For NFL Fans

Rating: 7/10 (3 September 2012)

Get ready for some football. You probably need to be a fan of the NFL; full disclosure here, I am a Green Bay fanatic for 45 years, so I am the perfect audience for Any Given Sunday. Others may not be as satisfied with the story. Al Pacino is a jaded coach with thirty years experience, now leading the Miami Sharks, a team on the decline. His starting quarterback gets injured, and the back up is an arrogant guy who plays by his own rules. Willie Beamen(an excellent Jamie Foxx) is the strutting QB, and although he struggles learning the system at first, he develops into a star. He gets commercial endorsements and a music video. He becomes a complete prima donna, and draws resentment from the rest of the team. Despite the friction, he leads them to the playoffs. With the starting QB ready to return, the coach must decide who to start in the next round of the playoffs. Some real players are used, including Terrell Owens and Lawrence Taylor, which make it look very authentic. The football scenes are well done and the sub plots good. The cast is without a weakness, and the only drawback is the length, which at over 2 1/2 hours is a bit much. Oliver Stone has a tendency to leave in too much. I'll compromise at a 7.5/10.