Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, violence, language and drug references.
Directed by Peter Segal (50 First Dates, Tommy Boy…)
Starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, Michael Irvin, Nelly . . .
The “new Adam Sandler movie” . . . that is all that really needs to be said. This young actor, the most awarded “Teen Choice Award” comedian brings out generation X and Y by the busloads. By the time this film was released on video, it had already doubled its money.
With stars like him and Nelly in lead roles, and a popular soundtrack to match, the film was a hit before its premier.
Adam Sandler plays ex-pro quarterback Paul Crewe. He and former college champion and coach Nate Scarboro (Reynolds) are doing time in the same prison. Asked to put together a team of inmates to take on the guards, Crewe enlists the help of Scarboro to coach the inmates to victory in a football game “fixed” to turn out quite another way.
I guess “unbelievable” is the word I’ll use to describe this film. Unbelievably funny, yes! The film will have you in hysterics. Unbelievable story line? Well . . . does Adam Sandler look like a quarterback to you? Unbelievable that it is PG-13? Yes, I’m not really sure how they pulled that one off.
Yes, this film will make you laugh throughout. Sandler and director Segal pull off some pretty funny gags that will keep you rolling throughout the film. My favorite was when they switched a guard’s steroid pills with “estrogen” pills, resulting in an emotional, caring guard who keeps getting hot flashes.
But I don’t think that even the TV version of this film will clean it up. The new millennium is definitely bringing out a new kind of profane and gross humor. Ever since There’s Something About Mary, films have been trying to trump each other with the wrong and profane. And the real trick is doing it under the “PG-13” guidelines. But what the heck . . . if Meet the Fockers can do it, any film can.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No, they really shouldn’t. You’ll be covering their ears throughout and having to answer a lot of questions about drugs, sex, and homosexuality.
The big question is if you should see it?
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
