Draft Day

Draft Dayis a 2014 Americansportsdramafilm directed byIvan Reitman,and starringKevin CostnerandJennifer Garner.The premise revolves around the fictionalgeneral managerof theCleveland Browns(Costner) deciding what to do after his team acquires thenumber one draft pickin the upcomingNational Football League Draft.

Draft Day
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ivan Reitman
Written by	Rajiv Joseph Scott Rothman
Produced by	Ivan Reitman Ali Bell Joe Medjuck
Starring	Kevin Costner Jennifer Garner Denis Leary Frank Langella Sam Elliott Ellen Burstyn Chadwick Boseman
Cinematography	Eric Steelberg
Edited by	Sheldon Kahn Dana E. Glauberman
Music by	John Debney
Production companies	Summit Entertainment OddLot Entertainment Montecito Picture Company
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release dates	April 7, 2014(2014-04-07)(Los Angeles) April 11, 2014(2014-04-11)(United States)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25million
Box office	$29.8million

The filmpremieredinLos Angeleson April 7, 2014and was released in the United States on April 11, 2014. It received mixed reviews from critics and was abox office failuregrossing only $29 million against its $25 million budget. The film was Reitman's final directorial effort andJim Brown's final acting role before their deaths in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Plot

On the morning of the2014 NFL Draft,Cleveland Brownsgeneral managerSonny Weaver Jr. must decide how to use the seventh overall pick to improvethe team,but he has other problems on his mind. His semi-secret girlfriend Ali Parker, the team'ssalary capanalyst, is pregnant, and the recent death of Sonny's father causes tension with his mother. Sonny had fired his father, a legendary coach for the Browns which he later admits was for his mother's sake because his father refused to retire even with failing health.

TheSeattle Seahawkshold the first overall draft pick, and general manager Tom Michaels offers to trade it to Sonny; this would allow the Browns to draft highly-ratedWisconsinquarterbackprospect Bo Callahan. Sonny initially declines, but under orders from team owner Anthony Molina to "make a splash," reluctantly makes the deal, trading away the Browns' first-round draft picks for the current season plus the next two years. The unexpected opportunity to obtain Callahan excites Browns fans, but splits the team'sfront officeand players.

The trade goes public after a tweet byOhio StatelinebackerVontae Mack, who had been Sonny's original choice as first pick. Vontae tells Sonny to re-watch college game footage of him and Callahan playing against each other, with Mack coming out on top. Sonny begins to have doubts about Callahan's ability under pressure, and the Browns' investigations also bring Callahan's character into question.

When the draft begins that evening, Sonny agonises over the choice before drafting Vontae Mack at number one.Roger Goodell's announcement of the selection shocks the rest of the league, and disrupts many of their plans for their own picks. Molina is irate and flies back to Cleveland, intent on firing Sonny. Head coach Vince Penn is also incensed and threatens to resign.

Rumors spread about Callahan as other teams avoid selecting him. However, the Seahawks are still in contention to pick Callahan with the seventh pick, and Sonny senses an opportunity. He convinces the rookie general manager of theJacksonville Jaguarsto trade him their pick at six in exchange for the Browns' second-round draft picks for that season plus the next two years. Sonny then calls Michaels; in return for passing on Callahan, Sonny demands his first-round picks back, along withpunt returnerDavid Putney. After fraught negotiations, the Seahawks seal the deal and choose Callahan at sixth pick. With his now-restored seventh pick, Sonny appeases Penn and Molina by selecting skilled running back Ray Jennings ofFlorida State,himself the son of a former Browns player.

Molina and his team celebrate an outstanding draft for the Browns. After the draft party, Sonny reconciles with his mother over his excellent draft performance and her soon-to-be first grandchild.

