It's draft day in the NFL and as general manager of the Cleveland Browns, Sonny is forced to come up with a big move. After trading for the number one pick, Sonny has to choose between a lower-ranked linebacker with a questionable past or a celebrated quarterback with a questionable future. All the while, Sonny is walking in the footsteps of his father and personal complications force their way to the surface. Written by
Plot Synopsis:
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DRAFT DAY
We open to Seattle, Washington. Seattle Seahawk HQ to be exact. The owner and Head coach Tom Michaels ( Patrick St. Esprit) are discussing what to do with their first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The owner tells Tom to trade it for equal to what the Rams got for their first rounder in the 2012 draft. Tom says theres no team desperate enough to do that. He thinks about it and says hold on maybe.Cue Cleveland, Ohio. We now see the GM of the Browns, Sonny Weaver JR ( Kevin Costner), putting on his tie and getting ready for the day. His Salary cap manager and girlfriend Ali (Jennifer Gardner) is in the shower behind him.Sonny goes down stairs to the kitchen and pours him and Ali a cup of coffee. Sonny also slips a folded Post-it into his pocket. She comes down, and gives him the silent treatment. It comes out in conversation that she just told him she is pregnant and he didnt react in the way she would have liked. He blames it on what Today is.
Sonny gets a phone call from a draft prospect, Vonte Mack (Chadwick Bowman, to remind him that Sonny must draft him at #7. If sonny doesnt, Vonte will tumble. And to quote Vonte My nephews like to tumble. I dont. Sonny reassures him not to worry.After the phone call is over, Sonny gets another phone call from Earl Jennings ( Terry Crews). He is an ex browns player and his son, Ray ( Arian Foster) is an Running Back in the draft and would like to play for the Browns also. Sonny reassures Ray to just have a great draft day. You only get one
Sonny meets with the Browns owner, Anthony Molina ( Frank Langella) at a water park about what Sonny plans on doing with the pick. Molina tells Sonny to make a splash.Almost like clockwork, the next person Sonny talks to is Tom. Tom offers him the #1 draft pick for the Browns next three first round picks. Sonny tells him hes crazy.Now we see the War room at Cleveland Browns HQ. The Head Coach, Coach Penn ( Denis Leary) with a few of the war room experts. Sonny comes in and tells them to throw away all that they were scouting on Vonte Mack. He now has the #1 pick and their going after the qb in the draft , Bo Callahan ( Josh Pence). He tells them what he gave up for the #1 pick. They tell him hes insane and that he ruined the franchise.
Sonny goes to his office, to find that Ali has hired a new intern because the others are helping with the draft. He starts to yell at him. The pressure is getting to Sonny. Ali comes in and tries to talk to Sonny, he says he cant handle it. Ali leaves. Sonny gets a phone call from Bos Agent ( Sean Combs) and Bo himself. Sonny asks Bo a few questions, and Bo expresses his interest in playing for the Browns. Before he hangs up, Bos agent makes sure Bo gives Sonny his condolences because of Sonnys recent loss of his dad. Sonny says thanks and hangs up.This is when Sonny gets a phone call from his mother, Barb (Ellen Burstyn). She tells him that Vonte has tweeted about the trade, and she starts to give him the riot act. He tells her goodbye and calls Vonte. He tells him to stay off Twitter, because no matter what happens, GMs dont like over spoken players. Before hanging up, Vonte puts a little birdie in Sonnys ear to watch the tapes of Bo and Really look at them.
Sonny calls for the collection of all the Browns tapes on Bo. At this point, is when Sonny is informed that the current Browns QB Brian Drew (Tom Welling) has destroyed Sonnys office.Sonny goes down to confront him. Brian wants to be traded, and his ticked. Sonny says no matter what, he will do whatever is best for the team.Sonny asks the Browns security expert to looks into Bos background. The guy is clean besides one incident at his 21st birthday party. The police had to come to the restaurant, and took down everyones name due to a burglary. None of Bos Wisconsin teammates were there.When Sonny gets back to his office, Sonnys mom and Ex wife are there to spread his dads ashes on the practice field. She asks him to say a prayer while it happens, and he says not today. She says fine Ill do It myself.
