How do you take a concrete day that only hardcore sports fans know about and turn it into a two-hour long movie? And how do you engage anyone who isn’t a hardcore sports fan? Is Hollywood running out of ideas?
The answer to that last question is a resounding yes, and Draft Day is one of the fruits of this drought of ideas. Just let this sink in for a moment: this is a movie about the day when new players for the NFL get drafted.
What’s next? A movie about E3? Heaven-forbid.
Okay, okay...while this movie basically screams “Hollywood is out of ideas” just by its premise, it’s actually not a bad movie. The plot, while hardly straightforward, shouldn’t be too hard for even a casual sports fan to follow. Will the casual understand everything that’s going on? Probably not. That’s what hardcore fans are for.
I’ll admit, while I couldn’t quite grasp everything that was said, I could understand the plot well enough to feel engaged. Admittedly, my parents were there to help me out somewhat, but still…
Draft Day is a fictional story that centers around Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver, Jr. (Kevin Costner), whose franchise has struggled for some time. His father, Sonny Weaver, Sr., coached the Browns, was fired by his own son, and died a week before the start of the film. Weaver, Jr., is struggling as the film starts. Not only has his father died, but his girlfriend, Ali Parker (Jennifer Garner), has turned up pregnant. With Browns owner Anthony Molina (Frank Langella) pressuring him to “make a splash,” he reluctantly trades his first-round picks for the next three years to the Seahawks for the consensus number 1 pick of the season, Bo Callahan. As the plot thickens, Weaver, Jr., learns little facts about Callahan that fester his skepticism further, as these facts are blemishes on Callahan’s character.
Confused? Don’t worry. I guarantee you, you’re not the only one.
This is a movie that is intentionally geared to an audience of hardcore sports fans, so if you’re not hardcore, don’t feel bad. (At least you have a life outside the TV and don’t arrange your schedule around that lousy idiot box) If you are, then this may be a worthwhile pickup.
Sports jargon aside, this film does a nice job of building suspense. The entire first half of the film has a recurring theme of a countdown to the beginning of Draft Day, starting at about twelve hours and finishing off with the final eight seconds. Also, while any football movie wouldn’t be remembered for special effects, this movie does have some nifty ones in the style of your friendly neighborhood sports channel (ABC, CBS, Fox, and so on). There are a number of times where two separate locations are shown on screen, and one person in one location overlaps the other location. A couple of these actually involve said person walking across the split-screen as though through a portal.
Imagine watching that in 3D. Trippy, right?
Going another layer deep, Weaver, Jr’s, relationship with Parker is another recurring theme. The exact nature is ambiguous. They’re not married, but Weaver, Jr’s, thoughts on their child are ambiguous as well, though by the end he’s warmed up to the prospect. They’re obviously trying to keep it a secret, but everyone knows about it. By the end of the film they decide to be done with secrets.
Personally, I always found myself inhaling a breath of fresh air whenever the nerdy-looking intern Rick (Griffin Newman) came on the scene. He gives off a more innocent vibe than the lot of the Browns’ staff, accidentally walking in on Weaver, Jr., and Parker a couple times without knowing. Overall, he’s just a man trying to do his job.
On the other hand, I cringed at the scene where Weaver, Jr’s, mother came to his office with his father’s ashes, intent on burying them immediately in spite of the pressing matters at hand even when an irate Weaver, Jr., says they’ll do it tomorrow. His temper flares out of control, and he throws a computer against the wall. This computer turns out to belong to Rick, who laments the loss and states that his whole life was on there. Weaver, Jr., promises him a new one.
Now I’m thinking I should work for a football team. That would solve my current affairs.
As pointed out by my mother, Weaver, Jr’s, mother lived for years with her husband, who went through what’s going on in this movie until his son fired him. You’d think she’d know how strenuous it is for her son to do this now. I guess not.
I’ve barely gotten into this film, but I think I’ve said enough. Overall, this film isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. Heck, it’s not even close to being great. But it is a good film, and I can at least give it more than a half-hearted recommendation. Hardcore sports fans will probably enjoy it a lot more than I did.
And that’s a good thing. After all, it was made for them.
2.5/5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment