Directed by:
Ivan ReitmanCinematography:
Eric SteelbergComposer:
John DebneyCast:
Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Sam Elliott, Terry Crews, Tom Welling, W. Earl Brown, Ellen Burstyn, Denis Leary, Frank Langella, Wade Williams (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
The story follows the lead up to and the day of the 2014 National Football League (NFL) Draft, where college players are selected to join a team. Under pressure from the team's owner Anthony Molina (Frank Langella), Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr (Kevin Costner) accepts a deal to make a trade with Seattle Seahawks manager Tom Michaels (Patrick St. Esprit) for the number one pick Bo Callahan (Josh Pence) prior to Draft Day. However, this causes anger with the fans and within the NFL, and defensive player Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman), who is keen to join the Browns, attempts to prove to Sonny why he should pick him instead of Callahan. Meanwhile, in his personal life, Sonny is in a secret relationship with his team's lawyer Ali Parker (Jennifer Garner), who is pregnant with his child. Despite the challenges he faces, will Sonny be able to please everyone with the decisions he makes on Draft Day? The cast also features current and former football players such as Terry Crews, Deion Sanders, Alex Mack and Ray Lewis. (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (3)
A film that stems from the backstage of traditions and high sports politics, but it lacks the rawness and the brutal matches of Any Given Sunday, or the poetry and wide scope of Moneyball. Paradoxically, however, Draft Day is more enjoyable than the latter film thanks to Ivan Reitman’s brisk direction by, the great performances by the actors, and the superb performances of Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, and Frank Langella. Those lively, sharp dialogues from the perfect script, which reminded me at times the work of Christopher Nolan, make everything feel as it should be.
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American football is all Greek to me (like almost every sport, really) and as an uninitiated viewer, this film utterly failed to explain what the rules of the game are exactly (meaning the draft), what’s at stake, what would success mean, etc. And it also feels at least a bit weird that the end presents the performance of Costner’s character as the victory of a good tactician who kept a cool head, when, in reality, he basically had a stroke of luck and throughout the film everything was falling apart for him. The performances and the craftsmanship are alright, but, due to the reasons enumerated above, I wasn’t able to get into the film, not even a bit.
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Even though American football absolutely doesn't interest me and I may not even know a single team, this is a good drama that caught my attention, mainly thanks to Kevin Costner's excellent performance. Ivan Reitman uses interesting tools, especially two images in one, but this stands on the actors who immersed themselves in their roles and do it well. It beautifully shows what kind of business it is and how easily it can destroy lives.
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