Review: Draft Day

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

“Draft Day” is a film that helps provide a little bit of insight into how a front office works on the first night of the National Football League’s draft. It’s a film football fans should be able to embrace. But for those who don’t care for the sport one way or another, it’s still going to be something you can like. It’s a simple premise – only taking place over the course of one day – and works very well thanks to a very concise story told very well.

Sonny Weaver, Jr. (Kevin Costner) is going to have a heck of a day. It’s the day of the NFL draft and it’s his second year as the general manager of the Cleveland Brown. The team’s owner Anthony Molina (Frank Langella) really wants him to make a splash. Sonny figures this means trading away his first round draft picks for the next three years to Seattle in exchange for this year’s number one pick. The top pick in the draft is thought to be Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from the University of Wisconsin Bo Callahan (Josh Pence), a once in a lifetime type of quarterback. This, of course, doesn’t sit well with Cleveland’s new head coach, Coach Penn (Denis Leary) who had his heart set on a top running back from Florida State Ray Jennings (Arian Foster – yes, that Arian Foster).

While most of us are probably very familiar with the whole NFL Draft process thanks to ESPN’s unflinching coverage of the event each year, the behind the scenes action is probably a little less known. I’m sure it’s unfamiliar territory for screenwriters Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph as well. A lot of work goes into designing the perfect draft board for all 32 NFL teams every year. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that each team has a small group of people already ranking the prospects for next year’s draft before this year’s draft even starts. “Draft Day” makes it look like Weaver is the only person in charge of all the decision making processes. But then again, it’s a movie. We’re always asked to suspend our disbelief to an extent.

This is all done for dramatic purposes and I understand that. This is a film where your expectations will determine how much you like it. If you’re looking for a film that’s going to give you a detailed overview of all the inner workings of NFL franchise’s draft day procedures, “Draft Day” isn’t it. However, “Draft Day” is still a very enjoyable movie. It takes the best dramatic moments of what probably happens in a draft room, and blends them into what ultimately amounts to very solid story.

Not only is Sonny the GM, but we’re also are treated to see much of his personal life as well. There’s his private relationship with the Browns’ salary cap manager Ali (Jennifer Garner). He’s also just lost his father Sonny Weaver, Sr. who is a Cleveland legend, coaching the Browns for years. Living in a father’s shadow isn’t easy, especially when the father is beloved by an entire city. The ongoing feud between Penn and Weaver occupies a good chunk of the story. Leary plays the roll well, one that I imagine is very consistent with many NFL head coaches and general managers. The only thing not believable about Penn is that he used to coach the Cowboys where, according to Penn, “they win.” He flaunts his Super Bowl ring every chance he gets. Except for the Cowboys have been the definition of mediocrity for the better part of a decade now, but I digress. There’s Weaver’s mother (Ellen Burstyn) who’s there to help add to the stress of Sonny’s day. She succeeds, part because of the character, but mostly because it’s Burstyn in the role.

There are too few scenes involving Costner and one of the potential draft picks, Ohio State linebacker Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman). The few we are treated too are some of the best scenes in the film. Boseman is a budding star and we should all be on the lookout for him to take Hollywood by storm. Many will remember his fiery performance as Jackie Robinson in last year’s “42” and we have his role as funk legend James Brown to look forward to this summer in “Get on Up.”  For a supporting role, his character is really well developed even in so few scenes. All the draft prospects are, for that matter. Once again showcasing the great writing by Rothman and Joseph.

However, there are many clichéd filled moments that clutter the script, particularly in characterization.  Weaver’s intern (Griffin Newman) is a walking cliché placed here only for the purposes of breaking up the dramatic moments with some humor. But there’s already enough genuine humor written into the script. Credit that to director Ivan Reitman (“Ghostbusters”) for being able to bring out the humor in the script and delicately balancing it against all the dramatic moments. This is one of his best films in years but let’s be honest, he hasn’t exactly been turning in gems for close to 20 years.

