Both Jason Statham and Adam Sandler starred in remakes of the same classic sports comedy, just four years apart from each other. Although Adam Sandler is known for his comedy, Jason Statham is not. Statham has had moments of humor in his films, but he is much more famous for his action films. Jason Statham has played many great action heroes, from Deckard Shaw in Fast and Furious franchise for Lee Christmas in Mercenaries franchise and much more. However, more than 20 years ago, he also played a completely comedic character in a sports film.
If Statham’s sports comedy film wasn’t unusual enough, then it should come as a surprise that Adam Sandler made a film about the exact same story so soon after Statham. Most of Adam Sandler’s best films are comedies, but his and Statham’s filmographies rarely overlap. Although they couldn’t be more different as actors, Sandler and Statham remade the same 1974 film nearly 40 years later, and they both did so four years apart.
Jason Statham and Adam Sandler remade the longest backyard of the 2000s – who did it better?
Neither the average machine nor the longest yard were great, but Statham’s was more original
In 2001 and 2005, respectively, Jason Statham and Adam Sandler starred in remakes of the 1974 Burt Reynolds film. The longest yarda story about a professional athlete teaching a group of inmates how to play football. The Statham remake, Medium MachineIt made some big changes to the original, like changing the setting to an English prison and changing the sport to football, but it was still based on the same original film. Sandler’s version was a more direct remake that kept the original title, setting and sport, and even featured Burt Reynolds as the inmates’ coach.
Even though they are based on the same film Medium Machine and the remake of The longest yard are quite different. In addition to switching to a more European sport like football, Medium Machine it also changed to a more British, more sarcastic sense of humor. The longest yardon the other hand, it features Sandler’s patented brand of comedy combined with Chris Rock’s humor. Just for its originality, Medium Machine is a little better than The longest yard. Neither film was well received, however, as Medium Machine just hit The longest yardof Rotten tomatoes score by 3%, with a score of 34%.
Jason Statham’s Average Machine Performance Was a Precursor to One of His Biggest Roles
Statham used the same high-energy performance in 2006’s Cranked
In Medium MachineJason Statham played The Monk, a maximum security prisoner who served as a goalkeeper. The Monk, however, was quite disruptive and would often leave the goalkeeper’s area just to chase the ball whenever he could. Medium Machine turned out to be a great lead-up to Statham’s 2006 cult classic Crankwhere he played Chev Chelios, a killer who had to keep his heart rate high to survive. The Monk and Chev have some similarities, from their high-octane energy to being slightly homicidal, and Statham was perfect for both roles.
The Longest Yard continued an Adam Sandler movie trend that is still ongoing
Many of Adam Sandler’s films focus on or feature sports
Curiously, The longest yard also continued a trend in Adam Sandler’s career, much like Statham did in Medium Machine. Since 1996 Happy GilmoreSandler has made several sports films, including 1998 The water boy2005 The longest yard2022 Toiland the next movie Happy Gilmore 2. Although there was a gap of 17 years between The longest yard and Toilsports have always played an important role in Sandler’s films. From gambling to basketball in Rough gems to go to the water park in AdultsSandler usually finds a way to play a sport in his films.
No matter what happens in the future, Jason Statham and Adam Sandler will have their The Longest Yard remakes in common.
Another strange trend that Jason Statham and Adam Sandler have in common is what happened after the remakes of The longest yard. Statham and Sandler are not similar actors by any means – Statham is best known for action and only delves into comedy between fight scenes, while Sandler is primarily a comedian. However, Adam Sandler’s recent turn towards drama, with films like Rough gems and Astronautbrought him closer to Statham’s more mature reputation. No matter what happens in the future, however, both Jason Statham and Adam Sandler will have their The longest yard remakes in common.
Source: Rotten tomatoes