By this juncture in the cinematic game, there's no point harping on the inadequacies and unrealities of the inspirational sports film genre. It's not mind-boggling that a movie starring The Rock as a football coach is going to stick to a standard playbook to get ahead.
But football puns aside, Gridiron Gang is everything it should be. Sure, there's an egregious number of stirring speeches-even an occasional pump of the fist in the air. And yes, there's the miraculous improvement-through-montage moments, but it's a necessary spectacle and in this film, it's a well-executed, thoroughly entertaining one.
The film is based on the true story of juvenile detention camp probation officer Sean Porter (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). Faced with the harsh reality that most of his adolescent inmates will end up incarcerated or dead by the age of 21, Porter resolves to knock some sense in the kids by letting them knock into each other on the football field.
Although the ensemble of hooligans from the hood is composed of unknowns, the cast gets the job done with distinct flair and charm. Take, for example, the scrawny water boy who flirts with one of the team's girls' penitentiary cheerleaders, or the speedy runner who is able to rally the team behind him. The film sheds the need for subtlety and showcases the heroic feats of the underdog.
Add the sound effect-laden crunches of several satisfying game sequences set to soaring music, and the audience can't help but root for what is essentially an assembly of gang bangers and thieves. And that's what makes Gridiron Gang so enjoyable: it revels in its emotional cheap shots, rather than faltering beneath them.
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