In the world of the NFL, Draft Day is the most momentous day of the year. The film of the eponymous name follows the Cleveland Browns General Manager Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner, “Dances with Wolves”) from the beginning of Draft Day to the end. The story is told in a “Moneyball”-esque manner, following the background choices of those that control the team, rather than the players on the field. Weaver is faced with a plethora of difficult choices, questioning the morality and efficacy of each potential player for his team. Though the movie would be a little bit difficult to understand for those lacking football knowledge, “Draft Day” does a relatively good job keeping all viewers entertained while explaining the process of the draft.
There are a variety of captivating characters throughout “Draft Day.” Costner’s character is dealing with the recent death of his father, a former coach of the Browns, and his secret girlfriend, Ali’s (Jennifer Garner, “Alias”) newly discovered pregnancy. Most likeable in the movie was Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman, “42”). He is first introduced in the film when he calls Weaver, asking about the likelihood of Mack being picked relatively early during the draft. Yet Mack is not just looking for the fame of the football world—he needs to be picked earlier in the draft to make more money to look after his nephews, whose mother (his sister) has recently died. On the other end of the spectrum is Bo Callahan (Josh Pence, “The Social Network”). Widely considered to be the up-and-coming star of the football industry, Callahan looks to be everyone’s first pick; yet all might not be what it seems about Callahan’s past.
“Draft Day” starts off with a bang—the Seahawks Coach Tom Michaels (Patrick St. Esprit, “Catching Fire”) calls Weaver to offer him a trade: Callahan for the next three years of Browns’ first picks in the draft. Weaver faces all sorts of adversity from his fellow Browns’ management, who are at first shocked by the loss of the three first draft picks, then outraged when Weaver alludes to the fact that he may not actually want Callahan as a Brown. In the space of one day, Weaver must also come to terms with his impending child and the loss of his father, soon exacerbated by the arrival of his mother and ex-wife.
Yet for all the good parts of “Draft Day,” the film’s characterization of the one important woman character, Ali, leaves much to be desired. Garner does an excellent job of doing the best that she can with the character; her previous acting on “Alias” definitely worked in her favor as she presented Ali as a woman who does not take any flak. Despite her ability to stand up to the men of the football institution, she has no other function than mooning about, worrying about her soon-to-be child and flaky boyfriend, Weaver. Additionally, of course, she is below Weaver on the ladder of superiority. It might be expecting a bit much for a film clearly written by a man to imagine a woman as something more than her biological capabilities. “Draft Day,” for all its merits, would have been much better off if it had just taken Garner’s character out entirely.
All football fans will surely enjoy this new film; some non-football fans will undoubtedly like it as well. The plot intrigue continuously works in the audience’s favor—even though the concept of “Draft Day” should not be as exciting as one might guess, the ups and downs of Weaver’s chances taken will keep any casual viewer wondering what will happen next.
