It was easy to accept Burt Reynolds as cynical, disgraced former quarterback Paul Crewe. He had the look, the swagger, the physical presence. It’s a little harder, however, to accept Adam Sandler as Crewe in a modern-day remake of the 1974 prison football comedy. Sandler has shown he can go beyond gross-out jokes and goofy slapstick, believably playing damaged characters in “Punch-Drunk Love” and “Spanglish.” But come on – the guy’s 5-foot-10. Ultimately, though, the film from director Peter Segal and first-time screenwriter Sheldon Turner isn’t so much about Crewe as it an amped-up, crowd-pleasing spectacle that Crewe happens to inhabit. But Sandler has an easy chemistry with fellow “Saturday Night Live” alum and friend Chris Rock, and football players (Michael Irvin, Bill Romanowski) and wrestling stars (Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg) add authenticity on the field. Rated: PG-13 for crude and sexual humor. Rating: 2 out of 4 stars

-Christy Lemire, AP movie critic