The Longest Yard Remains Adam Sandler's Best Sports Comedy 20 Years On

The recent streaming success of Happy Gilmore 2 has Adam Sandler fans everywhere reigniting their love for his classic sports film, but the original Happy Gilmore isn’t even actually his best movie in the subgenre. There are several options to choose from since Sandler is kind of a sports movie king.

In fact, Adam Sandler is actually well-known outside of acting for his love of basketball, even playing pickup games with NBA players at times. He’s made sports films covering basketball, golf, hockey, and more, yet one football film from 2005 is actually his true comedy gem.

The Longest Yard Is Adam Sandler’s Best Sports Comedy

While it doesn’t get the same acclaim that some of his other sports films do, The Longest Yard is quietly one of Adam Sandler’s best movies. This 2005 iteration is a remake of a 1974 film of the same name and even brings back the star of the original, Burt Reynolds, in a supporting role.

Reviews for this take on The Longest Yard, but looking back, there’s a lot to like. The story centers on a disgraced former NFL quarterback named Paul Crewe (Sandler), who was accused of shaving points. When he ends up in prison, he teams with the inmates to take on the guards in a football game.

There are plenty of laughs here and the football scenes are great. Whether it’s Paul firing up and fighting alone for the first down to prove to his team he’s on their side or Reynolds’ coach Nate Scarborough, entering the game, it makes for high-quality entertainment.

However, the true fun comes from the loaded cast. Sandler and Reynolds are joined by the comedic talents of Chris Rock and Tracy Morgan, various wrestlers like Steve Austin and Kevin Nash, real sports names like Chris Berman, and even artists like Nelly.

There Are Several Really Good Adam Sandler Sports Comedies

Happy Gilmore swinging his his hockey-puck putter

As noted, sports are a big part of Adam Sandler’s life and his on-screen career. One of his first big hits was Happy Gilmore, where he portrays a former hockey player who uses his powerful slapshot to find success in golf. The 2025 sequel was also quite fun.

Adam Sandler followed that up with The Waterboy two years later, where he plays a socially awkward man who joins a college football team thanks to his vicious tackling skills. Even his non-sports comedy movies tend to involve sports in some shape or form.

Grown Ups features a basketball game at the climax of the film, involving Sandler’s character. There’s also Anger Management, which has a pivotal scene that takes place at Yankee Stadium. He’s also produced sports films like Home Team and The Benchwarmers. Sandler always seems to find room for sports in his projects.

Adam Sandler Is At His Best In Sports Dramas

Adam Sandler's character in Hustle sitting in the bleachers — Adam Sandler, shown here in Hustle, is reuniting with the Safdie Brothers.

While Adam Sandler is best known for his work in comedy movies, he’s actually shown that he’s at his very best as an actor in sports dramas. Along with Punch-Drunk Love, which doesn’t involve sports, most people feel that Sandler’s best performance came in Uncut Gems, which was recently named one of the best movies of the 21st century.

The 2019 film follows Sandler as a jeweler with a gambling addiction. Every scene is seemingly more tense than the previous one and many believed Sandler was snubbed of an Academy Award nomination. The movie involves Sandler’s character gambling on basketball and even features former NBA star Kevin Garnett in a supporting role as himself.

In 2022, Sandler delivered what is possibly his most underrated performance ever in Hustle. This Netflix original film finds Sandler as a basketball scout who works with a talented but raw prospect to get him ready for the NBA. The movie featured several NBA stars, including LeBron James, and Sandler was nominated for Best Leading Actor at the SAG Awards.