Still, “Draft Day” is surprisingly well done for a film that could have easily have fallen flat on its face. Most of this is thanks to the very well developed screenplay from Rothman and Joseph. For first time film writers, they really nailed it. There’s enough football in this film for football fans to like it, but there’s also a lot of personal drama and conflict for the non-fans. There’s nothing else really to it than that. Sometimes the simplest stories can have a lot of complex elements to it and be enormously satisfying in the end. 

Review: 42

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

Everyone should be familiar with the legend known as Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player to play on a Major League team. Such a legend, in fact, that all of baseball has retired his number. With the exception of New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, no one in the game of baseball will ever wear 42 ever again. Each Major League ballpark has number 42 hanging up along side the individual club’s own retired numbers. You’ll also see the number 42 on a baseball field is April 15, the anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s big league debut. In the Majors, that’s called Jackie Robinson Day, and every player in the ballpark that day will wear number 42. You can’t be more of a sports hero than that.

In the 1940s, professional baseball was segregated just like everything else in America. Black ball players played in the Negro League. This was where Jackie Robinson built his reputation.

“42” follows Robinson’s (Chadwick Boseman) career from the time Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) plucks him from the Negro League through his first season with the Dodgers in 1947. Rickey decides baseball is ready for a black man to join the league that has been exclusive to white ball players. He chooses Jackie Robinson not only because of his record, but because he believes Robinson has the guts to do this.

The film is essentially broken up into two acts. Biopics rarely seem to follow a three-act story structure, but it works well here. The first act is dedicated to Jackie’s times with the Montreal Royals, the International League affiliate of the Dodgers. He spent the 1946 season here preparing for his major league debut that would follow next season. It’s during this half we get to know his wife Rachel (Nicole Beharie) and sports writer Wendell Smith (Andre Holland). The film tries to show a true friendship form between Smith and Robinson, but ultimately fails to materialize as Smith’s role in the second act is relegated to almost obscurity.

The second act chronicles Jackie’s first year with the Dodgers in 1947. He seems to have a good working relationship with manager Leo Durocher (Christopher Meloni), who unfortunately doesn’t hang around for too long. The other players on the team are very apprehensive of Jackie’s presence in the locker, including future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black). People from other ball clubs don’t seem to like Jackie being there, none worse than Phillies manager Ben Chapman (Alan Tadyk) who serves as one of the most vocal detractors. Tadyk’s role must have been tough, given that the majority of the film’s verbal abuse falls on his shoulders.

Overall, “42” follows a pretty standard biopic formula. Most people should already know how things unfold. Biopics generally want to chronicle a story or moment in history that is uplifting rather than disheartening.  Everyone should have some idea of what to expect.

Oscar winning writer/director Brian Helgeland (LA Confidential) doesn’t stray far from the successful formula that has worked on so many other movies in Hollywood’s history. The added humor throughout is very well placed and well timed. He seems to have enjoyed writing and directing the material during Jackie’s big league career more than the minor league scenes. The first act crawls along, and performances across the board are flat. Once we get to Brooklyn, the pace quickens and everything becomes much more interesting.

I haven’t seen Chadwick Boseman in anything else before this. This is an impossible role to play. Boseman does the best he can at bringing the legend to life. He only has a handful of scenes where he sells the stress and magnitude of what Jackie is actually doing. For a breakthrough performance, Boseman sure picked a tough one.

But its Harrison Ford who owns this movie. Whenever he is in a scene, everyone else seems to struggle trying to keep up with him. Its refreshing to see a role like this from someone as seasoned as him. Ford could play in any film he wants, and he choses to play a role with such depth, where his emotions lay only in his eyes, and in the cadence of his speech. This performance is nothing short of sensational. It’s a shame that Ford has never generated any kind of awards buzz in the past, especially for a man who has originated no less than two of cinema’s most iconic rolls. If ever there was a time for his peers to take notice, this is it.

Despite a long first hour and generic story formula,“42” does help us to recall a time in history that becomes more and more unbelievable the further we get away from it. Jackie Robinson’s presence on the baseball diamond changed the game forever. You don’t have to be a fan of baseball in order to appreciate what Jackie meant to the game. He equally meant it to the world.