DVD REVIEW: “The Longest Yard” (Paramount Home Video)
September 26, 2005
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 reels
Featurettes: The DVD contains three featurettes, including a 20-minute behind-the-scenes featurette and a short piece on how the football scenes were choreographed. Although these mini-documentaries are fairly interesting, the third featurette, which is about what the actors ate during the filming, misses its intended comedic mark.
Commentary: Oddly enough, the only commentary found here accompanies the deleted scenes rather than the film itself. This could be because the producers were afraid that having Sandler, Rock and Reynolds in a room together would be funnier than the actual movie. The commentary accompanying the deleted scenes is pretty much standard issue.
Deleted Scenes: There are a number of deleted scenes, ranging from funny to utterly worthless, the best of the bunch featuring “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Tracy Morgan as a cross-dressing inmate who tries training with the football team.
Other: By far, the best feature on the disc is the blooper reel, which shows not only Rock and Sandler flubbing their lines, but also great outtakes from supporting cast members and former WWE wrestlers “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg and Kevin Nash.
The Bottom Line: Although this remake may leave something to be desired in the eyes of many filmgoers, the creators of “The Longest Yard” should be applauded for including a variety of special features, even if it is, at times, a case of quantity over quality.