I Hope There Aren't Plans For "Any Given Monday"...

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2003)

"Any Given Sunday" is, perhaps, Oliver Stone's most egotistical movie out there. It's not all bad, but it's not all good, either, and I for one could go a few more times without having to see male nudity many times in a three hour film.
Here is a plot summary taken from IMDb, written by "Anonymous":
When a devastating hit knocks a professional football legend and quarterback, Cap Rooney (Dennis Quaid) out of the game, a young, unknown third-stringer is called in to replace him. Having ridden the bench for years because of a string of bad luck stories and perhaps insufficient character, Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) seizes what may be his last chance, and lights up the field with a raw display of athletic prowess. His stunning performance over several games is so outstanding and fresh it seems to augur a new era in the history of this Miami franchise, and forces aging coach Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) to reevaluate his time-tested values and strategies and begin to confront the fact that the game, as well as post-modern life may be passing him by. Adding to the pressure on D'Amato to win at any cost is the aggressive young President/Co-owner of the team, Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), now coming into her own after her father's death. Christina's driving desire to prove herself in a male dominated world is intensified by her focus on the marketing and business of football, in which all coaches and players are merely properties.
"Any Given Sunday" has one main flaw: it is overblown to an extreme. This is the high point of Oliver Stone's Ego, and I, for one, would be glad it if would just go away.
Al Pacino gives a good performance, but not one of his most fondly remembered.
Dennis Quaid, whom I have long enjoyed on screen, is not in this film as much as I'd hoped, and when he is, he just seems to be doing his minimum.
Cameron Diaz is beautiful as always, and there's nothing really wrong with her acting here; but like Pacino, she's better remembered for other films.
In the end, "Any Given Sunday" is powered by some excellent actors and actresses, but turns into an average football film worth seeing once.

2.5/5 stars -
John Ulmer