This has been compared to Moneyball and has been derided as an advertisement for the NFL. Maybe. I am not a fan of the NFL, haven't watched a full game in many years. I don't follow any teams other than what pops up on the front page. But I would put this more in the Trouble with the Curve category. It is a (clearly manufactured) story not about the NFL, but about sports franchise. Focused around draft day, who gets to make decisions, who has to live with them? What is the role of the owner, or of the fans? How do the franchises interact with each other? Draft Day provides one possible look at the answers to these questions. Kevin Costner plays Sonny Weaver Jr., GM of the Cleveland Browns in his 3rd year. His father was long time, beloved coach of the Browns and Jr. fired him the year before. Now he is trying to rebuild the team through the draft, with a few good players available and a Ryan Leaf-like quarterback the consensus franchise savior. Jr. has the 7th pick in the draft to start the film. Let the machinations begin. It is fun to watch Costner work, and it is fun to watch blunder turn into opportunity turn into stress-fracture turn into... you get the picture. Clearly this is not intended to be the portrayal of a great schemer. Instead, it is the story of a man who loves the game, and knows the game so well that he can have inspiration and reaction that leads to success. It is the front office version of what is expected of the players on the field.
3 stars (out of 5)
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