Gridiron Gang (2006)

(On TV, October 2021) As far as typical American movies go, it’s hard to manage the three strikes that is Gridiron Gang, which combines the last echoes of slavery, the current shame of the prison-industrial complex and the bread-and-circus fascination for football. The plot, adapted from a true story, is not hard to grasp, as a compassionate carceral worker (Dwayne Johnson, looking significantly younger) creates a football program for incarcerated (nearly all-black) youth. His hope is that, by training for sport, his young charges will create a stronger identity with their sports team than with the street gangs. Of course, it works (at least from the text at the end of the film) but was that ever in doubt? The meaning of the film isn’t in the ending but in the very familiar material that leads to it, as our protagonist’s empathy leads the troublesome youth to act better and become better. Conventional to the point where it’s not really necessary to see the film to grasp what it’s about, Gridiron Gang is not badly made, but its appeal falls sharply the moment it tries to reach audiences that aren’t as indoctrinated in the American system of crime and punishment, or the finer points of football. Fortunately, that’s where the familiarity kicks in: no matter whether you can differentiate a quarterback from a goalpost, Gridiron Gang’s dramatic arc is solid enough that the football sequences merely become interludes between more substantial material. Johnson, at least, used this film to demonstrate his likability as an actor, which would help in stepping up to his current superstardom. Otherwise, there isn’t much more to say: the execution is competent enough that “disaffected youth play football for self-improvement” is all you need to know to deduce if you’re going to enjoy this or not.