Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) is the general manager of the Cleveland Browns NFL team.
Disliked by coach Penn (Dennis Leary) and on the radar of team owner Tony Molina (Frank Langella) for a possible dismissal, Weaver has his hands full trying to build up a winning team.
With his girlfriend and assistant Ali (Jennifer Garner) pregnant and the NFL draft breathing down his neck, can Sonny build the team he wants while pleasing everyone at the same time?
We say, “It’s an interesting and accurate film about the inner workings of pro football.”
TAYLOR: We should point out that the accuracy of the film, which is a work of fiction, was provided and accounted for by the NFL.
Peter and I don’t know much about football. It wasn’t until this year that I actually sat down and watched a game, the Superbowl. I’m more of a hockey and baseball guy. Peter likes “real” football. However, Draft Day is an interesting and entertaining film, despite having Kevin Costner in it.
HOWE: Hey don’t knock Mr. Costner. He’s made some classics: Waterworld, The Bodyguard, The Postman, the list is endless. But seriously, he is a decent actor and he proves it yet again in Draft Day.
I have no interest in football (I don’t know why it’s called that, they only kick it about three times in a game.) I was looking forward to this. I had no idea how a draft pick was done and was interested to learn how it works.
TAYLOR: Drafts are similar in other sports as well, but Draft Day provides an unprecedented glimpse behind the scenes of the office staff of these teams. The NFL provided advice and access to the producers and I think this helped with the authenticity.
As a bonus, football fans should be able to recognize a cavalcade of pro players, whom I didn’t.
HOWE: I liked that it started 12 hours before the draft was open, so as an added bonus you don’t get to watch any games. It concentrates more on the wheeling and dealings between the players, their agents and the teams themselves. Yes they could have cut some of the story-lines out of it, but then you would have had the movie end around the 60 minute mark. But leaving the side stories in gave a better understanding to Costner’s character and the stress that GMs are under.
– Howe gives Draft Day 3.5 laptops out
–Taylor gives it 3.5 gigantic rings out of 5.
The film is currently playing at the Galaxy Cinemas in Vernon.
– Brian Taylor and Peter Howe are film reviewers based in Vernon, B.C. Their column, Reel Reviews, appears in the Morning Star Friday and Sunday.
