Film Review: ‘Draft Day’ is Daft, Except as an NFL Infomercial

Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 11, 2014 - 4:41pm

CHICAGO – Kevin Costner has defined a career in sports themed movies. From the Iowa farmer building a baseball diamond in “Field of Dreams,” to “Bull Durham,” to “For the Love of the Game,” he exemplified game day heroics. Yet being an NFL executive in “Draft Day” isn’t quite as exciting.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

The problem with this film’s story is like the problem with the NFL – they’ve gotten so rich and powerful they lose perspective on “it’s just a game.” By creating a domestic drama centered around an over zealous day of drafting college players, they’ve gone as far away from the tradition of tough guys like Vince Lombardi as a 90 yard field goal attempt. It’s no good! NOTE: I have a slavish devotion to the sport as entertainment – Go Bears! – I just didn’t like the film.

Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) is the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, responsible for his team’s picks on the NFL’s draft day, which has gone from a modest gathering of executives to a televised spectacle. In the midst of wheeling and dealing, he has a can’t miss pick for a stud college quarterback, but his instincts are telling him to go toward a defensive linebacker named Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman).

In the meantime, Sonny’s newly hired head coach, Vince Penn (Denis Leary), is on his hide to create a decent team, and the owner of the Browns – Frank Langella as Harvey Molina – is threatening to fire Sonny if he doesn’t make the right pick. To make matters worse, his younger girlfriend and team accountant Ali (Jennifer Garner) has some home front news. Oh, and his mother Barb (Ellen Burstyn) is about to spread his father’s ashes on the team practice field.

“Draft Day” opens everywhere on April 11th.. Featuring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, Chadwick Boseman, Frank Langella and Ellen Burstyn. Directed by Ivan Reitman. Rated “PG-13”