Movie Info

Any Given Sunday - "Life is a contact sport."

I've never really been interested in American football. I never really enjoyed watching football games on television and the Super Bowl wasn't all that appealing to me. Truth be told, I never understood the complexities of the game. To me, American football was about guys dressing up in armour and knocking each other out.

I remember when I first watched Any Given Sunday. I didn't even realize that the movie was two and a half hours longs. The movie was amazing. I was fully enthralled in the world of American football. Oliver Stone managed to put you right there on the field and he successfully captured the "rush" of playing professional football. I recall that I watched the Super Bowl that same year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Now I'm not an avid football fan, but I've learned to respect the game and the people involved.

Any Given Sunday is an intense sports drama that keeps on hitting you over the course of 2 and a half hours. As a viewer, I didn't have to know much about football to understand and enjoy the movie. Oliver Stone captured professional football and it literally enthralled me to learn more. The fast paced lives of the football players, coaches, doctors, etc. and how eventually the lifestyle catches up to of them.

The movie has Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) as the coach of the Miami Sharks, a fictional team in the fictional league. Tony has been the coach of the Sharks for years and is pressured by owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz) to win at any costs to increase the value of her team. The movie also has aging quarterback Cap Rooney (Dennis Quaid) getting injured and third string quarterback Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) taking over the reins. Beaman's rise to stardom makes him cocky and arrogant which leads him to face off with Cap.

The movie is about the new taking over the old. Christina and Beaman both think Tony is outdated and needs to be replaced. Beaman is quickly engulf by fame and wealth and learns the hard way that football is a team sport. Beaman eventually learns from Cap about the responsibilities of being a team leader. There's also a great subplot with the medical staff of the Sharks. James Woods plays Dr. Harvey Mandrake, the seasoned team doctor who seems to care more about money than ethics. Dr. Ollie Powers is Harvey's nephew and he's fresh out of medical school. He sees the ethical lapses in Harvey's decisions and eventually confronts him.

Oliver Stone packs this movie with intense moments and the all-star cast doesn't try to outperform each other. Pacino shows again why he is one of the best actors out there. The surprise for me was Cameron Diaz. I normally do not like her in movies but she had a serious role and her performance was great. There are even rumours that the fight between LL Cool J and Jamie Foxx was real. Real or not, the onscreen chemistry of the actors made this film work for me.

I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who likes sports dramas like Jerry Maguire and Varsity Blues or anyone who just enjoys a good fast paced movie. For those looking for epic dramas such as Coach Carter or Remember The Titans, I would still watch this movie, but I wouldn't expect any tear-jerking moments. As for a rating, I give Any Given Sunday six out of seven.

Dragoncrypt