Ivan Reitman has directed many a great film, but seems to be on bit of a dry streak. There was hope that "Draft Day" would have pulled him out of it. Unfortunately, its melodramatic formula got in the way of what could have been the football equivalent to "Moneyball". Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph's script focuses too heavily on the personal problems of Kevin Costner's Sonny Weaver, Jr., the GM of the Cleveland Browns, and a lot less on the problems with the team. It never feels like you are in the moment with the draft, and the actual draft itself is only in about a quarter of the film. A few solid performances, from Costner, Chadwick Boseman (playing a potential draft pick), Frank Langella (as the Browns owner), and Ellen Burstyn (as Costner's mother), keep the film afloat and watchable. The dealings, however, become a little outlandish, and final resolution is too neat for such a chaotic concept. "Draft Day" amounted to nothing more than a fluff piece.
Grade: C+
3D: N/A
Easter Egg: No
Starring: Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Frank Langella
Director: Ivan Reitman
Writer(s): Scott Rothman & Rajiv Joseph
RT: 109 min
Rating: PG-13 on appeal for brief strong language and sexual references
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