Draft Day

First of all don't confuse this for a "Sports" movie.

It revolves around the NFL Draft, an annual event where the NFL managers are selecting players to join their teams.

It is a USA football thing, so if you are living in another continent, it is rather difficult to understand the rules and even more the point of this whole charade.

About the rules is something of a Poker game. At least as it looks in this picture. The manager of team A is on the phone with the manager of team B and they talk things like "I am giving you 2 of my first picks of the second round to give me your first pick for the next 2 years..." and so on.

Again, this is NOT about who wins a game or a trophy. This is merely about picking players whom you think they might be useful to your team. In the actual games they may proved to be bad choices, or injured or whatever, and despite being happy about your choices in the NFL draft, eventually to lose games and the season.

Now as movie "Draft Day" is carefully designed.

The direction and editing are trying to be "edgy" with unique split screen effects during the numerous phone-calls between the team managers. You can see for example Kevin Costner (who plays the lead role as an experienced yet unconventional manager) in a split screen walking into the other side of the frame where the manager of the other team is.

The music has a certain triumphant feeling without being to much in your face and the whole production is carefully designed.

I point that out because in this movie you have constantly the feeling that you are seeing great things taking place. Like every little decision is something that could change the world. But in reality all these "decisions" are something of a micromanagement. In the end and if you actually pay attention, what is happening and what the characters are talking about is totally uninteresting...

...and for the rest of the world, outside the US, confusing and pointless.

Surprisingly good football movie about Cleveland Browns general manager Kevin Costner on the day of the NFL draft. I say surprisingly because I wasn't expecting much. These sports dramas, particularly the football ones, often bore me. This one started off kind of like that and I was worried at first. But it picked up and I was soon wrapped up in the story. That's in large part due to the fine cast, especially Kevin Costner. You might ask why I watched this if I typically don't like sports dramas. Well the short answer is because Tom Welling from Smallville is in it. My friend was going to watch it for him so I thought "might as well." Turns out his role is pretty small. Anyway, it's a good movie. If you're not into football and you think that might keep you from enjoying this, don't worry. You don't really have to be a football fan to follow along with the plot. It's more about the behind-the-scenes business of football than the game itself.

Hollywood's Mr. Baseball, aka Kevin Costner, walks off the diamond and onto the gridiron (or, more accurately, into pro football's corporate offices) in "Draft Day," Ivan Reitman's entertaining tribute to the wheeling-and-dealing that goes on behind the scenes at the NFL draft.

Costner plays the fictional Sonny Wheeler, Jr., son of the equally fictitious Sonny Wheeler, Sr., who has recently died and in whose shadow Sonny perpetually toils. You see, Wheeler, Sr. was a legend at the Cleveland Browns franchise, and, in his two years as general manager for the team, his son seems to be having a little trouble living up to the old man's reputation. To further complicate Sonny's life, his "down low" girlfriend, Ali (Jennifer Garner), who works as the lawyer responsible for making sure the team doesn't bust through the salary cap, has just announced that she is pregnant with the commitment-phobic Sonny's child. Amid all this personal turmoil, Sonny launches into full negotiator mode, making deals and forming alliances with other general managers in the league while working to assuage the concerns of the team's owner (Frank Langella), its coach (Dennis Leary), an assortment of high strung and disgruntled players (Tom Welling, Chadwick Boseman, Arian Foster) and even his own mother (Ellen Burstyn) who has views of her own that need to be taken into consideration before he can arrive at his final decision.

Although it probably helps to have some familiarity with how the draft pick works in order to fully appreciate some of the finer points of the narrative, writers Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman do a good job clarifying the big picture even for the less sports-oriented members of the audience. The movie proceeds at a breakneck pace as the clock ticks down to the moment of truth for Sonny. Will he accept the Seattle Seahawks' offer of the #1 draft pick, Bo Callahan (Josh Pence), in exchange for the Browns' #1 first-round draft picks for the next three years, or will he reject the offer in favor of some less stellar but still promising players? "Draft Day" is at its best when it's exploring the various and often contradictory interests - of players, coaches and owners, not to mention the millions at stake in salaries and corporate sponsorships - that those in Sonny's position must consider before rendering their final verdicts. Talk about pressure! The filmmakers establish a nice balance between the sports aspects of the tale and the personal moments between Sonny and Ali and Sonny and his mom, never allowing the latter to detract from the former. As a result, we care about the characters without losing our focus on the real reason we've come to this movie.

Reitman has come up with an interesting split-screen technique that helps to weave together a story that takes place over a wide range of geographical locales simultaneously. What might have been a mere gimmick in less capable hands becomes an indispensable narrative device here.

A few weeks back, while writing about "3 Days to Kill," I lamented that Costner desperately needed to find some quality material worthy of his talents to work with, and he seems to have found just that in "Draft Day." Costner has a core of quiet stillness that lends a genuine gravitas to his performances. Because he can appear both confident and insecure in the same moment, he makes us want to root for the character he's playing. He's also blessed with a super supporting cast that includes, in addition to all the aforementioned, Terry Crews, Rosanna Arquette, Sam Elliot, and Sean Combs.

"Draft Day" proves that not all the competitiveness and excitement of professional football takes place on the field.

Sports films typically have a love/hate relationship with viewers - most never finding that honest middle ground that satisfies everyone's wants and desires. On one hand, you have the preposterous comedies that cap seriousness, sacrificing dramatic acting in exchange for a series of cheap laughs and feel-good moments, like Rookie of the Year, The Waterboy, and Caddyshack. Then, there's the beloved and devote dramas that live on in film infamy, which includes but is not limited to Rocky, The Natural, and Raging Bull. Finally, you have Kevin Costner's greatest hits, like Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and For the Love of the Game. And, even though Kevin Costner has left the baseball diamond and thrown his last fastball, he clearly has found a memorable position as the GM of an NFL franchise in Draft Day.

The only real complaint about this film is that it doesn't incorporate actual NFL players - at least not in the manner that Moneyball involved them. Players like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are still stars in the Draft Day universe, however, the Cleveland Browns are a team compiled of fictional players - which probably isn't the worst thing since the Browns severely lack star-power now that the former face of their franchise, Trent Richardson, is no longer on the team. However, this is a miniscule problem in the long run, and the plot progression of the fictional players is allotted the proper time to plant their seeds of worth.

Overall, Draft Day takes full advantage of telling an engaging behind-the-scenes tale using the world's most popular league as a vehicle. From the film's trailers, the film might appear to be one giant commercial for the NFL, but thankfully it turns out to be a well-scripted, charming experience. Draft Day is a fun-loving popcorn flick through and through, but it's also exactly the kind of perfectly balanced story that draws people to the movies, incorporating just enough drama, subtly placing humor in stressful situations, and fulfilling its promise to reveal a compelling mystery that will keep everyone on their toes. For anyone that loves football or is interested in the power-play politics that that place behind the proverbial curtain, you'll have an absolute amazing time watching this feature.

Yes the draft math and fantasy trade scenarios are totally unrealistic, but that's what makes it so fun. It's a well made movie, with brisk pacing and scenes that will make you smile. It's a good time.