Ali comes in and introduces herself to the group. Barb and the ex wife are total snobs. Barb asks Ali for a cup of coffee. Ali goes to get it, but Sonny stops her. Barb asks Sonny one more time about the spreading of the ashes, and he gets mad. He throws a laptop across his office and puts a hole in the wall. Barb almost bursts out in tears, and leaves the office.Sonny and Ali go down to the practice field, where a plaque to Sonnys father is shown. Sonny tells Ali that the only reason why he fired his father as the Browns HC is because his mom asked him too. His father was in ill health and more years of football would have killed him. He chose to fire his dad in order to give his dads last few years to his mom instead.
Sonny goes back up to his office, to find that the new intern that Ali hired is trying to fix his laptop. Sonny apologizes for breaking it and tells him that he will get him a new one.Sonny meets with the head of security once again. And he reiterates about the birthday party.Sonny calls Bos ex head coach, who denies the allegations.Draft time is finally here. Sonny is up in his office, and not in the war room. He calls in his pick. He chooses Vonte over Bo.
Vonte starts crying with happiness.Bo has an anxiety attack and leaves Radio City Music Hall, (where the draft is being held)Anthony leaves the hall in a dizzy, and flies back to Cleveland. Sonny has all but lost his job.
This is when Sonny gets on the phone with the owner of the #6 pick in the draft, The Jacksonville Jaguars. After some negotiations, Sonny acquires their pick for the Browns next three years 2nd round picks. The war room erupts. Anthony comes in and tells Sonny that he is almost fired.Next up, Sonny calls Tom back, he knows that the Seahawks want Bo Callahan, and after Sonny didnt choose him, Bos draft stock drops. Sonny offers him the #6 pick for everything that Sonny gave him for the #1. Tom says no. Sonny rebuttals that he will draft Callahan if Tom says no, Tom still says no. Then Tom thinks about it, he says he will accept the deal. Sonny says too late, and purposes a new trade, everything Sonny gave up for the #1 pick plus a punt returner. Tom accepts.
The Seahawks draft Bo with the #6 pick, and the Browns draft Ray Jennings as #7.The film ends with Sonny and Ali telling Barb about Ali being Pregnant, and Sonny and Ali kissing. We also see opening kickoff of the season, and Sonny and Ali are still together and Ali is showing. The team huddles up for a last hurrah before the season officially startsCue End Credits
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Shannonschaefer
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I really enjoyed Draft Day. Yes I am female and yes I love sports especially football but this is a movie anyone can enjoy. It made me think of the movie Moneyball starring Brad Pitt. A very interesting look at the madness, pressure and inner turmoil that one man has to endure in performing his duty of putting a team together. Kevin Costner gives an outstanding performance as Sonny, Jennifer Garner gives a top performance as well. This movie keeps you engaged the whole time, not for a moment did I feel it dragged or got boring. Some of the backdrop scenes of various cities and stadiums just takes your breath away, very much suited for the big screen, a must see in the theater.
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Greg (gregmoroberts@yahoo.com) from Oakville, Ontario
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Kevin Costner is no stranger to sports themed movies. The Tin Cup, Bull Durham, For the Love of the Game star has stared in five separate sports films and now rounds that number to an even six with the football themed Draft Day directed by Ghostbuster's helmer Ivan Reitman.
Taking on a role more his age (Costner is a football yard short of 60), Costner plays Sonny Weaver Jr., the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns in the NFL. The action picks on NFL Draft Day, the day in which 200+ young budding stars get drafted by big league teams in a huge televised event taking place in New York City.
Sonny's Cleveland team was a lowly 6-10 the season before largely due to the injury to their star quarterback. The Browns are given the 7th round draft pick on draft day, but pressures from Brown's team owner (Frank Langella) and an aggressive offer from the Seattle Seahawks to swap the number 1 pick for future options leave Sonny with only hours to think of both his legacy and what is best for the city's revered team.
The film all takes place within the 24 hours on draft day and a running clock that appears a handful of times during the film reminds us that the time is ticking and decisions need to be made. Impeding such forward thinking are the films distractions which come in the form of two female characters with ties to Sonny. Jennifer Garner plays Ali, the love interest of Sonny and the lawyer and number cruncher who is responsible for keeping the Browns under the NFL salary cap. With the film only a few minutes aged, we learn that Ali is pregnant with Sonny's baby a subplot that was hardly necessary to keep things moving. Also complicating things is Sonny's mother played by Ellen Burstyn. Sonny's father was a former Cleveland Brown's coach (fired by Sonny Jr. the year previous) and has recently passed away. Sonny's mother for reasons that were hard to understand considering she lived a life with football at the core of the family, decides that draft day is the day in which she wants Sonny to spend some time completing his father's last wishes as identified in his will.
