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Movie review from the couch - Draft Day
Oct. 22nd, 2014 05:25 pmFootball is more and more America's obsession, and Draft Day intends to capitalize that.
It's the fictional story of a front office club president and the pressures of draft day excitement.
It's a large credit to Kevin Costner and Ivan Reitman that they do a decent job pulling this off.
But is there enough people who "get" the draft. It seems like a niche film. Certainly, ten years, I know people weren't interested in the draft, but in 2014, America obsesses over football, and every minute detail. I don't think this is too obscure.
Also, I guess I probably should bring up "Moneyball" as it seems all reviews on IMDB do. That said, I never thought of the comparison. The reason- Moneyball is a fascinating true story. Sure, people loved the film because of Pitt, Hill, et al; but I like to think it was successful because it's based on a real story, which is an interesting one. "Draft Day" is fabrication.
In fact, movie reviewers at the time of the movie's release were sure to point out that the actual 2014 Cleveland Browns draft (a fact that Reitman and co. would have no way of knowing) was more interesting in plot than this film.
Being fictional creates a challenge, in that we have to learn characters quickly. I am not sure how well they succeeded. I could keep track, but I don't know if others could. Certainly, one way it could have been handled was as an ensemble piece, and maybe that would have been the right decision. Flawed as it might be "Any given Sunday" gave you fuller fleshed out characters and though it was clearly Oliver Stoned, might have been a direction that would have helped this movie.
The thing with this movie is you have to create fictional players, and you have to give them dimension to give the film meaning.
That said, Costner generally succeeds as a likeable character who you root for. Which is tough. The decision Costner makes at the beginning of the movie (which is necessary for the plot to take place) seems a bit far-fetched and for lack of a better description (bone headed).
Similarly, everything non football related in the film is well, crap. There's a love interest with Jennifer Garner which is totally unnecessary and doesn't really succeed in anything else but making Costner like a d---. And a little bit creepy. There's family drama, though it's highly improbable that a family steeped in decades of football tradition would have it play out on Draft Day.
All that said, I am sincere that saying they generally succeed in their work. It moves at a good pace, and though you know what will inevitably happen, it twists and turns enough to keep interest.
The real secret of course, is the draft isn't the end all- be all. The Seahawks (portrayed in this movie as a team in desperate need) were Super Bowl winners last year, and in no small part to what was considered at the time, a terrible draft. Dan Marino was someone who dropped on draft day due to an image he had, and everyone reading this regardless of how much they like football, knows who he is.
The verdict is that most football fans will find enough to enjoy, and even those who aren't as in tune with the game will likely enjoy the ride. If you are expecting "Moneyball", this isn't it.
It's the fictional story of a front office club president and the pressures of draft day excitement.
It's a large credit to Kevin Costner and Ivan Reitman that they do a decent job pulling this off.
But is there enough people who "get" the draft. It seems like a niche film. Certainly, ten years, I know people weren't interested in the draft, but in 2014, America obsesses over football, and every minute detail. I don't think this is too obscure.
Also, I guess I probably should bring up "Moneyball" as it seems all reviews on IMDB do. That said, I never thought of the comparison. The reason- Moneyball is a fascinating true story. Sure, people loved the film because of Pitt, Hill, et al; but I like to think it was successful because it's based on a real story, which is an interesting one. "Draft Day" is fabrication.
In fact, movie reviewers at the time of the movie's release were sure to point out that the actual 2014 Cleveland Browns draft (a fact that Reitman and co. would have no way of knowing) was more interesting in plot than this film.
Being fictional creates a challenge, in that we have to learn characters quickly. I am not sure how well they succeeded. I could keep track, but I don't know if others could. Certainly, one way it could have been handled was as an ensemble piece, and maybe that would have been the right decision. Flawed as it might be "Any given Sunday" gave you fuller fleshed out characters and though it was clearly Oliver Stoned, might have been a direction that would have helped this movie.
The thing with this movie is you have to create fictional players, and you have to give them dimension to give the film meaning.
That said, Costner generally succeeds as a likeable character who you root for. Which is tough. The decision Costner makes at the beginning of the movie (which is necessary for the plot to take place) seems a bit far-fetched and for lack of a better description (bone headed).
Similarly, everything non football related in the film is well, crap. There's a love interest with Jennifer Garner which is totally unnecessary and doesn't really succeed in anything else but making Costner like a d---. And a little bit creepy. There's family drama, though it's highly improbable that a family steeped in decades of football tradition would have it play out on Draft Day.
All that said, I am sincere that saying they generally succeed in their work. It moves at a good pace, and though you know what will inevitably happen, it twists and turns enough to keep interest.
The real secret of course, is the draft isn't the end all- be all. The Seahawks (portrayed in this movie as a team in desperate need) were Super Bowl winners last year, and in no small part to what was considered at the time, a terrible draft. Dan Marino was someone who dropped on draft day due to an image he had, and everyone reading this regardless of how much they like football, knows who he is.
The verdict is that most football fans will find enough to enjoy, and even those who aren't as in tune with the game will likely enjoy the ride. If you are expecting "Moneyball", this isn't it.
