Movie Review for Gridiron Gang

Summary: The uplifting story of detention camp probation officer Sean Porter, who creates a high-school-level football team from a ragtag group of dangerous teenage inmates as a means to teach them self-respect and social responsibility. He is joined in this experiment by co-worker, Malcolm Moore. But Porter must first overcome almost universal resistance from the powers that be -- his skeptical bosses and coaches at rival high schools who don't want their players mixing it up with convicted criminals on the football field.

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Kevin Carr of 7M Pictures (7/0)
            The film doesn't try to be politically correct, and it points fingers where they should be pointe...

By Phil Villarreal of Arizona Daily Star (7/0)
            "Gridiron Gang" is all formula, but it's tough to blame the film for sticking with a game plan th...

By Christy Lemire of Associated Press (7/0)
            ... utterly predictable ...

By Marrit Ingman of Austin Chronicle (7/0)
            Mostly the movie barrels toward you, stiff-armed.

By Wesley Morris of Boston Globe (7/0)
            ...a contender, not a cliche.

By Matt Pais of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
            The film has nowhere near as many well-developed characters as it has street, prison yard and on-...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Michael Wilmington of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
            ...as formula-bound as they get, even though it's a movie taken from real life.

By Joshua Tyler of CinemaBlend.com (7/0)
            What was The Rock thinking? Stop coaching and start doing. Give the man something to hit.

By Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid (7/0)
            Joanou rushes through the material, attempting to do justice to too many characters and juggle to...

By Edward Douglas of ComingSoon.net (7/0)
            A corny and unbelievable 'based on a true story' drama with a canned Trevor Rabin score that coul...

By Harvey S. Karten of Compuserve (7/0)
            Sure, it's a Hallmark card, but some Hallmark cards (like this one) are more poetry than doggerel...

By Todd Jorgenson of Denton Record Chronicle (TX) (7/0)
            The trite script waters down and trivializes its subject matter, almost to the point of negating ...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By David Cornelius of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
            Imagine a movie comprised of inspirational clichés and absolutely nothing else.

By Erik Childress of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
            Proof that good storytelling can change perception and make us appreciate a group of youngsters w...

By Emanuel Levy of EmanuelLevy.Com (7/0)
            Stepping into Disney's inspirational genre, this is an almost unnecessary film since it's based o...

By Sam Toy of Empire Magazine (7/0)
            What begins as a series of pleasant revelations and a deft example of genre defiance is nearly cr...

By Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly (7/0)
            It makes going for your dream a slog.

By Eric D. Snider of EricDSnider.com (7/0)
            This is the type of film that has nothing wrong with it, really, but that doesn't have anything p...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Kam Williams of EURWeb (7/0)
            It's unfortunate that what was undoubtedly an inspirational story could end up onscreen as such a...

By Daniel Eagan of Film Journal International (7/0)
            Despite the occasional mixed message and overwrought moment, Gridiron Gang is a sincere, moving f...

By Sean O'Connell of filmcritic.com (7/0)
            Wanna know why sports movies are criticized for being too cliché? Because sports, as a whole, are...

By Sean O'Connell of filmcritic.com (7/0)
            As it stands, the gritty Gang delivers last-second heroics, surprising amounts of humor, and ...

By Brian Orndorf of FilmJerk.com (7/0)
            Gang only gels as a drama because of Johnson's dedication to making Porter a human being first, a...

By Brent Simon of FilmStew.com (7/0)
            The two rapt ladies next to me at a recent screening vocally identified the pure, square-jawed ma...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Rick Groen of Globe and Mail (7/0)
            If you like your sports movies, especially your football movies, larded with more clichés than a ...

By Peter Canavese of Groucho Reviews (7/0)
            Johnson gives the part his authoritative all, but he doesn't have the depth of ability to elevate...

By James Greenberg of Hollywood Reporter (7/0)
            ... about as inspirational as a yawn.

By James Greenberg of Hollywood Reporter (7/0)
            An inspirational football story that fails to inspire.

By Amy Biancolli of Houston Chronicle (7/0)
            This lazy and episodic tacking (pep talk, game, pep talk, game) aggravated me because it sabotage...

