Went On Way Too Long But Otherwise Very Good

Rating: 6/10 (27 August 2019)

Though very clever in its delivery, "Any Given Sunday" was overly dependent in its production team. While the movie itself is quite observant in terms of showcasing the dramatic moments quite effectively, there are moments where the action moments have an MTV like atmosphere going for it which can be distracting. Ay least the underlying story is implemented into the plot.
With the emphasis of football, the casual viewers will know what to expect coming into seeing this movie. We learn the unpredictable futures that worry veteran quarterbacks, and how injuries have an impact on players who are more willing to take risks of their own being just to get back into the game. Or how an inexperienced rookie who has a moment in the public eye gets in their heads and turns them into jerks. Even going so far as to give us the impression that ESPN newscasters are just self-promoters, and that owner's wives are inebriates and that precocious daughters know more about football than their fathers and that coaches become spiritual gurus when the games are not in their favour. And that the closing moments of important games end with some last minute exciting play.
These features offer nothing new to the sports movies of all, but director Oliver Stone and the performers give character to each scenario and the dialogue has an effect to the story. Al Pacino shines as the cranky smoky voiced crank Tony D'Amato who is dedicated in coaching the Miami Sharks from being a zero to becoming state champions as he's joined by top notch performers. We know that all the pivotal scenes are unoriginal and the cliches are spread everywhere.
Jamie Foxx joins the fray as rookie quarterback Willie Beamen who has the opportunity to shine as his superior quarterbacks have been carried out due to injury. With his lack of experience he gets so overwhelmed he starts vomiting on the field, but then eventually becomes an overnight sensation. Foxx goes through all the changes in his character professionally from unsure rookie, to cocky celebrity, to becoming demanding all in one swipe.
The original owner of the team was a legend of the game who hired D'Amato as a game of chance, but then the owner dies and passes the legacy to his daughter Christina Pagniacchi (Cameron Diaz) while her mother Margaret (Ann-Margaret) is never shy of consuming martinis. Sure this movie will attract the male audience, we know the women will not feel at place in this world. And though Margaret knows it, Christina feels she knows better about football than the coaches and players. Christina thinks by moving this franchise under her lead will bring money to her pockets, her mother never felt inspired by the game and has steered clear.
Dennis Quaid is effective as the star quarterback Jack "Cap Rooney who's fatal injury has led him in a world of great uncertainty. At one point he contemplates retiring only to get aggressively persuaded by his wife Cindy (Lauren Holly). The sad part about "Any Given Sunday" is that even though it clocks at 2 hours and 45 minutes long, there's very little room for its enormous cast. James Woods and Matthew Modine have good support as team physicians with contrasting view about players who have career threatening positions and Lawrence Taylor shows strong acting as a veteran player who won't step down unless he gets his bonus. And then there is plethora of familiar faces like Charlton Heston, LL Cool J, Bill Bellamy and Johnny Unitas as a rival coach.
The lacking elements to this movie is due to the smoke and mirrors approach the story has to offer. There's no telling of what the team does to prepare their ways of winning or understood by those who aren't familiar with the rules of the game. Stone depends mainly on closeups of their vibrant uniforms and the rough action sequences and the in-your-face sound effects. It's all done without reason or to get invested into the characters.
There's a lot of music in the movie which promotes an unconvincing video that Foxx is in. It was like Stone was desperate for attention so he decided to crank up the tunes to succeed. There was a lot of ground to be covered but it was all stretched out while throwing in random unknown players tackling every player they see fit and adding music as a distraction to make casual viewers to ease their minds and not worrying if get dazed and confused.
Though not a completely bad movie, it's still recommended and the dramatic scenes were worth your time. Pacino shows great acting talent and his pep talks are quite inspirational especially with Quaid and Foxx. The script was both warm and witty by Oliver Stone and John Logan. Though I never complain too much of the length of the movies I watch I think if they cut the film to two hours maximum it would have been better.