Good Movie That's MORE than Football

Rating: 8/10 (21 April 2014)

I like sports, but I really love the athletes(or anyone who makes a living in "human performance")and coaches and managers. What separates the good from the great? Where does fierce competitiveness come from that turns a mildly talented athlete into a superstar? And coaches and managers--without STRATEGY, even the most talented athletes can't win, whether it's one-on-one in a boxing ring or an entire team on a playing field (and on the bench). I'm one of those people that DOES like the "up close and personal" bits during the Olympics. I like to read articles in SI about high schoolers and college kids and follow them in later years.
Kevin Costner is superb in this role, but like some other reviewers, I could have done with a little less soap opera. I really didn't know that much about the NFL draft, but this was almost a nail biter. the director and actors make you feel the tension, the anguish, the joy, and at the end, most of all the HOPE. This doesn't wrap up nicely with the Browns going to the Super Bowl--after all, it's not about the game, it's about the DAY.
It would be nice to think that there are more GM's out there like Cistner's character, Sonny Weaver. I have know many, but I have known many more of the other ilk, as we probably all have. And Sonny's no angel--he has his strengths and weaknesses, just like the athletes he is considering and everyone else around him.
The photography of the stadiums is stunning and the editing keeps you engaged throughout. Don't think TOO hard about this being a football movie and enjoy it for what it is, a day, a REALLY IMPORTANT DAY, but just a day nonetheless in the lives of those connected somehow, in many different ways, to the NFL Draft.