Draft Day Review

Rated PG-13 (Brief Strong Language and Sexual References)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 49 Minutes

Cast-

Kevin Costner-Sonny Weaver Jr.

Jennifer Garner-Ali Parker

Denis Leary-Vince Penn

Frank Langella-Anthony Molina

Ellen Burstyn-Barb Weaver

Chadwick Boseman-Vontae Mack

Arian Foster-Ray Jennings

Tom Welling-Brian Drew

Josh Pence-Bo Callahan

Sam Elliott-Coach Moore

Terry Crews-Earl Jennings

Sean Combs-Chris Crawford

Griffin Newman-Rick the Intern

Patrick St. Esprit-Tom Michaels

Chi McBride-Walt Gordon

Rosanna Arquette-Angie

Kevin Dunn-Marvin

Roger Goodell-As Himself

Directed by Ivan Reitman

Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner are appealing in their roles but "Draft Day" is just another in a long line of bland sports movies.

Note: Screened on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.

111.5 million: that's the number of people in the U.S. who watched Super Bowl XLVIII this past February. I, however, was not among the millions of viewers who tuned in. Hell, if you were to ask me which team won, I wouldn't be able to answer you because I don't even know who was playing! I'm not a very big sports person (if that wasn't obvious already) and the reasons for that is twofold; first, watching a bunch of people toss (or kick) a ball around for three-plus hours is boring and second, athletics was not something that was encouraged much in my household. In fact, my mother would often tell me to 'run away from the ball' if it came toward me during phys-ed class in high school. Better to get ridiculed by my peers than get hurt! I even dislike playing sports video games. Despite my aversion to all things sports (with the exception of e-sports), I don't actually mind watching sports films—if they're good of course. Ron Howard's "Rush" was on my 'Best of 2013' list even though I knew absolutely nothing about Formula One racing. A good sports film can't be about the sport itself though; it has to capture something that goes beyond the game and that's what Ivan Reitman's "Draft Day"—which revolves around the eponymous NFL draft—tries to do but the final result is about as exciting as having a boardroom meeting with your boss. Now a subject like this doesn't automatically sink a film. After all, 2011's "Moneyball" was about fiddling with spreadsheets yet it was elevated by the rapid-fire dialogue from Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin's script. "Draft Day" unfortunately doesn't have that and it ends up being a series of tedious phone conversations that give you little reason to care about what's happening on-screen. It's a handsome-looking film and the all-star cast, led by the great Kevin Costner, are appealing in their roles but "Draft Day" fails to make much of an impression with its dull, anemic script.

Following a particularly bad season, Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) struggles to rebuild the team as the clock ticks down to the NFL draft, which is only thirteen hours away. Sonny's tenure hasn't exactly been smooth and making matters worse is his father's passing, which occurred only a week ago. The former head coach of the Browns, Sonny's father was revered by the entire city but his career came to an end when his own son suddenly fired him. As if the day couldn't get any more stressful, Sonny learns that his office fling with salary cap gal Ali Parker (Jennifer Garner) has resulted in a pregnancy. With the city calling for his head and his boss Anthony Molina (Frank Langella) pressuring him to make 'a big splash,' Sonny is torn on who to pick for the draft. One of his prospects is charismatic linebacker Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman), who may just be the man to make a difference for the Browns' defense. Another prospect is running back Ray Jennings (Arian Foster), whose father Earl (Terry Crews) used to play for the Browns and wants his son to follow in his footsteps. Although these two would make great additions to the team, they unfortunately don't sell tickets. Out of the blue, Seattle Seahawks general manager Tom Michaels (Patrick St. Esprit) calls up Sonny with an unusual offer: they'll give up their number one pick—rising quarterback Bo Callahan (Josh Pence)—in exchange for the Browns number one picks…for the next three years! Sonny reluctantly agrees despite the unfavorable terms but this move angers the team's current quarterback Brian Drew (Tom Welling), as well as current head coach Vince Penn (Denis Leary). With the NFL draft only mere hours away, Sonny wonders if he made the right choice.

