Ready for some football?

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 1999)

Being a long-time resident of south Florida, I found the story of this most excellent movie familiar. Stone surely must have based the QB (Randy Quaid in one of his best roles ever)on the aging Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins. Whatever his inspiration, Mr. Stone has done a wonderful job (again). This exposé of Football, as it were, is craftily and beautifully executed.
You feel what it must feel like to be on the field on any given Sunday: the utter confusion, the terror of knowing that three 250 pound line-men are rushing at top speed to take you down, the need to concentrate beyond your overpowering fatigue, the constant ebb and flow of confidence as you line-up against your opponents. All of these components of the gridiron has been captured in a captivating manner by the great Stone, who, as usual in his movies, has a small part. There isn't a single actor I can fault. Nigh perfect casting followed nigh perfect performances.
The potential for a confusion is neatly and simply averted; the flow of the movie, in spite of Stone's signature cutaways, is logical so you don't feel overwhelmed by the action. The behind-the-scenes look at Football management is not only enlightening but thought-provoking. Al Pacino is excellent and so is Cameron Diaz. Their scenes together are fraught with tension. Lawrence Taylor, Jim Brown and some of Football's greatest players and coaches lend even more credence to the "Footballity" of this movie. You also get to see how this game affects the families and friends of the players, for good or usually, for bad.
I love this movie and think it is the best Football movie of the century.