Draft Day
| Draft Day | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ivan Reitman |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Eric Steelberg |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | John Debney |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million[1] |
| Box office | $28,393,617[2] |
Draft Day is a sports drama film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Kevin Costner. It was released on April 11, 2014. The premise revolves around the general manager of the Cleveland Browns (Costner) deciding what to do when his team acquires the number one draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The film premiered in Los Angeles on April 7, 2014,[3] with its United States release following on April 11.
Plot
On the day of the fictionalized 2014 NFL Draft, the consensus number one pick (as stated by real-life analyst Jon Gruden) is a University of Wisconsin quarterback, Bo Callahan (Josh Pence), the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Cleveland Browns General Manager Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner), whose father coached the Browns, was fired by his son and died a week before the draft, is holding the seventh overall pick. He is given the opportunity to trade for the first overall draft pick, held by a fictionalized version of the Seattle Seahawks (with General Manager Tom Michaels (Patrick St. Esprit) and his boss and owner Walt (Chi McBride)). Weaver is also recently aware of the pregnancy of his girlfriend Ali Parker (Jennifer Garner) with his child. Parker also works for the Browns as a lawyer concerned with ensuring the integrity of the Browns' salary cap, and their relationship is intended to be secret from the rest of the Browns staff.
Michaels offers the number-one pick to Weaver, but he declines. However, he later accepts after being told to "make a splash" by Browns owner Anthony Molina (Frank Langella). The Browns thus trade their three first-round draft picks over the next three years to the Seahawks in exchange for the top pick, a deal Michaels believes is good. However, this move angers many Seahawks fans who wanted Callahan to play for their team. They take to social media to express their displeasure with Michaels and publicly demands Walt to fire him for it.
The move also angers Browns head coach Penn (Denis Leary), who had wanted to draft running back Ray Jennings (Arian Foster) for his system offense and the current quarterback, Brian Drew (Tom Welling), who had led the team to a 5–1 start the previous year before being injured. The news leaks after it is tweeted by Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman), a defensive player for Ohio State who wants to play for the Browns and who advises Weaver to re-watch the tape of him sacking Callahan four times in one game to see what Callahan does next. Weaver also turns down a proposed trade from the Buffalo Bills, as well as inquiry from the Kansas City Chiefs about the availability of Drew.
Coming into the draft, the only downside to Callahan appears to be two incidents which reflect on his honesty–a 21st birthday party disturbance/robbery ostensibly attended by none of his Wisconsin teammates (despite Callahan's captaincy), and Callahan allegedly lying to the Washington Redskins about reading a playbook they sent him. When the Browns are "on the clock" with the first overall pick, Weaver sends in the choice of Mack without the rest of the head office's knowledge. While Drew appears to be relieved of the choice for Mack, Molina furiously leaves the draft in New York City to fly back to Cleveland to confront Sonny. Callahan has what appears to be an anxiety attack and leaves by the back door, having to be coaxed back to the draft by his agent (Sean Combs).
Callahan steadily drops in the draft and is still available for the sixth pick, held by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Weaver talks the "rookie" GM of the Jaguars (played by Pat Healy) into giving him the sixth overall pick in exchange for the next three years of the Browns' second-round draft picks. Molina comes in furious with Weaver and confronts him for passing Callahan for Mack. He tells his boss that he had his reasons for picking Mack and convinces Molina to let him do his job. Weaver then calls Michaels, who badly wants Callahan, and secures all three first-round draft picks back for the sixth pick, along with Seattle's punt returner David Putnik. Seattle takes Callahan, allowing Weaver to also select Ray Jennings and thus make Coach Penn happy.
The draft is portrayed as a success for the Browns, while opening day 2014 is shown with a visibly pregnant Ali still with Weaver. The team prepares for the game with all Browns players (Mack, Jennings, Drew, and Putnik) seemingly in high spirits and ready for the season to begin.