Cast

• Kevin Costneras Sonny Weaver Jr., thegeneral managerof the Cleveland Browns
• Jennifer Garneras Ali, Browns'finance managerand Sonny’s love interest
• Denis Learyas Coach Penn, head coach of the Browns, replacing Sonny's father
• Frank Langellaas Anthony Molina, owner of the Browns
• Sam Elliottas Coach Moore, head coach of Bo Callahan at theUniversity of Wisconsin
• Sean Combsas Chris Crawford,sports agentrepresenting #1 draft prospect Bo Callahan
• Terry Crewsas Earl Jennings, retiredHall of FameBrowns player
• Ellen Burstynas Barb Weaver, Sonny’s mother
• Chadwick Bosemanas Vontae Mack, a top draft prospect, linebacker fromOhio State University
• Rosanna Arquetteas Angie, Sonny’s ex wife
• W. Earl Brownas Ralph Mowry, the Browns' Director Of Security
• Kevin Dunnas Marvin, the Browns' chief representative at the NFL Draft
• Arian Fosteras Ray Jennings, draft prospect, running back fromFlorida State University,Earl's son
• Brad William Henkeas Tony 'Bagel' Bagli, the Browns' strength and conditioning coach
• Chi McBrideas Walt Gordon, team president of theSeattle Seahawks
• Griffin Newmanas Rick the Intern
• Josh Penceas Bo Callahan,Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from University of Wisconsin
• David Ramseyas Thompson, member of the Browns' draft day war room
• Patrick St. Espritas Tom Michaels, general manager of the Seattle Seahawks
• Timothy Simonsas Marx, member of the Browns' war room
• Tom Wellingas Brian Drew, the Browns' starting quarterback from the previous year
• Wade Williamsas O'Reilly, member of the Browns' war room
• Tony Rizzo as himself, Radio analyst for ESPN Cleveland
• Aaron Goldhammer as himself, Radio analyst for ESPN Cleveland

As well, a number of NFL players, executives and sportscasters had cameo appearances as themselves, including:Chris Berman,Russ Brandon,Jim Brown,Rich Eisen,Roger Goodell,Jon Gruden,Bernie Kosar,Ray LewisandAlex Marvez.

Production

Draft Daywriters, Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman, met while attending graduate school at New York University. They bonded over their love of both writing and football and joked around about the idea of creating something together. It wasn’t until years later, a mutual friend of theirs mentioned that despite not being a fan of football, she found watching the NFL Draft enjoyable. This led Joseph and Rothman to get into contact with the then general manager of the New York Jets, Mike Tannenbaum. They had a call with him and asked him many questions about what the environment of Draft Day was like for the managers. They quickly realized that despite their love of football, they had no idea the way that the Draft played out. They continued to think about a possible story they could tell and what characters or plots they could bring to a football movie. The two writers eventually wrote a very rushed first screenplay ofDraft Dayto submit to the Sundance Institute for a Screenwriter’s Lab in September of 2011. They were not accepted into the program, but were able to spend more time revising the script.

After some revising, the writer duo were able to meet with a producer in LA and were told that the script was not good and would never be made. However, things began looking up forDraft Daywhen director Ivan Reitman contacted the writers and told them he wanted to make their movie. Paramount Pictures was originally set to produce the film, but dropped out, leaving the team at a loss of what to do. Reitman was convinced the movie could be a major production, and eventually got Oddlot Entertainment and Summit Entertainment on board.

When the idea was first made public, the film was to be centered on theBuffalo Bills,but the studio subsequently changed it to theCleveland Brownsbecause of cheaper production costs inOhio.

Typically, screenwriters are not needed after the movie goes into production, however Joseph and Rothman were called to set nearly daily to meet with star Kevin Costner to go over the script and make any needed adjustments. Because of this, the script was often changed on the fly during the shooting days.

The first day of filming took place during the day of the actual 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. ActualSportCentercasters Chris Berman and Mel Kiper, as well as the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell read lines for the movie right before the actual draft started.Crowd reactions of fans at the actual2013 NFL draft,as well as Cleveland Browns fans at local bars, were filmed. Cameos with real-life NFL figures such as league commissionerRoger GoodellandESPNsportscasterChris Bermanwere filmed before and after the draft took place. The rest of the film began filming on May 8, 2013.

2014 NFL Draft

As in the film, theCleveland Brownsmade splashes at the draft, trading up to select quarterbackJohnny Manzielwith the 22nd pick. The team also made several deals, trading away their fourth pick to theBuffalo Billsfor their ninth pick, as well as their 2015 first round pick. They later traded up to the eighth pick to draftJustin Gilbert.Finally, after watching Manziel drop farther than projected, they again traded up for the 22nd pick.Chris Berman,who played himself in the fictionalized draft, commented at the2014 NFL draftthat the events surrounding the Cleveland Browns were more exciting than the film. Unlike the film, the Browns selected the much-hypedHeisman Trophywinning quarterback, as opposed to passing on Bo Callahan, the fictionalized first pick favorite.

Marketing

The first poster andtrailerfor the film were released on December 23, 2013.

