Weak, Run-of-the-Mill, Pandering, Brand-Friendly Fodder

Rating: 3/10 (13 January 2015)

If we assume the money printers behind the NFL saw Moneyball and thought "hey, we should totally do that too," this is almost precisely how I'd picture the end result. Polished and slick, loaded with team insignias and familiar Sunday morning fringe-dwellers, and superficially authentic at best. Behind the glamour is a hollow pantomime, stuffed with eyeball-rolling character moments and bland dialog, completely missing the points that made MLB's effort click. It does manage to get some things right - the frequent nods at league history are interesting, and the production values are dazzlingly first-rate - but it all feels so pre-approved and chest-puffing that I had a hard time buying it as more than just a long-form bit of promo fluffer. Kevin Costner, at his most washed-up and wooden, doesn't do anything to move the bar, and the climax may as well have flashed the words "dynasty" over the Cleveland skyline... subtlety is not its forte.