Draft Day

Kevin Costner returns to his wheelhouse as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns on draft day. Director Ivan Reitman, 1980's and early 90's champion of successful box office comedy (Ghostbusters, Kindergarten Cop) follows up the surprisingly good No Strings Attached with another solid outing. Maybe he's been taking some pointers from his son lately, but he's become relevant again after a nearly two decade absence. On a side note, his next project re-teams him with Schwarzenegger and De Vito with the addition of Eddie Murphy in Triplets. No further explanation necessary. Yes!

The film takes place on one particular NFL draft day where there's a confluence of stressful events in Sonny Weaver, Jr.'s (Costner) life. His relationship with his girlfriend (Jennifer Garner) is tenuous, his father just passed away, there's a new head coach second guessing his decisions, the owner has him on the hot seat, and he has some big decisions to make that may or may not shape the future of the Browns organization. No pressure, right?

Draft Day is shot and acted with a very lighthearted tone, and doesn't stray too far into either the romantic, or the serious. It sticks in the precise spot where it needs to, which is an easily accessible sports film with just enough suspense and curveballs (slow curves mind you), that we are mindlessly entertained and end up rooting for the Cleveland Browns and the troubled GM. The NFL Draft is a pivotal time for teams to make improvements, changes, or in some cases, terrible decisions and after an impulsive and emotional decision with the Seahawks, Sonny finds himself with the number one pick in the draft, having paid dearly for it. What happens next is his battling of conscience, conformity, and morality. And he's trying to make his recently deceased dad proud.

We are introduced to a variety of anxious athletes hoping to hear their names read ranging from the star quarterback who is the no-brainer number one pick (Josh Pence), to the troubled running back with a heart of gold (Houston Texan RB Arian Foster) and a linebacker who plays the underdog role (Chadwick Boseman). Then there is the veteran quarterback coming back from an injury (Tom Welling). Sonny must choose between what he believes in, and what the rest of the city of Cleveland believes to be the future of the team. Throw into the mix a coach (played beautifully by Dennis Leary) who doesn't hide his disdain for Sonny, and an owner who is your stereotypical antagonist type (Frank Langella going through the motions).

There's a lot going on in Draft Day, but fortunately we are given the "NFL for Dummies" treatment. There are a lot of cameos from the sports world, lots of ticking clock drama, and some great impromptu phone negotiations, a la Moneyball. Draft Day isn't Moneyball however, but that's OK. Reitman creates a film that's quite a bit of fun, and not just because I'm a fantasy football fan and the Seahawks play a prominent role. The acting isn't that great and the dialogue is often contrived, but it's forgivable. The pace is quick and Reitman uses clever split screen camerawork to show both sides of the phone conversations with lots of levity and good natured characters.

One of the things that makes it truly entertaining is that it's a happy movie. Every character has a heart of gold and there's no real villain, with the exception of the ornery owner, but even he comes around in the end. Usually there is something bringing the protagonist down. Some sort of trial or challenge that is presented by an antagonist. Some tragedy that our main character needs to overcome, but that just doesn't exist. Sonny's challenge is to make football decisions, and the film is better for it. Sure, he's up against odds with his father's passing and his relationship drama, but neither of those are put in the spotlight more than necessary, and they really just add to the chaos of the day.

Aside from the Ryan Leaf barb, I was impressed. OK, Ryan Leaf barbs are warranted, but you have to believe me, he was amazing at WSU. Writers Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman are both novices, but they put together a really fun movie. Predictable and transparent, but fun nonetheless. If you're a football fan, this is a must-see. For everyone else, I would recommend it for a fun couple of hours. 8/10.