Review: “Draft Day”: Boom or Bust?
Griffin Conlogue ’15 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Draft Day is neither an amazing film nor a terrible one. It is simply so-so. What seems like a boring, one-dimensional concept – how will NFL Draft Day go for the down-on-his-luck general manager of the struggling Cleveland Browns? – turns out to be a decent drama. The characters are what really matter here.
Though Ivan Reitman’s directing and Rajiv Joseph’s script is a little heavy-handed, the characters are all appealing and entertaining and make audiences care about them. Will Sonny Weaver, Jr. (Kevin Costner) lose his job? Will Brian Drew (Tom Welling) get traded? Can Coach Vince Penn (Emerson alum Denis Leary) make it work with his new team? All of these are things are genuinely engaging when watching the film.
His chemistry with love interest, Ali – played by the lovely Jennifer Garner – is a little lacking, but in a film that is ultimately about the sporting world, it doesn’t really matter. Her presence in the film is unnecessary and may have just been added for the film to pass the Bechdel test. The strongest supporting performance was probably that of rising star Chadwick Boseman, who will be seen later this year in the buzzworthy Get on Up.
Costner shockingly still has two films left to be released in 2014, in what has turned out to be his busiest year as an actor. One of those films is McFarland, another sports drama that he’ll be hoping will hold the magic that made him famous so many years ago in Field of Dreams and Bull Durham. Though Draft Day wasn’t a total failure, it isn’t a film that will be remembered as a sports classic in the years to come. However, if you’re looking for a fun and easy film this weekend, Draft Day might be the way to go.
Overall Grade: B-