Overall Thoughts: Great potential, not great execution.
I have to admit, this true story is a really interesting one and got my attention. Super Bowl winning coach Sean Payton is suspended for a year from the New Orleans Saints. As a result, he ends up helping coach his son's middle school football team. And of course, he helps make the team even better. It seems like some great ingredients to make a great family movie and football movie, right?
Yes, it does. However, I am disappointed to say that the final product here is very disappointing. Not quite as irritating as a last-second football upset (some NFL fans know what I'm talking about here and probably relate better than I do!), but it gets close a few times. The thing is, I probably should have expected that from Adam Sandler and Happy Madison being behind this film. Watching this film, you can tell that there's so much here that could have been done better.
Starting with the writing, which really should have toned down the film's overall jokey tone. I get it, you want to have a light-hearted approach to some fairly serious themes. Controversy. Scandal. Re-establishing a connection with your family. But, in many occasions where we get to a scene that wants to really examine what these characters are thinking and feeling, we automatically head for an out-of-left field joke that is so badly-timed that it's cringy. I might have chuckled two or three times in the entire film.
The overall way that Sean's estranged relationship with his son is approached here is not given enough attention either. At the beginning, the Mom (and ex-wife's) reaction is both a bit surprising and overlooks a lot of the deeply-held emotions I'm sure a lot of these characters are battling from this. Even the overall reaction to Sean's one-year suspension seems lighter and less shocking than what one would expect. That being said, the film does include at least two decent scenes between Sean and his son, and things do end well for both of them.
As usual for a Sandler-driven production, the film also has several pointless or mentally-deranged characters. In a story like this, I would have seriously limited them. In Kevin James' last sports film (the miles better Here Comes the Boom), there were much fewer of these characters, and they never overwhelmed the story's heart. Here, we get at least three or four bumbling buffoons, and Gary Valentine's character here is absolutely bonkers. I really wish they would have toned him down too.
That being said, James is definitely up for the role here. He never quite cracks to the nonsensical hijinks around him. He is given a few serious moments that also really work for him as an actor. It seems like he's the only one on set who understands that this story may not have been meant to be a comedy. Taylor Lautner gets second billing, and he's OK as the kids' head coach. Maybe a little bit more character development on him would have been nice, but he doesn't quite cave either. Rob Schneider doesn't quite work here, and Adam Sandler's wife Jackie is given the role of Connor's Mom and Sean's ex-wife. She's not bad here, but could have been given more to do.
The film's final game and ending also doesn't quite go in the direction you would expect. This last 10-15 minutes finally suspends the jokes and unnecessary characters, and makes a heartwarming conclusion of itself. It was an entertaining and surprising finish that I wish could have applied to the rest of the film itself. That being said, the end credits are surprisingly very light on paying tribute to the true events its' based on. We get a picture of Payton with his son on the field, but that's it.
In the end, Home Team feels like a first or second football game that featured an inexperienced team that needed lots of tweaking and re-training to reach their potential. I really wish the filmmaking team would have seen this from the start, toned down a lot of the ridiculous jokes, and added some emotional heft to the film's more serious themes and characters.
It's sad, because this story is a good one, and it could have been something special (James and the ending seemed to have it). But, inescapably bad writing and some very weird choices make this sports event the kind that should not be watched.
Grade: D+
Grade: D+
Is this movie family-friendly? Home Team is rated PG for "crude material, language, and some suggestive references." For a movie aimed at families, its' a little bit on the crude side at times, but toned down from Sandler's usual. There's some language (including some said by 6th graders), including six uses of "h***", and a few each of "d***", "h***" and "G*d!". An adult makes a weird suggestion to swim in their "underwear". A picture is shown (off-screen) of a baby being in the middle of being born. A player's mom tries to throw herself at Sean through several passes, but he clearly isn't interested. Several instances of lying and deceiving to try to get people out of trouble. One scene where several players and officials start throwing up repeatedly on other players. Middle school football players tell others to "suck it!". In the end, if you're a fan of Adam Sandler's type of comedy, you'll probably enjoy this. But I would suggest ages 9 and up if your kid wants to watch. Just keep your expectations really low if you have to press play.
