark, and Rob Schneider are unfortunately some of the most one-dimensional characters in cinema...
but they do provide for some of the film's funniest moments. The movie is a delightfully enjoyable 90 minutes of sight-gags, one-liners...
and hilarious physical comedy that luckily has strong characters at its core for you to really root for.
Bobby's adorably pathetic attempts at a relationship with his childhood friend provide an unnecessary but enjoyable romantic side of the story, as well.
In a film that's more about family, friendship, and believing in oneself, "The Waterboy" also delivers...
with some fantastic football drama in the final act that makes for a very exciting and enjoyable ending.
"Hilarious and goofy, if predictable."
Well, that's my review of "The Waterboy." Now, let's read some of yours.
Alright, let's bring in the Rate-o-Matic now, to see how we both scored "The Waterboy."
A “cool” and a “great”! "The Waterboy" is a very funny movie, and I definitely recommend it.
But it's also very silly and sophomoric, and never really impresses. I scored it a “7” out of 10.
You folks mostly agreed, praising it for its great repeatable jokes, but slighting it for being another typical Adam Sandler comedy, scoring it an “8” out of 10.
Now, let's move on to tonight's second film, which was actually remade by Sandler in 2005.
But we'll be taking a look at the 1974 original of "The Longest Yard."
Burt Reynolds stars as Paul Crewe, a washed-up professional football player who lands himself 18 months in prison after a night of reckless driving.
He's content to simply "do his time" and leave, but unfortunately, the Warden has other plans for Crewe...
when he blackmails Crewe into organizing a team of prisoners to play against the guards...
in a practice football game designed to boost the prison guards' confidence before the start of their semi-pro season.
"The Longest Yard" is your classic prison movie: you've got the angry murderer with a heart of gold, the guy who can procure any item you want...
the strong grunt who doesn't say much, the lovable old guy who's been there for 40 years, and the corrupt prison guards who you love to hate.
The film doesn't break any new ground in the prison genre, and, quite frankly, much of the situations in this film actually feel unbelievable...
with the prison looking more like a relaxing sports facility than a correctional institution.
Reynolds does a great job in the leading role, really embodying the carefree, tough-guy attitude, despite his circumstances, and despite his lack of facial hair.
It doesn't make it any easier to root for his character, though, who, for most of the film, seems like a jerk.
This is a film about redemption and overcoming adversity, and like any good sports film, the climax comes on the field...
in an exciting, well-paced final act that is truer to the sport of football than most movies.
There isn't much under the surface here, with only a few characters on either team receiving much development or back-story...
but we learn enough through one-liners and simplified gags to understand the gist of whom to root for.
In a film that feels more like a feel-good prison drama than a comedy, I was disappointed with the ending...
which left a few too many unanswered questions and unseen revenge for the audience.
But otherwise, "The Longest Yard" holds up well after 37 years, and will easily delight fans of either prison movies or the game of football.
"Simple, but worth rooting for."
Well, that's what I thought about "The Longest Yard." Now, let’s see what you had to say in the YouTube comments.
Here's the Rate-o-Matic now, to show us how we both scored "The Longest Yard."
A “good” and a “cool”! This 37-year-old film holds up surprisingly well, if slow at parts.
It just isn't funny or memorable enough for me to give it a much higher score. But I did think it was above-average. I gave it a “6” out of 10.
Many of you mistakenly reviewed the 2005 remake of this movie, but those who did watch the original seemed to really enjoy it. You scored it a “7” out of 10.
But that does it for tonight's films. Now, let’s take a look at what's currently playing in theaters, with some of your Tweet Critiques.
Remember, if you're going to the movies this weekend, make sure to submit your Twitter review, using the #JPMN hashtag, to have it featured on an upcoming episode.
Next week, we'll be reviewing a brand-new release, the CGI-animated film "Gnomeo And Juliet," which comes out next Friday, February 11th.
Since it won't be out until the day I review it, I trust many of you haven't seen this film yet.
But if you saw an advanced screening or something, please let me know what you think about it, by voting in the polls below, or by leaving me a comment review.
Until next time, my name, once again, is Jonathan Paula. Thank you so much for watching “Movie Night.” I hope to see you right back here next Friday!
*end credits play*
*Click on episode #270 to see why the manly smell of Swagger and beer makes Sam Adams lager one of America's pastimes!*