BothJason Stathamand Adam Sandler starred in remakes of the same classic sports comedy, just four years apart from one another. While Adam Sandler is well-known for his comedy, Jason Statham isn’t. Statham has had humorous moments in his movies, but he’s much more famous for his action films.Jason Statham has played plenty of great action heroes, from Deckard Shaw in theFast & Furiousfranchise to Lee Christmas in theExpendablesfranchise, and many more. However, over 20 years ago, he also played a completely comedic character in a sports movie.
If Statham’s comedy sports movie wasn’t unusual enough, then it should come as a bit of a surprise that Adam Sandler made a movie about the exact same story shortly after Statham. Most ofAdam Sandler’s best moviesare comedies, but his and Statham’s filmographies rarely have any overlap at all. Though they couldn’t be more different as actors, Sandler and Statham remade the same 1974 film nearly 40 years later, and they both did it within four years of one another.
Jason Statham & Adam Sandler Both Remade The Longest Yard In The 2000s - Who Did It Better?
Neither Mean Machine Nor The Longest Yard Were Great, But Statham’s Was More Original
In 2001 and 2005, respectively, Jason Statham and Adam Sandler both starred in remakes of Burt Reynolds' 1974 movieThe Longest Yard, a story about a professional athlete teaching a group of inmates how to play football. Statham’s remake,Mean Machine, made a few big changes to the original, such as moving the setting to an English prison and changing the sport to soccer, 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 it even featured Burt Reynolds as the inmates' coach.
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Though they’re based on the same film,Mean Machineand the remake ofThe Longest Yardare fairly different. Aside from changing to a more European sport like soccer,Mean Machinealso switched to a more British sense of humor, one that was more sarcastic.The Longest Yard, on the other hand, features Sandler’s patented brand of comedy, combined with Chris Rock’s humor.For its originality alone,Mean Machineis a bit better thanThe Longest Yard. Neither of the films were well-received, however, asMean Machineonly beatThe Longest Yard’sRotten Tomatoesscore by 3%, with a score of 34%.
Jason Statham’s Mean Machine Performance Was A Pre-Cursor To One Of His Biggest Roles
Statham Used The Same High-Energy Performance In 2006’s Cranked
InMean Machine, Jason Statham played The Monk, a maximum-security prisoner who played goalie. The Monk was fairly deranged, however, and he’d often leave the goalie box entirely just to chase down the ball whenever he could.Mean Machineturned out to be a great preparation for Statham’s 2006 cult classicCrank, where he played Chev Chelios, a hitman who had to keep his heart rate up to survive. The Monk and Chev have quite a few similarities, from their high-octane energy to being slightly homicidal, and Statham was perfect for both of the roles.
The Longest Yard Continued An Adam Sandler Movie Trend That’s Still Ongoing
Many Of Adam Sandler’s Movies Focus On Or Feature Sports
Interestingly enough,The Longest Yardalso continued a trend in Adam Sandler’s career in much the same way Statham did inMean Machine.Ever since 1996’sHappy Gilmore, Sandler has done several sports movies, including 1998’sThe Waterboy, 2005’sThe Longest Yard, 2022’sHustle, and theupcoming movieHappy Gilmore 2. While there was a 17-year break betweenThe Longest YardandHustle, sports have always had a role in Sandler’s movies. From gambling on basketball inUncut Gemsto going to the water park inGrown Ups, Sandler usually finds a way to play a sport in his films.
No matter what happens in the future, though, both Jason Statham and Adam Sandler will have their The Longest Yard remakes in common.
Yet another odd trend that Jason Statham and Adam Sandler have in common is what has gone on after their remakes ofThe Longest Yard. Statham and Sandler aren’t similar actors in any way - Statham is mostly known for action, and only dips into comedy between fight scenes, whereas Sandler is primarily a comedian. However, Adam Sandler’s recent turn towards drama, with movies likeUncut GemsandSpaceman, have brought him closer to Statham’s more mature reputation. No matter what happens in the future, though, bothJason Stathamand Adam Sandler will have theirThe Longest Yardremakes in common.
Mean Machine
Cast
Mean Machine is a British sports comedy-drama film, directed by Barry Skolnick. Vinnie Jones stars as Danny Meehan, a former professional footballer who is sent to prison and coerced into coaching a team of inmates for a match against the prison guards. The film features performances by Jason Statham, David Hemmings, and David Kelly, blending elements of humor and sportsmanship within the prison setting. Based on the 1974 film The Longest Yard.
The Longest Yard
The Longest Yard (2005) is a remake of the 1974 sports comedy classic, this time by director Peter Segal. Sent to jail after a televised car chase, pro football quarterback Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler) is manipulated by Warden Hazen (James Cromwell) into helping coach the prison’s team. Crewe instead proposes a warm-up game between the guards and the prisoners, with him captaining the inmates. Assisted by incarcerated ex-NFL coach Nate Scarborough (Burt Reynolds), a ragtag team of felons and misfits, Crewe must battle against more than a juiced-up defense to win the game and save his future.
