Draft Day (2014)
Directed by Ivan Reitman
At the NFL Draft, general manager Sonny Weaver has the opportunity to rebuild his team when he trades for the number one pick. He must decide what he's willing to sacrifice on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with NFL dreams.
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What critics compared Draft Day to
The film, with a first credited feature script by Scott Rothman & Rajiv Joseph, plays a lot like "Moneyball" for football had that film tossed all the statistical machinations for old school gut.
Much like "Moneyball" did for baseball, "Draft Day" exposes the harsh realities and competitiveness of another major league sport.
Unfortunately, the chess references are the most subtle and smartest parts of "Draft Day," a wildly miscast, flaccidly directed, disappointingly dumbed-down drama that reminds us of the phenomenal greatness of Bennett Miller's 2011 release "Moneyball."
Director Ivan Reitman (2011's " No Strings Attached ") and writers Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph aren't always entirely eloquent in their approach to the material, but they are knowledgeable, crafting a behind-the-scenes look at the strategic politics of professional sports that could work as an apropos companion piece to 2011's " Moneyball ."
While it does mirror those follow-your-heart narratives employed by many sports flicks such as “Moneyball” and “Field of Dreams,” “Draft Day” demonstrates that shrewd business savvy trumps conviction and passion for the game.
With such a situation, there is the potential for a film to tell a suspenseful story of trying to get the best players for a team that’s desperate to get back on their feet, something along the lines of the recent and great sports film “Moneyball,” a film that showed us that the best sports films are about something beyond the game.
Chadwick Boseman (2014's " Draft Day ") is superb as steady-handed protector T'Challa, and he is surrounded by an ensemble that matches him.
It’s understanding of the league and league business is questionable, putting it in same category as Draft Day or Any Given Sunday, both movies that strain credulity in this regard.
On the technical side, John Debney (2014's " Draft Day ") has composed a music score of toe-tapping, drum-beating potency, and cinematographer Bill Pope (2010's " Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ") has crafted images of swirling, eloquent cohesion.
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Air joins the likes of Moneyball and Draft Day among the outliers.