The Longest Yard

After a promising pro career collapses, quarterback Paul Crewe ends up in a Texas federal prison where the warden offers him a deal. Hazen wants Crewe to train the guards' team, but Crewe flips the plan, proposing a scrimmage that turns into a full-on game between inmates and guards. He gathers a ragged locker room of convicts, leans on the seasoned ex-coach Nate Scarborough, and tries to whip them into a functioning team. Along the way they deal with violent opponents, prison politics, and a warden who won't play fair, all while Crewe works out what matters most to him.

The 2005 film was directed by Peter Segal and updates the 1974 original, with screenplay contributions credited to Sheldon Turner and Tracy Keenan Wynn and ties to producer Albert S. Ruddy. It reteams comedic and sports figures for a modern remake.

It didn't pick up major awards like Oscars or Golden Globes, and overall industry prize recognition was limited. Most attention landed on the cast's performances and the movie's crowd-pleasing tone rather than on trophy-season accolades.

The casting gave the remake a clear pop-culture slant, mixing Adam Sandler and Chris Rock with athletes and music stars such as Nelly. Burt Reynolds appears in a role that nods to the original, which helped connect longtime fans with a younger audience and sparked renewed interest in the prison-football conceit.

Critics and audiences were split, reflected in an average vote around 6.7 out of 10. Reviews noted the film's emphasis on broad comedy and physical set pieces alongside themes of redemption, loyalty, and standing up to corruption. For viewers who like sports comedies with an underdog angle and a rowdy supporting cast, the movie delivers plenty of big plays and loud laughs.