Decent football film if you do not expect much

Rating: 5/10 (22 November 2014)

Starring- Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, Chadwick Boseman, Ellen Burstyn, Frank Langella, and Terry Crews
Draft Day 5/10- I am going to take a guess and say that there are at least fifteen boring cliché sports movie that have come out in the past three years. I was almost sure that Draft Day would be a prime example for those. Fortunately, I was wrong. Draft Day may not be as good as Field of Dreams, but it delivers on a well-thought out plot given a decent amount of laughs the whole way through. Also, it has Kevin Costner at the helm delivering his best performance in five years.
Let's clear up a few things first. The trailer makes it seem like that the director is an idiot because it says the Dallas Cowboys are winners. This film is set more like a couple years in the future where all of these things like the browns playing well and the cowboys actually winning are possibly (though it is extremely unlikely as long as Jerry Jones is there.)
I would like to begin by saying that if you are not a sports fan, particularly football, Draft Day may not be for you. It does not really explain all of the workings of football that someone who does not a whole lot about football would need to know in order to enjoy the film. It also still has some of those cheesy sports scenes that we have seen a hundred times before, but even great sports films have these flaws as well.
For those of you that do know a little bit about football, this movie is perfect for you. This film shows us all the work that goes into putting those all-star athletes on the gridiron. I have been a die-hard football fan my whole life and even I was surprised at all the inner- workings that happen before opening kickoff. The last-minute trading, the very well thought picks for different players, all of the pressure the general manager and his staff are under, etc... All of this was very entertaining and eye-opening at the same time. Honestly, the best part about Draft Day was the fact that we have not really got a refreshingly original football movie in a long time and Draft Day gave that to us.
The thing that was the best part of the film for me was the directing. I really believe that he knows all of the ins and outs about football because i do not see how a movie like this could have been done without that knowledge. I would not be surprised if the director has been a football fan his entire life. The screenplay is also very well written and if you decide to see Draft Day, you will probably think there are a few holes in the script but they are addressed and actually give you an ending you do not see coming. Kevin Costner is the perfect guy for this film. He has this kind of role mastered at this point. I feel like he will be making a come back from that stream of awful movies he has done lately. Jennifer Garner does pretty well, but the role did not really demand much from her or the rest of the cast for that matter. I would like to shine a spotlight on Chadwick Boseman for getting in tremendous shape for this film. I easily believed he was an all-star defensive end about to be going in to the NFL. The whole cast does a good job a giving solid sports humor throughout the entire film.
If you are not a football fan, this is not for you. But, if you are one you are going to love Draft Day guaranteed.
For more of my reviews, go to my website at reviewsbywest.com