Rédemption

To be fair I would probably have loved this film when I was 6 or 7 years old. However, with the violence and profanity this clearly wasn't intended to be for children, which leads to the depressing conclusion that this pile of drivel was actually supposed to entertain adults. The entire plot is utterly shallow cheese but might have been at least bearable as mindless viewing were it not for the music. Was the composer trying to break the world record for number of "uplifting" crescendoes in a film? They are relentless - if someone makes a cup of tea, there's a massively overblown moving "Saving Private Ryan"-type epic musical motif to accompany it. The composer is either having fun at the plot-writer's expense, or is the worst composer ever to score a film.

t's difficult to truly knock Dwayne Johnson--he currently shuns the name that begat his celebrity, The Rock, in favor of his birth name--for taking the pledge of serious actordom. After all, when any highly bankable actor makes such a decision--not to be confused with the comedy-to-drama crossover--isn't it more admirable than the alternative of staying the same, finance-driven course? Alas, however, Gridiron is absolutely not a serious actor's vehicle. Johnson has a few surprisingly tender close-ups, but most scenes feature him from afar, shouting his best chest-bump voice. Xzibit, attempting another kind of crossover (rapping to acting), is in almost every scene yet says almost nothing. Maybe the best performance comes from youngster Jade Yorker, who plays the team's hotheaded star.Yorker's emotional range (and shirtless prancing...for the ladies) makes him one to keep an eye on in the future.