Draft Day (PG-13)
27/04/14 22:59 Filed in: 2014
Starring: Kevin Costner
April 2014
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
32 teams, 7 rounds. “The clock is always ticking.”
Chris Berman’s opening narration certainly generates excitement over what’s to come later in the film. His presence also legitimizes the movie and lends the fictional story some semblance of a “real” NFL draft.
The Browns are a desperate team? Not exactly a news flash.
However, I do applaud writers Rothman and Joseph for their decision to cast the spotlight on one of the most downtrodden franchises in professional sports (and for making the Seahawks organization look like a bunch of money-grubbing schmucks…no love lost here). Somewhere in the movie, someone mentions changing the look of the Browns’ helmets. I hope I wasn’t the only one who agreed with such a sentiment. Is there a plainer, uglier helmet in the NFL?
A deal over pancakes. Costner isn’t hungry.
“People pay to get splashed.” A powerful commentary on the state of the game.
Frank Langella is such a great actor who brings gravitas to every role he plays. He makes Costner seem like a whimpering child in this scene.
Lots of split screens. A bit much?
The film employs more split screen scenes than an episode of 24. It’s a useful device for showing two sides of a phone conversation—and there are a lot of them in the film—but by the middle of the movie this stylistic choice reaches overkill status. I will say that Reitman cleverly shows one person’s shoulder jutting into the image of the other person’s image panel, etc, and the scene where an individual travels from one edge of the screen to the other, passing right over the other person talking on the phone, was absolutely brilliant.
Costner trades the future of the franchise for some “magic beans.”
This critique comes from his screen mom, Ellen Burstyn.
Montana spots John Candy in the stands at the 1989 Super Bowl. Wonderful anecdote and scene.
I’d never heard this story before and it really enriches the text and subtext of this scene.
Is that your final answer, Callahan?
Sorry Bo, the Browns already have a “super” quarterback.
If the emphasized word is too cryptic…Tom Welling from TVs Smallville.
Final analysis: an educational, if fictional, behind-the-scenes look at the NFL draft.
Not as lightweight as some of Reitman’s earlier efforts, but not as engrossing as it should’ve been either.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. An original gridiron tale that should tide over diehard fans until the new season.
If Costner keeps on this career track, he’ll soon be the king of sports movies. How many has he made anyway? Bottom line, this is a decent film that effectively reveals the back room wheeling and dealing that accompanies an NFL draft. As exciting as that sounds the film is often devoid of excitement, owing largely to the fact that the character moments feel perfunctory and insipid. The blossoming relationship between Costner and Garner, the pressure Langella places on Costner and the family friction that results from the recent death of Costner’s dad all play out like vignettes in a Lifetime movie. Although it captures the flavor of an NFL draft, the movie is a pale reflection of the exhilarating, pulse-pounding drama that takes place during an actual draft. As such, some will choose to forego this film and just wait another month for the real thing.