Both female stories go nowhere and could easily have ended up on the cutting room floor. Instead, in a weak attempt to connect with a female audience, the two characters are awarded ample screen time to emote and distract Sonny on what is arguably the most difficult and focused day of his career.
When Sonny is not tripping over the estrogen pitfalls, he is struggling with his coach (Dennis Leary) and working the phones discussing trade possibilities with Jacksonville, Buffalo and Kansas City in an attempt to save the city the embarrassment of selling the golden goose for a few magic beans.
It is when Sonny is working his draft magic that the movie is at its best. His calls to and from potential and existing players had an authentic feel and the chaos of draft day is captured with tense complexity and legacy importance.
Draft Day wants to be football's answer to baseball's Moneyball. But the Aaron Sorkin written baseball film starring Brad Pitt had rocket-fire dialogue that catapulted the film to an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. Draft Day instead is fluff, but it's good fluff. Costner consistently makes every film to which he is involved better than it should be and Reitman is smart to give appropriate cameos (Roger Goodall, Bernie Kozar, Jim Brown), he keeps the spotlight on his star heaving the film on Costner's shoulders in an attempt to score a box office touchdown.
Draft Day was a fun distraction. Browns fans will likely enjoy a fantasy film of their team making right decisions (the Browns have not made the NFL playoffs since 2002), and football fans should find valued entertainment in the behind the scenes peak into the day of a General Manager. But film fans hoping for a Moneyball or something smarter than Draft Day's trailers have revealed should look elsewhere.
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The Movie Vlog (jcb5781@gmail.com) from Canada
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Sports films typically have a love/hate relationship with viewers - most never finding that honest middle ground that satisfies everyone's wants and desires. On one hand, you have the preposterous comedies that cap seriousness, sacrificing dramatic acting in exchange for a series of cheap laughs and feel-good moments, like Rookie of the Year, The Waterboy, and Caddyshack. Then, there's the beloved and devote dramas that live on in film infamy, which includes but is not limited to Rocky, The Natural, and Raging Bull. Finally, you have Kevin Costner's greatest hits, like Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and For the Love of the Game. And, even though Kevin Costner has left the baseball diamond and thrown his last fastball, he clearly has found a memorable position as the GM of an NFL franchise in Draft Day.
The only real complaint about this film is that it doesn't incorporate actual NFL players - at least not in the manner that Moneyball involved them. Players like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are still stars in the Draft Day universe, however, the Cleveland Browns are a team compiled of fictional players - which probably isn't the worst thing since the Browns severely lack star-power now that the former face of their franchise, Trent Richardson, is no longer on the team. However, this is a miniscule problem in the long run, and the plot progression of the fictional players is allotted the proper time to plant their seeds of worth.
Overall, Draft Day takes full advantage of telling an engaging behind-the-scenes tale using the world's most popular league as a vehicle. From the film's trailers, the film might appear to be one giant commercial for the NFL, but thankfully it turns out to be a well-scripted, charming experience. Draft Day is a fun-loving popcorn flick through and through, but it's also exactly the kind of perfectly balanced story that draws people to the movies, incorporating just enough drama, subtly placing humor in stressful situations, and fulfilling its promise to reveal a compelling mystery that will keep everyone on their toes. For anyone that loves football or is interested in the power-play politics that that place behind the proverbial curtain, you'll have an absolute amazing time watching this feature.
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Tony Heck (cosmo_tiger@hotmail.com) from United States
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"No one can stop a ticking clock, the great ones always find a way to slow it down." Sonny Weaver Jr. (Costner) is the GM of the Cleveland Browns and is getting ready for today's NFL draft. He isn't in good graces with the Brown's fans but that all changes when he makes a trade for the #1 pick. With pressure from the owner, his new head coach and his mother, Sonny isn't sure if what he wants is the same as what everyone else wants. His choices not only affect his job but everyone around him as well. I am a sucker for sports movies and I really like Kevin Costner so I was really looking forward to seeing this. Almost right away I was sucked in and enjoyed myself the entire time. This is very much like Moneyball so if you liked that movie you will like this as well. Costner is a perfect choice and there is just something about him and sports movies that is perfect. The movie is about the decisions people make when adding a player to their team, it may not seem like it but its exciting and keeps you guessing and wondering the entire time. You really root for Costner the entire time and want him to succeed. Again, it may be because I am a huge sports fan but I loved this movie and I highly recommend this. Overall, if you liked Moneyball you will love this one. I give this an A.