By Todd Gilchrist of IGN Movies (7/0)
            Gridiron Gang isn't just distinctive, it's downright exceptional - the kind of film that not only...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Steve Rhodes of Internet Reviews (7/0)
            Cue the violins. Gridiron Gang, an unabashedly sentimental but endearing true story, turns out t...

By Andrea Chase of Killer Movie Reviews (7/0)
            Johnson leaps is into the ranks of legitimate actors. He's got depth, he's got some range, and he...

By Bob Strauss of Los Angeles Daily News (7/0)
            [Screenwriter Jeff Maguire] reduces practically every scene to an oversimplified emoticon.

By Michael Wilmington of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            As sports movies go, Gridiron Gang isn't bad, just not top-line material.

By Pete Hammond of Maxim (7/0)
            Scores big time! It's the real thing. Loaded with action-to-the-max in the streets and on the fie...

By Mack Bates of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (7/0)
            ... if there was ever a role that The Rock was born to play, he's found it here

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Susan Granger of Modamag.com (7/0)
            No sappy sports cliche or trite inspirational slogan is ignored.

By Ken Hanke of Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (6/1)
            Another 'true story' inspirational sports movie, and you pretty much know whether or not it's you...

By Nell Minow of Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies (7/0)
            It's about as subtle as a tackle by a 300-pound tight end, but is is a pleasantly heartwarming jo...

By Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times (7/0)
            ...wants to have its lawlessness and cure it too.

By Frank Swietek of One Guy's Opinion (7/0)
            Though one of the producing entities is called Original Film, nothing could be further from the t...

By Scott Tobias of Onion AV Club (7/0)
            If The Rock could clone himself to appear in juvenile halls across the country, the recidivism ra...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Tyler Hanley of Palo Alto Weekly (7/0)
            The Rock no longer exists. Dwayne Johnson has finally shed the identity that turned him into a wr...

By Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters (7/0)
            At once uplifting and banal, "based on a true story" and abjectly "Disneyfied," the formula is al...

By Bartley Morrisroe of Premiere Magazine (7/0)
            But can The Rock pull off a dramatic role? Surprisingly, for the most part, the answer is yes, an...

By David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews (7/0)
            ...the film's various problems [are] exacerbated by a ridiculously overlong running time (it's 12...

By Mark Pfeiffer of Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema (7/0)
            The philosophy espoused in Gridiron Gang places the team above the individual, but the film is ca...

By Timothy Knight of Reel.com (7/0)
            The film's few, scattered moments of honest grit and pathos are nearly drowned out by composer Tr...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Sean Means of Salt Lake Tribune (7/0)
            Jeff Maguire's script turns out to be simultaneously riddled with clichés and (as the documentary...

By David Elliott of San Diego Union-Tribune (7/0)
            ... the former footballer and pro wrestler Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is just the rock on which to...

By Peter Hartlaub of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
            ... nearly as bleak as it is uplifting.

By Peter Hartlaub of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
            ...succeeds as a crowd-pleaser without glossing over the complicated roots of gang violence.

By Sean McBride of Sean the Movie Guy (7/0)
            turns out to be quite enjoyable, even if it’s not all that good

By William Arnold of Seattle Post-Intelligencer (7/0)
            ...despite its obvious good intentions -- the movie seems pat, simplistic and slightly phony.

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Ted Fry of Seattle Times (7/0)
            Many of the young actors are also quite good in a large ensemble that doesn't become the jumbled ...

By Rich Cline of Shadows on the Wall (7/0)
            It's technically well-made, but lacks the writing or acting skills to make it work.

By Nick Schager of Slant Magazine (7/0)
            Were it not already taken, Angels with Dirty Faces might have been an apt alternative title for t...

By Nick Rogers of State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) (7/0)
            The movie constantly teeters on becoming a filmed version of a Successories calendar. But The Roc...

By Thomas Peyser of Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) (7/0)
            Bad News Bangers

By Andrew Wright of The Stranger (Seattle, WA) (7/0)
            Call it inspirational karaoke if you like, but it gets the job done. Mostly.

