Inspirational athletics taken to the ‘nth degree

“Gridiron Gang” Starring: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Xzibit Directed by Phil Joanou

out of

Take one part tough-but-loving coach, add a sprinkle of misguided misfits who aren’t the strongest of athletes (but make up for it in raw determination and heart) and then throw in a few rousing speeches: You’ve got yourself a basic formula for an inspirational tale of the sports underdog.

Directed by Phil Joanou, “Gridiron Gang” is the latest film in a long line to borrow this recipe in an attempt to get some box office green.

The gang referred to in the title is actually just that: Inner city youths who have gotten in trouble with the law but are too young to serve jail time. So they are placed in detention centers to become better people before they re-enter the real world.

“Gridiron Gang” starts off with a proclamation that the majority of youths who enter these centers simply end up getting killed or going to jail once their time is exhausted. A slightly pessimistic and depressing statistic, it is one that sets you up for a film much darker than what you actually see – although, to be fair, this is based on a true story.

Sean Porter (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is a mentor and teacher at the center who decides to offer the possibility of a football team to kids who would like to play in an attempt to turn their lives around. Kids join, they fight, they work, they laugh and in the process grow together as a team, despite some of them being in different gangs.

The message that lies at the heart of “Gridiron Gang” is that alternatives like sports and college can break down gang barriers and attachments to the streets. The goal is a strong and positive one – although, perhaps, virtually unattainable – but Joanou conducts it through cookie-cutter moments in which everything is an obstacle and must be overcome. Fears of catching the ball, of getting hit, of throwing it, are all trampled, overcome and tossed aside in apparently inspirational moments.

Johnson has quickly worked his way up the film ladder after retiring from professional wrestling, and in the process has created a more diverse and interesting acting resume with each film.

His work in “Gridiron Gang” is the strongest of his short career, as he has a natural charisma and intensity present in his eyes that he has used in his other films. And here he gets to flex his acting muscles a bit more.

Porter is the typical “hard love” coach, but Johnson also portrays funny, scary and sad in a very believable manner – he could be doing this job in real life. It’s just a shame that he has to be saddled with so many motivational speeches and conversations, all of which hurt his performance, as the script tries to inspire and create empathy in the audience.

There is an underlying darkness related to the violence and street blood feuds of “Gridiron Gang” that simmers right below the surface and all-too-infrequently pops up. For example, the team’s water boy – who is all laughs and jokes and wouldn’t be out of place as the slightly annoying-yet-lovable neighbor on a sitcom – is spoken of later in regards to how he ended up in the program because he stabbed an older woman for her purse.

There are also some surprisingly violent occurrences that push the limit for the PG-13 rating after one of the kids is released from the center and into the streets in the opening scenes. The intensity of these scenes is only made more obvious by the lack of them once the film and inspirational speeches begin rolling.

Although it sounds bizarre, the darkness would have made the film stronger overall, despite it detracting from the more positive and “audience-friendly” elements of the story.

Overall, “Gridiron Gang” isn’t a bad film – many kids and adults will enjoy the humor and football scenes, and the overall message is a solid and respectable one. It just so happens that the plate upon which it is presented is trite, unoriginal and repetitive. The sports underdog is an old recipe, and one that could use a bit of shaking up.