Draft Day (2014), PG-13, ★★★

Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner. 

2014 NFL Draft Day. Each football teams want to obtain the best players to divulge what season every team presents during the exciting football season. The draft seems to predict who will be stars and who will become overrated stars during the season and who will become disappointing players that everyone thought that would be great athletes. You never know what to expect because each new recruit has to have chemistry with the team, coaches, general managers, and its fans. Sometimes, the consensual number one pick is just up for grabs. Every team would want that player, but, unfortunately, one can have him. The pressure is on for a general manager. And, I thought the pressure was on for the studio for them to release this movie what could have potentially been a disaster. But, this movie was not as bad as I thought.

Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) and his salary cap manager and girlfriend Ali (Jennifer Garner) get ready for the day as the upcoming NFL Draft is upon them. Sonny receives a phone call from a draft prospect, Vonte Mack (Chadwick Bowman) to remind him to draft him at #7, otherwise he will tumble. He gets multiple calls and it gets stressful.

Weaver Jr. goes to the "War Room" at the Cleveland Browns Headquarters with a few draft experts, including Coach Penn (Denis Leary), and he tells them to all throw away all that they were scouting on Mack. He tells them that he has #1 pick and they are all going after the quarterback in the draft, Bo Callahan (Josh Pence). He gave up the #1 pick and the experts think that he is insane. The pressure gets to Sonny as he yells at Ali's new intern. She tries to calm him down. This whole situation of dealing and trading draft packs gets heated and intense as the Browns owner Anthony Molina (Frank Langella) is furious when Weaver sends his own choice of the first overall pick without anybody knowing about his demise.

Denis Leary in a meeting.

I like this movie more than I thought, however, it is not as informative and dramatic as Moneyball. What I liked about it's sort of like a sports edition of Dr. Strangelove with the Browns' War Room and most draft experts arguing what are the best players to recruit for the season. Every football team wants the right players to show their own town the team's panache and style.

However, the movie is not entirely about football. It is a day in the life in the Browns' office. The movie interweaves between Weaver's professional and personal life. But, his personal life interferes with the flow and entertaining elements of the movie and that bothered me because the elements are too conventional and predictable.

Kevin Costner controls the movie with such presence. At times, I almost felt like this was a throwback to his earlier sports movies such as Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and Tin Cup. Jennifer Garner is fine as the salary caps manager, but I felt like the "girlfriend" background is not necessary. Even, Ellen Burstyn's role did not seem as necessary. Frank Langella and Denis Leary are quite good in their own roles voicing their own reasons and intensity as to why things are going as they are within the confines of the room regarding the draft.

The movie gets a tad distracting when Ivan Reitman, the director, put some camera work with a side swipe with them showing one person talking on the phone while the other person is talking on the phone simultaneously. Again, Weaver's personal life was not interesting nor necessary. However, for sports buffs, this movie will generate some interest as to how sports agents and draft experts assemble their own research as to who is the best player to join on the team. It is no Moneyball, but it is an entertaining drama.

***