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tavm from Baton Rouge, La.
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Just watched this with my movie theatre-working friend. We both enjoyed this story of a general manager of the Cleveland Browns who is played by Kevin Costner in trying to pick the right trades on the day of the NFL draft picks while also dealing with a pregnant associate (Jennifer Garner) he's in a relationship with, a coach who doesn't always agree with his choices (Dennis Leary), and a late father who was the previous coach that he had to fire beforehand due to age. I'll stop there and say I found much that was pretty funny and occasionally touching stuff about some of the players being considered. And director Ivan Reitman was pretty creative with some of the wipes involved in many scene transitions. So on that note, Draft Day is worth a look.
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Samantha Olsen from United States
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On April 11, treat yourself to a nearly perfect film: Draft Day. Ivan Reitman directs a star- studded cast led by Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, and Dennis Leary. I scored tickets to a special pre-screening of the film and I haven't seen Costner this good since 1989's Field of Dreams. Draft Day is an amazing story for anyone who enjoys America's gladiator sport. It is also a brilliant hook for the NFL to use to attract new fans. In particular, those who have never seen the battles fought on the business side of the multibillion dollar franchise will find the story difficult to resist.
Several stories are told through characters who are all connected by one of the sport's holiest of days: NFL Draft Day. We see the worry experienced by a veteran quarterback who may lose his job if the press is right. We see a touching story of a son who wants to join the team his father played for. We see the conflict of a rookie torn between what is right and what is lucrative. We see a love story born from a mutual love and respect for football that clashes with a son's duty to his mother and the memory of his father.
No other film has ever looked so beautiful while capturing the excitement of football without centering on action sequences on the field. The beauty of this film is in the chemistry between Costner and Leary as they fight for control of the destiny of the Cleveland Browns, the looks exchanged and words unsaid between Costner and Garner as he struggles to be the man he wants to become, and in the struggle between Costner and Ellen Burstyn who is struggling to be the mother he needs.
Throughout the film we are privileged to see performances worthy of any prize yet the most surprising is that of Griffin Newman as Rick, the intern. He learns faster and bonds with more characters than any other cast member. He is simply brilliant and is officially on my list of actors to watch in the coming year.
Draft Day is everything we wish American football will be. We want the struggle, the fight, and the triumph of Draft Day. I only hope a sequel is coming soon because after watching what these characters endure just to make it to the draft, I desperately want to see how their first season ends.
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Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States
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Hollywood's Mr. Baseball, aka Kevin Costner, walks off the diamond and onto the gridiron (or, more accurately, into pro football's corporate offices) in "Draft Day," Ivan Reitman's entertaining tribute to the wheeling-and-dealing that goes on behind the scenes at the NFL draft.
Costner plays the fictional Sonny Wheeler, Jr., son of the equally fictitious Sonny Wheeler, Sr., who has recently died and in whose shadow Sonny perpetually toils. You see, Wheeler, Sr. was a legend at the Cleveland Browns franchise, and, in his two years as general manager for the team, his son seems to be having a little trouble living up to the old man's reputation. To further complicate Sonny's life, his "down low" girlfriend, Ali (Jennifer Garner), who works as the lawyer responsible for making sure the team doesn't bust through the salary cap, has just announced that she is pregnant with the commitment-phobic Sonny's child. Amid all this personal turmoil, Sonny launches into full negotiator mode, making deals and forming alliances with other general managers in the league while working to assuage the concerns of the team's owner (Frank Langella), its coach (Dennis Leary), an assortment of high strung and disgruntled players (Tom Welling, Chadwick Boseman, Arian Foster) and even his own mother (Ellen Burstyn) who has views of her own that need to be taken into consideration before he can arrive at his final decision.
