The Longest Yard (1974)

Released:  August 30^th, 1974

Rated:  R

Studio:  Paramount

Starring:  Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert

Directed by:  Robert Aldrich              

Written by:  Tracy Keenan Wynn

Personal Bias Alert:  saw the remake before the original, loves American football

4.5 of 10

            Well-respected older movies can be hit-or-miss for younger audiences such as myself.  You go back far enough, and it can be like sitting in on a different culture.  The ‘70s especially was an interesting era in cinema, with filmmakers pushing against restrictions and, in the process, often passing into gratuitous territory.  There’s a joke on the Comedy Central show “@midnight” in which the comedians are asked to come up with new Netflix categories.  Jonah Ray responds “Movies That Don’t Hold Up,” which is both a funny response and, unfortunately, a category that “The Longest Yard” would fall into.

            Burt Reynolds stars as Paul Crewe, a disgraced former football player who is incarcerated and forced to lead a team of inmates in a football game against the Warden’s semi-pro team.  The awkwardness starts with the opening scene, depicting a drunk Paul getting into a verbally and physically abusive fight with his girlfriend.  He ends up walking out on her and stealing her car.  Now I went into this film thinking it was going to be a comedy, so I was rather surprised when the film went straight to domestic abuse.  Realizing that this was more of a dramedy, I thought the film would settle into territory I’m both familiar and comfortable with.  A balance between serious observations and humor can make a film easier to digest.

            But the discomfort continues throughout the film, mostly through the insensitive treatment of different groups of people.  I think this is partially a product of the times, meaning that it might not be appropriate to apply a modern lens to an older film.  “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is a famous example of the kind of film that can overcome this, with the portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi becoming increasingly criticized while still remaining a well-loved film, having been inducted in the National Film Registry in 2012.  I think it’s forgiven largely because Mr. Yunioshi only appears sporadically, and the rest of the film lacks uncomfortable stereotyping.  Unfortunately, particularly ugly stereotyping permeates “The Longest Yard,” especially in the pre-football portion of the film.  It’s partially brought up to critique it, but too often it’s knowingly played for laughs, and that’s hard to get past.

            The saving grace for this film, and what eventually makes it a watchable little movie, is the football game.  It takes up a full 45 minutes of the 121 minute runtime, and that footage looks like a real game.  I’ve watched football my entire life; it’s my favorite spectator sport.  It bothers me when people are faking it, and those wide shots passed my test.  The game builds tension well and settles the tone, bringing some life into an otherwise blasé film.

            Then again, they don’t get everything right.  The game score isn’t always clear, and I swear that the drop kick missed the uprights.  And, of course, there’s more discomfort.  They joke about hurting each other, and they’re not light injuries.  I seriously think they intended for people to laugh when a guy got clotheslined.  It’s yet another instance where the changed culture really doesn’t favor this film.

            It’s been 40 years since this film was released, and I’m very hesitant to write it off because of its poor aging.  I can see why people liked it.  It does broach on some serious issues, Paul is a decent anti-hero, and the football works.  But I saw it in 2014, and there are just a few too many uncomfortable things in it for me to fully enjoy it.

            Other Notes:

Ø  Burt Reynolds definitely looks better with a mustache.

Ø  During the car chase, Paul turns the car around after being “cut off” by a single police car coming in the entrance of a park.  That cop car only took up half of the entrance, and Paul easily could have blown right past the cop.

Ø  “Only a moron would sit and watch two football games, one after the other.”  Then color me a moron, because I’ve done that nearly every Sunday during football season since the early 90s.