Rated PG-13, 105 minutes
Charming, predictable “Draft Day” sticks with familiar
choices
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| Kevin Costner |
You know
that the affable new sports comedy “Draft Day” is a work of fiction when a
statement is made about the Dallas Cowboys winning games. Timed for release with the real NFL Draft Day, the movie “Draft Day” welcomes
Kevin Costner back to the world of sports again after the classic hits “Field
of Dreams” and “Bull Durham," this time with NFL football. Though this isn’t as good as those films, the
familiar “Draft Day” is charming and predictable enough to win you over by the
end of the film. Sonny Weaver Jr.
(Costner) General Manager of the Cleveland Browns must fight to land the number
1 draft pick after a thirteen-year unlucky streak. Can Weaver turn that around,
or will he just drive the team into a deeper hole? The enjoyable, heartwarming “Draft
Day” pulls no surprises but should please those looking for a springtime
popcorn flick and audience hit. Directed by Ivan Reitman of “Ghostbusters” fame,
“Draft Day” is infused with enough fun moments to keep afloat in spite of a
predictable script and a few minor annoyances , including heavy use of split
screen for telephone calls and a Costner-Jennifer Garner romance that
lacks chemistry and believability. Much
like the similiarily-sports themed “Moneyball,” “Draft
Day” is best when focused on the
wheeling and dealing in the world of pro football, peppered with some
memorable
characters such as the fast-talking head coach played by Dennis Leary,
the passionate
football player from “42’s” Chadwick Boseman or Oscar-winner Ellen
Burstyn’s
opinionated no-nonsense mother rounding out the large but likable cast,
some of whom are
underused. The script never fully explores the Garner-Costner
relationship or
even the relationship between Sonny and his dad (ala Costner’s own
“Field of
Dreams”), and on that note the overly familiar “Draft Day” shortchanges
its audience a bit, but if you enjoy pro football and seeing Costner in
another sports
comedy, then the pleasant, entertaining film will suit you just fine, football
fan or not.
Wes’s Grade: B-
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