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Dustin Putman of TheMovieBoy.com (7/0)
            More honest and substantive than the average mainstream sports flick. Not necessarily more origin...

By Tony Medley of tonymedley.com (7/0)
            A touching and entertaining, well-acted star turn by The Rock.

By Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide's Movie Guide (7/0)
            ... it's like a super-sized Afterschool Special with PG-13-rated bad language ...

By Brian Tallerico of UGO (7/0)
            The surprisingly effective Gridiron Gang will find its way into that harshly defended emotional e...

By John Anderson of Variety (7/0)
            Auds will respond, either to the uplifting message and the solid action sequences.

By Matthew Turner of ViewLondon (7/0)
            Watchable, decently made drama with some strong performances, but the script is disappointing giv...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Willie Waffle of WaffleMovies.com (7/0)
            it's the Bill Paxton of movies, good enough to be respected and liked, but not great enough to ma...

By James Hill of BET.com (3/4) No reference
            "Gang" doesn't excel by abandoning formula, it succeeds by making the formula work for the film, ...

By Wade Major of Boxoffice Magazine (3/4) No reference
            Anyone still doubting Johnson's chops as an actor ought to simply dismiss such doubts now -- he's...

By Bill Zwecker of Chicago Sun-Times (3/4) No reference
            Though it doesn't really teach us anything new, Gridiron Gang -- mainly due to the powerful scree...

By Jeff Vice of Deseret News, Salt Lake City (6/1) No reference
            ... this inspirational material is appealing ...

By Dezhda Mountz of E! Online (3/4) No reference
            ...these are truly vulnerable, hopeful characters who actually deserve our cheers.

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Richard Roeper of Ebert & Roeper (3/4) No reference
            Well intentioned, but way too corny, way too over the top…

By Scott Von Doviak of Fort Worth Star-Telegram (3/4) No reference
            The movie slows to a crawl as new obstacles and melodramas pile up like linemen on a quarterback.

By Loey Lockerby of Kansas City Star (3/4) No reference
            Gridiron Gang is effective, thanks to Phil Joanou's confident direction and the mountain of chari...

By Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News (3/4) No reference
            The Rock commits himself admirably to this trite tale, but by the end, even his enormous shoulder...

By Kyle Smith of New York Post (3/4) No reference
            There is way too much gridiron action...

By Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times (6/1) No reference
            ... the movie's good intentions are consistently undermined by its simplistic notion of redemptio...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Stephen Whitty of Newark Star-Ledger (3/4) No reference
            ... nearly every time it has the chance to make a play -- it fumbles.

By M.E. Russell of Oregonian (3/4) No reference
            Gridiron Gang feels less like a movie and more like a Tony Robbins motivational seminar.

By Roger Moore of Orlando Sentinel (3/4) No reference
            ... an extremely inefficient film, wasting time -- the movie's and ours.

By Carrie Rickey of Philadelphia Inquirer (3/4) No reference
            Great message, so-so movie.

By Forrest Hartman of Reno Gazette-Journal (6/1) No reference
            Gridiron Gang is enjoyable enough, but it is also manipulative, melodramatic and pretty much inte...

By Jack Garner of Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (3/4) No reference
            We are drawn into Gridiron Gang to the degree that we come to recognize team members and generall...

                         Reviews of Gridiron Gang
By Laura Kelly of South Florida Sun-Sentinel (3/4) No reference
            ... amid the dead-on straightforward presentation and the gaggingly earnest emotions, Gridiron Ga...

By Geoff Pevere of Toronto Star (3/4) No reference
            While grittier on the surface, Phil Joanou's allegedly 'true story' inspired Gridiron Gang is as ...

By Connie Ogle of Miami Herald (6/1) Not Reachable
            ... you wouldn't say Gridiron Gang is a touchdown, but it's not a fumble either.

By Chris Hewitt (St. Paul) of St. Paul Pioneer Press (3/4) Not Reachable
            Paint-by-numbers storytelling aside, Gridiron Gang is a fine movie.

Movie Distributors
Sony Pictures Releasing

Production Companies
Original Film

Movie Studios
Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group