A dramatic look into the NFL draft from the view of the Cleveland Browns GM

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2020)

Draft Day is a sports movie that allows the viewer to get a "behind the scenes" look into the National Football League and its annual event of drafting college players into the NFL. While this film has elements of drama/ love story genre, it still is a sports film at heart.
We follow the day in the life of the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns Sonny Weaver (Played by Kevin Costner) on the day of the NFL draft. Throughout the film, you get insight into all the decisions, people, and outcomes that Sonny must consider while the future of the Cleveland Browns hangs in the balance. Do you take the risk of the player who has been in trouble while in college? Do you replace the aging but proven quarterback on your team for the hotshot college rookie? Do you go with a defensive player or focus on offense? It is during this roller coaster of a film that we delve into all these questions and more.
And don't worry if you are not a sports fan because there are elements of drama and sexual tension between the General Manager Sonny and his salary guru Ali (Played by Jennifer Garner). Not only that element, but you also have the proven Head Coach Penn (played by Denis Leary) clashing with the GM Sonny over which players they think is best. It gets so intense at one point that Coach Penn lights Sonny's desk on fire!
You may have seen other sports movies like Hoosiers, Bull Durham, or Field of Dreams, but the drama and storyline in this film have a completely different feel than those films had. One of the most enjoyable ways the director (Ivan Reitman) was able to capture the drama of the back and forth conversations on the phone between teams and players and even parents of players, was a unique fade in and out between the people involved in the discussions. It is a method that I have never seen in a film, and it really helped show the reactions on both ends of the calls.
If you are looking for a movie that has sports, love, and drama with an insider's look at the NFL, then you can check all those boxes with this great question of who would you pick for your team in the NFL draft?