Review of Draft Day (2014) by Brett B — 11 Dec 2014

Far more entertaining than it probably should be, DRAFT DAY is a solid and (mostly) engrossing peek behind the proverbial curtain for a look at the art of dealmaking in a multi-billion dollar industry.

The screenplay takes the old disaster movie formula, of all things (wherein a large, interconnected cast of characters must deal with personal issues against a huge backdrop), and applies it to sports negotiation.

In that sense, the movie would probably make a nice, football-centric companion piece to MONEYBALL, as both feature competent and savvy professionals working their tails off for the betterment of a sports franchise, and both feature fun rosters of character actors fleshing out the key roles.

The biggest compliment I can pay the film is that it should be fairly accessible and enjoyable for non-football fans, though there are certainly plenty of "Easter egg"-type in-jokes to satisfy the hardcore fans of the sport; indeed, the (somewhat excessive) participation of prominent NFL personalities does at times make the movie feel like a glorified advertisement for professional football (not a bad thing on the face of it, but some may take issue).

Director Reitman keeps things visually interesting in his staging of what is, for the most part, a series of conversations and phone calls, by utilizing intersecting and overlapping split-screens, which is a kind of neat effect.

Kevin Costner reminds us again why he was once a huge movie star, and his performance here is great; he's convincing, engaged, and committed, and he gets some nice material to chew on as a character operating under a great deal of pressure.

If the movie had no other attributes of note, it would be worth seeing just for Costner's work. Thankfully, there is a bit more than that, and even if the story comes together perhaps too cleanly in the end, it is a pretty satisfying ride.