Although it probably helps to have some familiarity with how the draft pick works in order to fully appreciate some of the finer points of the narrative, writers Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman do a good job clarifying the big picture even for the less sports-oriented members of the audience. The movie proceeds at a breakneck pace as the clock ticks down to the moment of truth for Sonny. Will he accept the Seattle Seahawks' offer of the #1 draft pick, Bo Callahan (Josh Pence), in exchange for the Browns' #1 first-round draft picks for the next three years, or will he reject the offer in favor of some less stellar but still promising players? "Draft Day" is at its best when it's exploring the various and often contradictory interests - of players, coaches and owners, not to mention the millions at stake in salaries and corporate sponsorships - that those in Sonny's position must consider before rendering their final verdicts. Talk about pressure! The filmmakers establish a nice balance between the sports aspects of the tale and the personal moments between Sonny and Ali and Sonny and his mom, never allowing the latter to detract from the former. As a result, we care about the characters without losing our focus on the real reason we've come to this movie.
Reitman has come up with an interesting split-screen technique that helps to weave together a story that takes place over a wide range of geographical locales simultaneously. What might have been a mere gimmick in less capable hands becomes an indispensable narrative device here.
A few weeks back, while writing about "3 Days to Kill," I lamented that Costner desperately needed to find some quality material worthy of his talents to work with, and he seems to have found just that in "Draft Day." Costner has a core of quiet stillness that lends a genuine gravitas to his performances. Because he can appear both confident and insecure in the same moment, he makes us want to root for the character he's playing. He's also blessed with a super supporting cast that includes, in addition to all the aforementioned, Terry Crews, Rosanna Arquette, Sam Elliot, and Sean Combs.
"Draft Day" proves that not all the competitiveness and excitement of professional football takes place on the field.
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CowherPowerForever from Pittsburgh, PA
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With another season of the National Football League about to get underway, I thought it would be the perfect time to sit down and watch the Kevin Costner film, Draft Day. The plot isn't anything special here but, it does give a nice look at what might be going on behind the scenes during these drafts. This is my review of Draft Day.
The story here is fairly basic as it follows Cleveland Browns General Manager, Sonny Weaver Jr.(Kevin Costner) as he is testing the waters in the NFL(Nation Football League) draft. Some trades and exchanges happen throughout the lead up the their pick in the draft, and some twist and turns happen throughout the story. There is some boring downtime in the film but, with the run time being fairly small, it doesn't hurt the film all that much. This story was written by Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph. While this is the first writing credit for Rothman, Joseph has done some writing on a couple television shows like Nurse Jackie. Sure its a completely different story than what he is use to writing but, it seems both gentleman got the basics of the game locked down. For the sake of a good story some of the General Managers are made to look completely dumb, not to say all General Mangers in the NFL are smart. With a fairly basic story and nothing glaring in terms of this story, both Rothman and Joseph get a barely above average grade for their work on this film.
The film was directed by Ivan Reitman who is a legendary director known for the classic Ghostbuster films. While his efforts haven't been so successful in recent memory, this film is a nice addition to a solid overall filmography. With some high rise shots of major cities like Seattle, Buffalo, Cleveland, and others, Reitman brings an enjoyable atmosphere that is the NFL draft. With a different type of film like this it can be hard to know how it will turn out and received by the fans. Without legendary actor Kevin Costner, I really don't know how well the film would have been portrayed. With a lot of secondary actors popping up for smaller roles, there is a lot to focus on but, with the script being otherwise barely above average, and Reitman not bringing much in way of helping the script, it doesn't leave us with a great film by any means. With this film being different as it follows the events of the NFL, it can be a good film for fans like myself but, those who do not follow the NFL likely won't get much from this film. Reitman does a manageable job directing this film, and since the acting is nothing special, and minus some nice shots from Reitman, this was not one of his best outings as a director.
In closing, fans of the NFL will likely watch this film and mostly enjoy it. Those who really don't follow the league or the sport that much should likely just pass on this film for the time being. Maybe a rental or stream down the road is the best option but, there is no need to rush and watch this film. If you are an NFL fan, this might be a good watch as the new season starts this upcoming weekend.
7/10
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theauntsavant from United States
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With the NFL Draft season officially in full swing, if you haven't already, now's a great time to see "Draft Day" the movie! Even if it does stand to reason, foretelling whether or not it would be received more positively by non-football enthusiasts and resonate less with true football fans (as some critics have deduced), is nonetheless a rush to judgment.
