Not a Typical Sports Movie

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2000)

I was surprised to learn that Oliver Stone was doing a sports movie. Normally I would have skipped such a movie. Sports movies tend to be predictable and adhere to the same formula. I decided to give this film a try because of the names involved in the project- Stone, Pacino, Cameron Diaz, and James Woods in particular. I'm happy that I went! It was an entertaining film on many levels, but also with some mild muckraking by Stone approaching sensitive topics such as race relations and the dehumanisation of the sport in the name of the all mighty dollar.
There were several subplots-- all interesting. There was plenty of tension between management, coaches, and the players.
Lawrence Taylor and James Woods posted excellent performances.
Diaz played the abrasive, money hungry management representative very well. She can be sour as well as she can be sweet.
Two complaints about the movie: one song by rapper DMX selected for the soundtrack seemed inappropriate. A hard rap track without the racial slurs would have been more appropriate. Second, the night game played against New York did not resemble any night game that I've ever seen! It was an interesting attempt at imagery, but I would have filmed it differently.
Overall, an excellent movie and highly recommended.