Review of Any Given Sunday (1999) by Blake B — 13 Jul 2009

Usually I'm on board with Oliver Stone trying to illuminate major institutions for us huddled masses, but something is just a little off with Any Given Sunday, and it's hard to pinpoint. Stone puts so much emphasis on all the negative aspects of the NFL that it borders on vindictiveness.

Al Pacino gives his usual fiery performance in the locker room and on the field, but is kind of a drag outside of those scenes. Most of the other actors are pretty good. I loved Jamie Foxx's performance, as well as James Woods'. Cameron Diaz could have been a little better if she hadn't leaned on the F-bomb so much, because it wasn't really needed and it was just out of place. Yeah, she's supposed to be a tough, cold owner, but surely there were better ways to write her dialogue than to litter it with profanity simply for effect.

If for some reason you try to see the cut-up version, skip it. There's some pretty entertaining stuff (though technically superfluous) that is fun to watch in the uncut version, and since this movie is so long either way, you might as well see all of it instead of watching it twice (it's not really good enough to warrant repeated viewings, as Stone is pretty much hitting you over the head with his message throughout and it's not the deepest film you'll ever see). It's at least buoyed by mostly fine performances.