In any case, the box office draw doesn't differentiate one over the other. The entertaining sports vehicle about the NFL draft not actual gridiron game play goes against formula.
We've seen football films that keep to standard rough and tumble field action, which fit the bill. However, the focus here in itself, is a good departure as a movie on the managerial side of the sport of interest for either group.
Being a non-fanatical Monday morning quarterback, I enjoyed watching a view from behind-the-scenes for a change of pace, and getting a crash course in the extraneous details of what occurs in a crucial 24-hour period-similar to TV series "24"-leading up to the draft day ceremony.
As for the question of is it realism or Hollywood hype? Co-star and former professional football player now actor Terry Crews, who said he was an 11-round draft pick in 1991, in a pre-release call-in interview to the Steve Harvey Morning Show, stated that "Draft Day" was the first movie endorsed by the NFL.
So would the League sign-off on a film that represents a 'day-in-the-life of' a general manager played by sports cinema veteran Kevin Costner, managing the real-life Cleveland Browns, if it didn't measure up? Most likely not.
Sure, football fans will probably have a better understanding than will others of the evolving events being dramatized on the big screen, but I believe that's meant to give the rest of the audience a microcosmic picture of the high-pressured inner-workings and how it all comes together.
It presents an intimate look at the level of intensity that comes when the selection process rises to fever pitch (forgive the baseball reference) and how the lives of the hopefuls looking to get picked, as well as their families, hinges on the manager's final decision.
The film works well at drawing you into the thought-provoking/judgment-making job of Costner's character Sonny Weaver, while also keeping you glued to the countdown timer. The spliced boiler room frames meld cohesively to sustain moviegoers' heightened curiosity for the anticipated outcome.
Jennifer Garner is low-key as Costner's girlfriend, though a far cry from her starring lead role in TV's "Alias." Hers, along with Ellen Burstyn's portrayal, brings necessary added value to balance out the storyline.
As the father of a potential student draftee, Crews delivers a meaningful, non-comedic performance. The elements put in play, overall, make for a finely crafted sports entertainment feature everyone can enjoy.
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AudioFileZ from United States
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Give Kevin Costner a good human-interest role and he can bring his unique star power making it both entertaining and compelling. As an adult I've grown less enamored with pro football and in fairness I'm from Alabama where college football is all it can be and pro isn't a factor. That said, it's the corporate money machine mentality that, in my humble opinion, soils the things I fondly remember of the ancient NFC/AFC of the sixties (where loyalty trumped money often for an entire career).
Well, this movie makes that big-business drama work as something much more human. Where the general managers struggle like desperate children for some kind of immediate better future. When even in the last hours those gilded picks are subject to human-error and wild scrambling per last minute decisions and deals. The kind of deals that come not just from statistics, but deeper beliefs. I'd say Draft Day brings this kind of tense drama to the screen with aplomb Is it a true representation? I'd say it doesn't matter because this is a movie and it's a good one.
The trick used by the Washington Redskins of taping a $100 bill to the back of the play book seems inspired by an anecdote of JaMarcus Russell. His coaches in Oakland did not believe he was watching game film and once purposely sent him home with blank DVDs to watch. He returned claiming he watched the video and liked the game plan, obviously lying. There was a similar story in the 80s with Randall Cunningham.
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The movie originally centered around the Buffalo Bills instead of the Cleveland Browns but the studio changed it to the Browns because the production costs in Ohio were actually cheaper.
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The team Sonny trades for the top pick was originally supposed to be the New York Jets but they dropped out of the movie at the last minute.
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Initially passed R by the MPAA but Lionsgate appealed the rating and got a PG-13 rating without cuts.
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The trade Cleveland makes in the movie is similar to the real-life trade made in the 2012 NFL Draft where the Washington Redskins traded their 2012 #6 overall pick, 2012 2nd Round selection, 2013 1st Round selection and 2014 1st Round selection for the 2012 #2 overall pick to the St. Louis Rams in order to select Robert Griffin III
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The ESPN commentators correctly note that in two recent instances - 2003 and 2011 - the Vikings and Ravens failed to make their first round selections in time and lost the picks. What is not said, and not shown, is that both teams that are parties to the trade must call in the trade. The Ravens lost their pick in 2011 because Chicago failed to call the trade in. In 2003, when the Vikings missed their pick, the Vikings were free to call in their pick at any time, but the teams following immediately rushed to call their picks in, rather than taking their full allotment of time on the clock, forcing Minnesota to pick further down.