You know there's a problem when "Draft Day" writers Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman don't exhibit much confidence in their own story and throw in a bunch of contrived subplots to beef up the already-weak drama. Honestly, I'm shocked this was number one on the 2012 Black List. For those of you who don't know, the NFL draft is an annual event held in spring where each team in the NFL selects a number of eligible college football players to join them. I'll admit it's not a subject that I'm particularly interested in but I could say the same for Formula One racing and boxing. Nevertheless, I count last year's "Rush" and 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" as among my favorite films. As long as the story resonates with me, it doesn't matter if it's a sports film. Unfortunately, that's not the case with Ivan Reitman's latest and the main issue here is the absurd premise. Why the hell would the Seattle Seahawks willingly give up their number one pick? Even more head-scratching is Sonny investigating said pick after agreeing to trade the Browns' number one picks for the next three years. If he didn't feel like he made the right choice, why did he even agree to make this trade in the first place? I understand that he wants to please his boss but if he's going to second-guess himself immediately, then he should've stuck to his original prospects…which is exactly what Sonny ends up doing. It's not even a spoiler! The minute that Sonny voices his concerns about quarterback superstar Bo Callahan, you already know that he's not going to stick with him and it drains away much of the story's suspense. By ending the film with where Sonny started, it makes the whole affair feel manufactured and pointless. The only difference is that everyone suddenly loves him now for sticking with his gut instincts because to hell with player statistics, right? And what was wrong with Callahan? Nothing really; he tells the occasional white lie and delivers canned answers but he's probably a fine player. He's just not good enough for Sonny because apparently heart and grit are all you need to be a great football player. I seem to remember there being some skill involved too but I may be wrong.   

Not helping matters is the film's pacing, which can best be described as 'anemic.' This can be attributed to the plethora of subplots that the writers pack into the script. In addition to the NFL draft, Sonny has to deal with his girlfriend's sudden pregnancy and his mother's (Ellen Burstyn) insistence with scattering his father's ashes on the practice field on the most stressful day of his career. Not only does all this make your head spin, it slows down an already-dull picture. It seems like Reitman was aware of how shallow the script was and desperately tries to spruce up the film by employing needlessly distracting visual tricks. Whenever a telephone conversation takes place (and there are many), the screen splits, sometimes into multiple panels similar to Ang Lee's "Hulk." However, that's not all as characters can literally walk across each panel like they're occupying the same room! Swishing this way and that way, the constant use of split screens just come off as cheap and silly. As if "Draft Day" didn't already feel enough like a two-hour NFL commercial, every time the film moves to a different city, we're treated to an exterior shot of said city's downtown area before the team logo swishes (there it goes again with the swishing) into another shot of the city's football stadium. All these visuals try to give you the impression that you're watching something important but it instead has the opposite effect. The only time where "Draft Day" feels remotely exciting is during the actual draft itself, which occurs in the film's last fifteen or so minutes. It's as if Reitman took a shot of 5-hour Energy, with Sonny suddenly becoming virtually bulletproof in his wheeling and dealing.

As dull as the film is, the cast at least make it watchable with their affable performances. The role of Sonny Weaver Jr. seems to be tailor-made for Kevin Costner, with the aging movie star exuding a manly charisma in every scene. He's confident but never cocksure and when the actor smiles at the camera, it's like he's smiling right at you. Although their roles are nothing more than thinly-scripted archetypes, the supporting cast remain appealing. Costner and Jennifer Garner make for a charming pair but the two come across like close best friends rather than a couple. Their seventeen-year age difference doesn't help either as Garner could almost pass herself off as Costner's daughter. Denis Leary is entertaining to watch as the Browns' frustrated head coach, although his outbursts are hamstrung by the film's PG-13 rating. Despite his limited screen-time, Chadwick Boseman shines as aspiring NFL linebacker Vontae Mack. I can't wait to see him as James Brown in August's "Get On Up." Finally, Ellen Burstyn exhibits a gentle warmth as Sonny's grieving mother. The only puzzling casting choice is Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs as Callahan's agent. Reitman couldn't get someone that can actually act for such a small role?

Released on April 11, 2014, "Draft Day" has received mildly positive reviews with 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that it was 'perfectly pleasant for sports buffs and Costner fans, but overall, [the film] lives down to its title by relying too heavily on the sort of by-the-numbers storytelling that only a statistician could love.' Summit Entertainment promoted "Draft Day" quite heavily, with advance screenings almost every week for over a month prior to its release but the film just never really came off as something that was worth going out of your way to see. Fortunately, the production budget for these types of pictures aren't high so it should still turn a modest profit at the domestic box office. Early estimates are pegging for a $10 to $11 million opening weekend gross. Despite its contrived storytelling and lack of energy, "Draft Day" isn't a wholly terrible film, just a mediocre one. The appealing cast make it watchable for the most part but football fans will likely roll their eyes at the absurd premise while the rest of us shrug indifferently.

Final Rating: 2.5 out of 5

"You see things other people don't see. That's one of the things I love about you. All that matters is what you think. Write your own story, Sonny."