Any Given
Sunday
stylishly turns the game of football into an MTV music video. I
started this movie with some reservations, after all, football
and sports movies in general are a dime a dozen. They all follow
the same formula of movies like Rocky and The Karate
Kid without rising to their greatness. Any Given Sunday
adds a few ingredients to spice things up, and serves a dish
that left me asking for seconds.
At the
core of the movie is the coach Tony D'Amato (Pacino),
quarterback Jack Rooney (Dennis Quaid), 3rd string
quarterback Willie Beamen (Foxx), team owner Christina Pagniacci
(Diaz), and Dr. Harvey Mandrake (James Woods). D'Amato is
dealing with a failed married life and a failing career when
Pagniacci inherits ownership of the Miami Sharks from her
father. During a four game losing streak D'Amato loses both his
first and second string quarterback. He is left then with Willie
Beamen who until this point might as well have been the towel
boy. In spite of throwing up on the field and defying his
coaches, Beamen plays an extraordinary game. Jack Rooney must
now wrestle with the fact that he is yesterday’s news and
Wheaties boxes are no longer in his future. Meanwhile, Dr.
Mandrake has an intern who refuses to stand silently by as the
good doctor gives false evaluations of teammates.
I was
surprised that only about half of the movie’s two and a half
hour running time was spent on the field. Questions are raised
about race, gender, and ethics. Oliver Stone, co-writer,
director, and executive producer of Any Given Sunday,
intelligently weaves a web that deals with the intricacies of
life. Packaging it in a football movie with a soundtrack
including Missy Misdemeanor Elliot, Kid Rock and LL Cool J
brings his strong message to the masses.
The cast
is tried and true. Stone gets the usual great performances from
Pacino, Quaid, Diaz and Woods. The surprise was Jamie Foxx who
winningly portrays a complicated character. It is through
Stone’s bravery however, of taking the focus of the movie off
the field that we get a truly great movie about
football. Football fans may be surprised to see what is
happening in the locker rooms. The seemingly untouchable players
are constantly inflicted with emotional and physical pain from
the sport. These players face fame and fortune and all of the
problems they bring with them. We inadvertently become more
involved in the football sequences because we actually care
about what happens to the characters.
Any Given
Sunday
is a football movie with enough story to make it enjoyable for
the people who aren’t fans of the sport. If you want to see a
great football game turn on the television and let your mind
rest, but if you want a good story sprinkled with some football,
pop Any Given Sunday in.
The
Video
Visually
clear. Choppy scenes and cuts make for a music video feel, but
it is overall very engaging.
The
Audio
The DVD offers only Dolby Digital
and English and French subtitles.
The
Extras
-
Full Contact: The Making of Any Given Sunday
This
documentary gives behind the scenes looks at what went into the
making of the movie. If you liked the movie you’ll want to see
this. It offers commentary from the cast and from Oliver Stone.
- LL Cool
J's Shut ‘Em Down Music Video
You’ll
enjoy this if you like the song and like LL Cool J.
The DVD is
enhanced for those who have DVD-ROM PC
Includes
web events, chat room access, web site links, movie review
scoreboard, original theatrical web site and sampler trailers.
Overall
I thought
this was a great movie that I would recommend renting. Buy it if
you have a DVD-ROM computer and really want to get into the
movie.
