Gridiron Gang

The surprisingly effective Gridiron Gang will find its way into that harshly defended emotional endzone, even if they might not necessarily admit it to their friends.

What begins as a series of pleasant revelations and a deft example of genre defiance is nearly crippled by cliche in its second half, but The Rock's surprising dramatic magnetism will hold you until the final whistle.

Mostly the movie barrels toward you, stiff-armed.

If The Rock could clone himself to appear in juvenile halls across the country, the recidivism rate would get body-slammed within a few weeks.

Well intentioned, but way too corny, way too over the top...

... as Robert Aldrich proved in The Longest Yard, a football movie should be able to hit harder.

It's a bit on the long end but nonetheless I enjoyed this. The young men who portrayed the players and "The Rock" all gave solid performances.

A typical, feel-good sports film with nearly every sports cliche' ever captured on film.

Gridiron Gang probably isn't a film that will appeal to non-sports fans, but it's just good enough to give football fans something to do before the next kickoff.

It's a difficult balancing act between gang life and the sports film where inspiring moments can very easily become maudlin and wearing. Gridiron Gang slips and stumbles a bit in the second half but for the most part makes it across whole.