Good cast, but too much of a soap opera

Rating: 5/10 (29 November 2007)

The positives in the movie was a good cast. I don't like Cameron Diaz in most roles, but this was her best one by far. She is very good as a woman owner of a football team trying very hard to do it as a woman. In addition, at times the football action was entertaining. It is the "off-field" dramas that mar the film substantially.
First of all, it was a professional football team. In the real world of pro football, the quarterback doesn't puke on the field. There are fans watching the game. James Wood's role was largely comical and irrelevant. Since pro football is a multi-billion dollar business, "amoral" doctors are not going to be hired or tolerated. It was also almost playoffs. As bad as the sport's world seems, players don't party openly, do drugs, and hire prostitutes right before the playoffs. Even the most irresponsible football players are not that dumb, because at that point of the season they wouldn't want the entire team and city hating them. The coach of a football team would be planning plays after the game, not drinking at bars and being propositioned by prostitutes. A coach wouldn't openly scowl, when his quarterback deviates from the play slightly, if it results in a win. Pro football coaches are celebrities, and wouldn't scowl when their team won as a result of a player being independent minded. The coach may after the game in the locker room remind the quarterback that there is a game plan. That was another major wrong with this film. There was only a play called in the last few seconds of the final regular season game. Pro football is all about plays. All the coach did was give pep talks.
So, the film was basically ruined by unrealistic, exaggerated scenarios. Stone should have spent more time studying the real game of football, instead of some Hollywood interpretation. The acting was good, and at times there was an attempt to show that football is a very rough sport. However, I can not really recommend this film, other than being slightly entertaining, and possessing a good cast of actors.