Review of Draft Day (2014) by Jackson W — 11 Sep 2014

Going into Draft Day, I have to apologize for discrediting the film as a football knockoff of "Moneyball", admittedly a far superior film. This one surprised me by keeping me entertained the whole way through for what the film intended to be.

The main story centers around Costner's character Sonny Weaver Jr., General Manager of the Cleveland Browns. His father, fictitious Browns legend Sonny Sr., passes away days before the NFL draft which predictably has Sonny torn up.

As a result, he makes a brazen decision when the Seahawks give up the bid for top quarterback prospect Bo Callahan. Costner after fighting himself gives into the deal to trade away three first round draft picks which has everyone in a tizzy.

People are happy since he's such a huge franchise player, then people are mad because they missed out in spite of this newcomer. So yeah, this movie is about football and lots of it. There's also a subplot where his girlfriend Ali is expecting and their relationship is a la "For Love of the Game" style, hot and heavy then dark and passive aggressive.

A signature cliche of Costner films that fails to hit a pleasant medium with the two characters. Surprisingly, I love the football in this movie. And not because I am a football fan, but because it was informative and helped viewers understand the fundamentals of what makes a great football team.

But as both a North American Sports aficionado and a film connoisseur, I wanted to hear more about the Cleveland Browns in this story. The team has a great history dating back decades that would be great to explore a bit heavier plus adding bulk to this dry, recycled story.

The characters are pretty bland and with the exception of one or two don't really feel into the role. Almost like they are reading a script the whole time. Costner swears and confronts owners and players, but he's no Billy Beane when it comes down to it.

There was also a lot of editing mistakes in this film. Two people are on the phone and they could literally walk to the other end of the line. It's like they were in the same room. The cities and team names popping up every time a camera shot of the city was taken was also pretty distracting.

But what pulls Draft Day through as being watchable for me is some of the fundamentals and again, some of the historical nods to the Cleveland Browns. If it was more of that, I probably would have loved it.

As is, my reception is pretty mixed. Not nearly as bad and as much of a trainwreck as I suspected, just sort of a mixed bag or a discount buffet. Pick what you like about it and stick with it.