Intelligent sports movie...on the whole (*** out of ****)

Rating: Null/10 (1 January 2000)

Yeah yeah, we know how traditional sports movies end. Situations are set up, conflict arises, but none of it really matters because we know that the "good guys" will always win the big game at the last second. However, although Any Given Sunday becomes fairly predictable toward the end, there's a unique world-weary tone that I've never seen in any other sports movie....ever. Throughout the first two-thirds of ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, the tone is very downbeat, presenting an expose about the ways that greed and selfishness have wrecked professional football. There are players who are eager to get on the field only because multi-million dollar bonuses are tied to their salaries. There's a quarterback who changes plays in the huddle to make himself look better, and of course, there are conflicts abound between the coach and the owner, realting to business reasons. It seems that football has been ruined ever since TV got involved, judging from ESPN's support of turning a timid player into a jerk, all because of stardom.

OF course, none of these elements are particularly startling all by themselves, but they're delivered well thanks to powerful acting all around. Al Pacino is simply doing what he does best: turning up the heat and intensity in front of the camera. Cameron Diaz has a strange role this time around, offering her the chance to really turn nasty at times. Jamie Foxx is superb as Willie Beamen, the third-string quarterback who lets stardom go to his head, and it is a tough role despite how simple it sounds.
Despite the terrific one-on-ones with various actors shining brightly, there is a second "dramatic" element that is, in a word, overblown. It's impossible not to notice that during the game coverage, Oliver Stone embodies the MTV approach. There are quick cuts, slow-motion shots, fades to black-and-white, shots of a pass spiraling in the air, and about a dozen other "tricks." Obviously, some people will eat this up, thinking that more style means better style. Sorry, but I can't agree there. Most of the plays in the game are relatively incomprehensible, and there's rarely a single play that can be understood clearly from beginning to end. Perhaps this is all done to turn up the intensity, but really, although it's eye-pleasing, it's also distracting.
Ultimately, I'm reccomending ANY GIVEN SUNDAY on the strength of its "powerful" dramatic elements, not the "overblown" ones. Although the film runs too long by about 20 to 25 minutes and is overambitious, it's nonetheless a smart sports movie that has wonderful ideas and a freshness of presenting all-too-familiar movie cliches.