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In the final scene, a football player's uniform is seen with the name "MEDJUCK" on it. Joe Medjuck is a long-time producing partner of director Ivan Reitman.
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The actual 2014 NFL draft had a lot of similarities to the plot of the movie. The actual draft had a Heisman trophy winning quarterback falling in the draft, the Cleveland Browns making a pick that was questioned heavily, and the Browns making multiple trades. Jon Gruden even stated, "this is better than Draft Day!" on air during the actual draft.
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The screenplay for this film was featured in the 2012 Blacklist; a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year.
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In the photo of Sonny Weaver Jr & Sr the actor who plays Sonny Weaver, Sr is David Cragg, who is 4 years older than Kevin Costner, Sonny Weaver Jr.
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Tom, the Seahawks general manager in the movie, has a picture of the Legion of Boom, the name of the Seahawks secondary in real life, in his office. In the movie, the Seahawks traded away the number one pick, which would mean they had the worst record in the NFL. In real life, the Seahawks have never had a losing record with the Legion of Boom.
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Arian Foster, who portrays Ray Jennings in the movie, is an All-Pro RB in real life. He played college football at Tennessee and, ironically, was not drafted.
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Kevin Costner who portrayed Jonathan Kent (Superman/Clark Kent's Earthly father) in Man of Steel (2013) stars in this film alongside Tom Welling, famous for his role of Clark Kent in Smallville (2001) and also stars alongside Frank Langella who played Perry White in Superman Returns 2006.
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In the movie, Kevin Costner's character Sonny Weaver Jr. relays an anecdote about Joe Montana spotting the actor John Candy in the crowd during the 1989 Super Bowl. Kevin Costner and John Candy appeared together in JFK (1991).
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Kevin Dunn, whose character (Marvin) works with or for the owner Anthony Molina, played by Frank Langella were last in similar roles to each other in Dave (1993).
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Sonny's license plate is of the "sunburst" style issued by Ohio from 2005 through 2010. All other Ohio license plates shown are of the "beautiful Ohio" design issued from 2010 through 2012. Both were valid in Ohio and widely used at the time the movie is set.
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The Seattle Seahawks' current starting quarterback Russell Wilson did actually attend the University of Wisconsin.
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Alongside other actors who've portrayed superheroes, Tom Welling, also appears in the film and is well known for playing Clark Kent/Superman in Smallville (2001).
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Characters talk about the live theater play Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Denis Leary (Coach Penn) has played Captain George Stacey in Spider-Man movies.
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Stars Kevin Costner who portrayed Jonathan Kent in Man Of Steel (2013) and Tom Welling who portrayed Clark Kent/Superman in Smalliville (2001). The film also stars other actors that have portrayed characters in other comic book movies and/or animated movies.
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Sonny trades three first-round draft picks (in addition to that year's #7 pick) for the #1 pick of the draft. So to swap the #7 for #1 he gives up three future first-round picks. Sonny then trades three second-round picks for the #6 pick of the draft. Then he swaps #6 for his original #7, the future first-round picks he traded away, plus a special teams player. With the picks, he gets the LB he originally wanted at #1 and a RB at #7; essentially trading three second-round picks for the number one overall pick in the draft.
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When announcing the previous year's Heisman Trophy winner, he says "2014 Heisman Trophy winner." If it was the 2014 Draft, it would be the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner.
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When Sonny's assistants are talking to him about Bo's weaknesses and the girls he has gone out with, Sonny looks at his player profile. On it has his date of birth as 9/12/88. That would make him 25 years old at the time of the draft not 21 as Ralph said.
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In the beginning of the film the radio host says "football was invented in Canton Ohio". This is not in any way true. American football comes from rugby, football was an east coast game mostly in colleges, developed further by a Yale man and the first pro game was played in Pittsburgh. The American Professional Football Association, the forerunner of the NFL, was founded in a Canton car dealership on September 17, 1920, but football was not "invented" in Canton.
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As the film opens, Chris Berman says, "32 teams, 7 rounds, 224 young men who are about to become players in the National Football League." Although 32 times 7 is 224, there are an additional 32 compensatory picks scattered throughout the draft, resulting in 256 actual picks. This all assumes that no picks were forfeited or surrendered.
