I recently watched the film Draft Day on DVD. It is a fictional sports story based on the National Football League rookie draft. The main character Sonny Weaver Jr. is the Cleveland Browns general manager and can make all roster changes. Many Clevelanders want him fired because of the ‘dry spell’ of championships. He is put in a position to make a “splash.” At the beginning of the movie he owns the seventh pick in the draft but “sells the farm” for the number one pick by trading three consecutive years of first round draft picks. Everyone believes this is a great move because the expected number one overall pick should be Bo Callahan. He is the “perfect quarterback” to everyone. As Sonny looks into him he finds information that he does not like, that he not a likeable teammate, and gets scared after getting sacked by the defense. Sonny is also very intrigued by another player, not as highly regarded, Vontae Mack. Mack is a defensive end with great film and statistics, but his most impressive trait is his character. Sonny does not know who to pick; he has lost most of the trust of his scouts, and head coach because he did not consult any of them. But the fans and owner are excited due to the availability of Bo. Without spoiling too much, the audience learns that Sonny makes the right choice and makes another trade to get another draft pick that excites Cleveland. Also, Sonny has a budding romance with one of his executives and finds out that she is pregnant. Sonny struggles trying to talk to her all throughout the process of going through draft day.

This movie was entertaining but not the greatest sports movie. There were major holes in the plot and writing of the script lacked at certain points. It was exciting at points because one could see the emotional journey future athletes go through; but ultimately we see their dreams come true. Ivan Reitman directed this film but is not known for directing in the sports genre. He is known for comedies and other thrillers. Because of this, one can assume that some of the lacking characteristics can be blamed for Reitman’s lack of sports directing. My expectations of this movie were different from the outcome because of Reitman’s background; I expected more comedy. Yet this film was very serious.

The best aspects of this film was the acting and capturing of the decision making process. The cast was led by Kevin Costner and Jennifer Gardner. These two captured the stresses of the job the audience would expect. Also, they did not overdo any emotion; it was what NFL executives should look like. People make decisions in different ways, but I commend the director of Draft Day for capturing the stress and sometimes impulsive ways we make decisions. It was another perspective on the sports world that a fan does not usually see. We, the fans, should support the executives of our favorite sports team because they really do have the best interests for the team that we love. The script could have been better because there would have been less holes, also a director with a background in sports might capture other aspects besides the decision making process.

As mentioned before, the script could have been stronger. This would have created a better story and we, the audience, would not have been left with a feeling of incompleteness. Another criticism would be that the movie was edited improperly. There was an extensive period of time that the movie would go on without a purpose or direction; then in the last fifteen minutes of the movie, everything became exciting. Again, this might be related to the script.

I would recommend this movie to all football lovers. There has to be a certain appreciation to the game for one to like this movie. There is a romance aspect to this movie but it is poorly done. The audience does not know the backstory and the dramatic nature of a fictional love story is just poorly developed in this film. There is another romantic aspect to this film and that is the love for the game and seeing player’s dreams come true. That aspect alone makes this movie watchable to football lovers of all ages. This film did not win any awards and should not have because of a poor script. But if a football lover is looking for some entertainment on the weekend during the football offseason this is the movie to rent.