The Longest Yard (1974, rewatch): Did this really used to be funny?

The Longest Yard, 1974, directed by Robert Aldrich, streamed on Paramount+, 3 stars.

Funny how memories can play tricks on you over the course of a half-century. From the time I saw this movie on its opening weekend, I have remembered this as much more a comedy than it actually is.

There is one laugh-out-loud scene in the back half-hour that I remembered vividly, but other than that, this was straight-ahead 1970s-style action/redemption drama.

Maybe part of my misremembering: A good number of the situations in The Longest Yard that we might have found funny back in the day now are cringeworthy and downright revolting. Physical breakups with girlfriends, dangerous car chases through city streets, violent encounters with cops, Trumpian prison wardens. I do kind of remember that maybe I used to laugh at those kinds of things. I don't now, and I hope you don't either.

That said, The Longest Yard is a pretty good relic of the kinds of entertainment we enjoyed 50 years ago. The first hour is smarmy Burt Reynolds landing himself in prison, the second hour is enslaved Burt Reynolds leading his fellow convicts in a football game against fascistic warden Eddie Albert's Nazi guards. 

Yeah, now that I think about it, we did used to laugh at that kind of stuff.

----------------------

Purchase at Amazon on DVD or blu-ray

(I am an Amazon affiliate, and your clicks help support this blog.)