It seems like a week doesn't go by before you hear another news account of an athlete -- amateur or professional -- who's involved in some sort of controversy, whether it's simply bad behavior on the field or court, doping allegations, drunken driving or something far worse.
Of course, when it doesn't involve performance boosters, some of that's due to the star status applied to such athletic performers, resulting in them feeling immortal and/or above the law. Which is too bad since such behavior sends the wrong message to the next generation of athletes who might think that's the way they're supposed to act.
What many people forget is that sports often help troubled kids overcome their problems and behavioral issues. That's because they teach the kids discipline, give them focus, and show that others care about them and their abilities. One such person who benefited in such a way was young Dwayne Johnson, a troubled youth who admits he had been arrested eight times before he was 14 years of age.
He credits his arresting officer for getting him involved in high school football that turned his life around, and led to success at the college level. While an injury cut short any professional aspirations, the young man successfully segued into another sport that probably made him far more famous than he might have otherwise been. And that's because Johnson became professional wrestling's "The Rock," a persona that helped him then move into another profession, acting, which -- ironically enough -- has now led him full circle, as he stars in "Gridiron Gang."
In this inspirational sports drama, he portrays a real-life detention camp counselor, Sean Porter, who - in real life -- took a bunch of criminally minded teens back in 1990 and turned them into a football squad that found success both on and off the field. That story inspired the 1993 Emmy-award winning documentary "Gridiron Gang" by Lee and Linda Stanley, clips of which appear during the end credits role of this fictionalized version where we see that certain scenes and bits of dialogue have been lifted directly or at least rather closely from that earlier film.
As written by Jeff Maguire and directed by Phil Joanou, the film pretty much works for what it's trying to be, but don't think you're going to see much of anything new. Notwithstanding some general similarities to "The Longest Yard" (the 1974 and not 2005 version), the effort follows the usual trajectory of a "coach" whipping a bunch of less-than-inspired kids into mental and physical shape.
As per the formula, that's not only so that they can participate and win in sports, but also life as well. Thus, and as expected, we see the usual plot array of troubled and disrespectful kids, the tough coach who uses various tactics to break and then rebuild them, the training montages, little bits of humor, various subplots featuring a few of the characters' off-field life issues, and, of course, the games themselves.
The latter element is the most successful, as Joanou and his team recreate some credible, hard-hitting games that actually manage to keep one interested in their outcome. Of course, for most viewers, some of that stems from liking some or all of the characters, and Johnson certainly makes for a magnetic presence on the screen (with the subplot featuring his character's terminally ill mother making him more sympathetic).
Those playing the troubled kids are generally fine, but as is the case with most such sports flicks, there are too many of them. That means that most are relegated to brief-speaking roles, defining one-note characteristics or comedic relief status, but Jade Yorker, Setu Taase, and Trever O'Brien get slightly meatier roles than the rest.
The biggest problem -- beyond the familiarity of it all -- is how easily the troubled kids' motivation is righted. Sure, there are a few setbacks and reversals of attitude, but the change in behavior for most feels a bit too quick and contrived.
I suppose the latter could be said about the overall effort, but since some of it seems taken from the earlier documentary, I guess it really can't be faulted too much in such regards. While it might not contain any surprise plays, "Gridiron Gang" easily marches down the field of predictable sports dramas and is decent enough for what it wants to be. The film rates as a 5 out of 10.
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