Cast
- Kevin Costner as Sonny Weaver, Jr.[4]
- Jennifer Garner as Ali Parker[4]
- Frank Langella as Anthony Molina[4]
- Tom Welling as Brian Drew[5]
- Chadwick Boseman as Vontae Mack[4]
- Rosanna Arquette as Angie[4]
- Sam Elliott as Coach Moore[6]
- Terry Crews as Earl Jennings[4]
- Arian Foster as Ray Jennings
- Denis Leary as Vince Penn[4]
- Ellen Burstyn as Barb Weaver[4]
- Griffin Newman as Rick the Intern [4]
- Patrick St. Esprit as Tom Michaels
- Chi McBride as Walt[4]
- W. Earl Brown as Ralph Mowry[4]
- Kevin Dunn as Marvin[4]
- Sean Combs as Chris Crawford[4]
- Josh Pence as Bo Callahan[4]
- Wallace Langham as Pete Begler[4]
- Christopher Cousins as Max Stone
- Patrick Breen as Bill Zotti
- Pat Healy as Jeff Carson
- Jim Brown
- Bernie Kosar
- Joe Banner
Production
Crowd reactions of fans at the actual 2013 NFL Draft, as well as Cleveland Browns fans at local bars, were filmed. Cameos with real-life NFL figures such as league commissioner Roger Goodell and ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman were filmed before and after the Draft took place. The rest of the film began filming on May 8, 2013.
Marketing
The first poster and trailer for the film were released on December 23, 2013.[7]
When the idea for the movie was first made public, the movie was to be centered around the Buffalo Bills, but the studio subsequently changed it to the Cleveland Browns because of cheaper production costs in Ohio.
Reception
Draft Day has received positive reviews from critics. It currently holds a 62% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 6/10, based on 126 reviews. The consensus states: "It's perfectly pleasant for sports buffs and Costner fans, but overall, Draft Day lives down to its title by relying too heavily on the sort of by-the-numbers storytelling that only a statistician could love".[8] On the aggregated review site Metacritic, the film currently holds a score of 53 out of 100 (indicating "mixed or average"), based on reviews from 30 critics.[9]
Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper gave the film a "B", stating the film is "a sentimental, predictable, sometimes implausible but thoroughly entertaining, old-fashioned piece."
On the contrary, Jack Hamilton of Slate was harshly critical. "The 'filmmaking' here consists of making sure the camera is pointed at people who are explaining the movie's plot to one another, preferably while they are wearing logos and standing in front of more logos," he wrote. He suggested the NFL's involvement had made the film too upbeat. "[It] isn't so much a movie as a movielike infomercial for the kinder, gentler NFL ... In the wake of labor strife, off-field scandals, and the ongoing CTE crisis, the NFL is doubling down on its fantasy of paternalism, and Draft Day is that fantasy's porn film."[10]
2014 NFL Draft
Like in the movie, the Cleveland Browns made splashes at the draft trading up to select quarterback Johnny Manziel at the twenty second position. The team also made several deals, trading away their fourth pick to the Buffalo Bills for their ninth pick as well as their 2015 1st round pick. They later traded down to the eighth pick to draft Justin Gilbert. Finally, after watching Manziel drop past the Dallas Cowboys, they again traded up for the twenty second pick. Chris Berman, who played himself in the fictionalized draft commented at the 2014 NFL Draft, that the events surrounding the Cleveland Browns were more exciting than the movie. Unlike the movie, the Browns selected the hyped, Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, as opposed to passing on Bo Callahan, the fictionalized first pick favorite.
Box office
The film grossed $10.7 million opening weekend, finishing in 4th place at the box office behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Rio 2, and Oculus (the latter two also being new releases).
As of May 19, 2014 the film has grossed $28.4 million, against a $25 million budget.
References
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (13 April 2014). "Box Office: 'Captain America: Winter Soldier' Trumps 'Rio 2' With $41.4 Million". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Draft Day". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ Burton, Danielle (April 8, 2014). "'Draft Day' Premiere: Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner Cheered as Stars Take the Field-Like Carpet". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Production Begins on Sports Dramedy DRAFT DAY; Sean Combs and Terry Crews Join the Cast". Retrieved 2013-05-16.
- ^ Venable, Nick (13 May 2013). "Smallville's Tom Welling Hits The Gridiron In Ivan Reitman's Draft Day". cinemablend.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (14 May 2013). "Sam Elliott Joins Ivan Reitman's 'Draft Day'". deadline.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Check Out the Trailer and Poster for Draft Day, Starring Kevin Costner". comingsoon.net. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Draft Day (2014)". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Draft Day reviews". metacritic.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Hamilton, Jack (April 10, 2014). "Draft Day movie: Kevin Costner and Roger Goodell star in the NFL's version of Moneyball". Slate. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