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Anthony had a jersey prepared with "Callahan" and the number 1 to present to Bo Callahan at the NFL draft. The NFL's procedure is to print a jersey on-site, and Roger Goodell would present the jersey.
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Sonny was listening to Anthony Rizzo's and Aaron Goldhammer's radio show on am 850 (WKNR) at 8:20 (when Vonte Mack calls) and again at 9:39 (when he calls Tom Michaels to make the first trade). WKNR would have had Mike and Mike in the Morning on at those times, with Rizzo's and Goldhammer's show starting at 10:00.
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When Vontae Mack calls Sonny Weaver Jr. in his car in the beginning of the movie, his number shows up on Sonny's phone. When Sonny goes to hang up on Vontae, the number on Sonny's phone screen says "PRIVATE NUMBER".
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When O'Reilly tells Sonny about the Redskins' play book trick, he says they hold the number 5 pick in the draft. But when the Draft begins, Denver is the team drafting ahead of Jacksonville, who holds the 6th pick.
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The font of the 10 yard markers of the Wisconsin at Ohio State game changes between shots.
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The first time Vonte Mack sacks Bo Callahan, the line of scrimmage was the Ohio State 42 yard line, and ended when Callahan was sacked at the Wisconsin 49 yard line. The following play, the line of scrimmage is back to the Ohio State 42 yard line.
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In the initial product placement scene, Ali's Camaro is parked next to a silver pickup with the Chevy logo. From then on its a GMC.
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When Bo is first arriving at the 2014 NFL Draft, on a Television Screen in the background there is video of NFL Network with the text "The Pick is In" in it even though the draft was yet to commence.
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The first time they show Bo Callahan's winning touchdown pass, the line of scrimmage was the Ohio State 28 yard line. When they review the same play a second time, the line of scrimmage is the Ohio State 41 yard line.
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After Sony Weaver Jr. calls Bo and asks him about his teammates at his birthday party, Sony gets up from his side table, shuts his office door and walks to his window and sees his mother on the practice field. In the next shot, is Ali standing in his open door way talking to him.
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When Coach Penn flashes his Super Bowl ring at Sonny (from Sonny's POV), Penn has his fist palm side up. When the camera switches to Penn's POV, the fist is palm down.
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At one point while Sunny Weaver is first talking to Ray Jennings, a white truck with "Bonded Services" is passing by. A split screen of Jennings wearing a Florida State uniform running with a football crosses the screen from left to right, and on the other side of the split screen, the truck now has a noticeably longer solid green trailer with no writing.
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When Vontae Mack is driving in Virginia during his phone call with Sonny, he passes The Bertram Inn & Conference Center which is located in Aurora, Ohio.
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Anthony's Cadillac does not have a front license plate, which is required in Ohio.
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None of the Ohio license plates shown have a county registration sticker. This would be a red sticker with a two digit number on the bottom left corner of the license plate indicating the county the vehicle is registered in.
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Sonny's license plate is missing a blue stripe on the bottom of the plate.
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Molina couldn't have made it back from New York City to Cleveland in the time it took from the second pick to the sixth pick. There was only 10 minutes tops for each pick, provided each team used it all before picking. It would've taken 45 minutes to an hour to get back to Cleveland by air, not to mention the time it took him to get from Radio City Music Hall to his jet, and to get from his jet to the training facility.
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You can see Kevin Costner's wedding ring mark (not wearing it) throughout the movie.
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unplanned pregnancy|
AKAs Titles:
Bulgaria (Bulgarian title) - ”ен на подбо€а
Brazil - A Grande Escolha
Canada (French title) - Le repchage
France - Le Pari: Draft Day
Greece - — μεγάλη μέα
Hungary - šjoncok napja
Israel (Hebrew title) - Yom ha'bokher
Mexico - Decisin final
Peru - Decisin final
Poland - Ostatni gwizdek
Portugal - Draft Day: Dia D
Russia - ”енŒ д€а„‚а
Turkey (Turkish title) - Karar Gn
Release Dates:
Certifications:
Canada:PG / Canada:G (Quebec) / Germany:o.Al. / Hong Kong:IIA / Japan:G / Mexico:A / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:NC-16 / South Korea:12 / Thailand:15 / UK:15 / USA:R (original rating) (rating appealed) / USA:PG-13 (re-rating)
Movie Details:
MOVIE