Reception

Critical response

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,60% of 160 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "It's perfectly pleasant for sports buffs and Costner fans, but overall,Draft Daylives down to its title by relying too heavily on the sort of by-the-numbers storytelling that only a statistician could love. "Metacritic,which uses aweighted average,assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Chicago Sun-TimescriticRichard Roepergave the film a "B", stating the film is "a sentimental, predictable, sometimes implausible but thoroughly entertaining, old-fashioned piece."

Ian Rapoport,anNFL Network Insiderwho held multiple brief cameos throughout the film, admitted that there are “plenty of things that aren’t exactly the way it goes” within the actual drafting process. And then goes on to praise the film on how NFLgeneral managers“do talk about trades as they did during the movie,” and the honest discussions real people may have.

On the contrary, Jack Hamilton ofSlatewas harshly critical. "The 'filmmaking' here consists of making sure the camera is pointed at people who are explaining the film's plot to one another,preferably while they are wearing logos and standing in front of more logos,"he wrote. He suggested the NFL's involvement had made the film too upbeat." [It] isn't so much a movie as a movielike infomercial for the kinder, gentler NFL... In the wake of labor strife, off-field scandals, and the ongoingCTE concussions crisis,the NFL is doubling down on its fantasy of paternalism, andDraft Dayis that fantasy's porn film. "

FormerGreen Bay Packersvice president Andrew Brandt criticizedDraft Dayas "lacking any true depiction of how an NFL team operates leading up to and during the draft", and less realistic about the business of sports thanJerry MaguireandMoneyball.Riley McAtee, writing forThe Ringer,noted that the Browns burdened themselves with an additional $7million in annual salary (as stated by a Seahawks executive in the film) to the fictional Mack – a player who would have been lucky to be drafted 15th overall, compounded by the fact that the Browns have also deprived the fictional Callahan of $7million in annual salary that he, not Mack, should be making: McAtee also notes the complete ineptness of the fictional executives of the Seahawks and Jaguars, making bad deal after bad deal, calling the latter the equivalent of "a kid who just wet his pants".

The screenplay was the number one script on the2012 Black Listsurvey of unproduced screenplays. Writing forWhatCulture,David Hynes listed it as the 10th best script of the 2010s, arguing that it "follows one of the central tenets of screenwriting which is, 'thou shalt make things as hard as possible for your protagonist'". However, he felt that the film's execution failed to deliver on a script that was "as good as it gets."

Release

Domestic box office

$28.8 million was grossed domestically (United States and Canada) over 37 weeks.Draft Daygrossed around $9.8 million during the film’s opening weekend, representing 34% of the $29.8 million worldwide total,against a budget of $25million.It spent its first two weeks in the Top 10 at the domestic box office, before quickly dropping to the Top 58th nearing the end of its theatrical release cycle.

Domestic video sales

Based on total market estimates collected byThe Numbers,a film industry statistic site that utilizes data to provide real analytics,Draft Dayis estimated to have earned $12.1 million in Domestic Video Sales.

International box office

Close to $1 million was earned in international box offices, asMexicoandVenezuelaare responsible for over half of these earnings. Even though American football is predominantly popular within the U.S., Vietnam released the movie on June 27, 2014, with just a few ticket sales amassing $878.

Digital release

Prime Video,Apple TV+,andHBO Maxare all streaming platforms for the film, as well as free-with-ads on anyRokustreaming service.

Analysis

Regarding sports in the United States, the NFL draft is one of the most celebrated and anticipated cultural phenomena. Steve Persall from theTampa Bay Times,remains very opinionated about the shortcomings of the film, claiming that “[t]his movie doesn’t even trust the viewers to know where teams play” as each city is introduced with their relativemascot.Other critics dissected and compared the less-than-realistic happenings within the film to their NFL Draft counterparts. For example, most of the info-gathering occurs on the final day of the draft when real NFL Draft decisions take months of research and planning. These details are simple to overlook during the production of a multi-million-dollar movie, as Ian Rapoport is recorded sharing his awareness of the film's inaccuracies stating that "Hollywood does its thing".With the inclusion of an underdeveloped love story amid heavy sports talk, the film strays from capitalizing on die-hard NFL fans before the film is even released.

The film itself is also treated similarly to the NFL Draft, many scenes play like advertisements, with logo after logo being shoved in the viewer’s face, along with loud visuals that “give the viewer the impression they’re watching something truly important.”The NFL Draft provides tens of millions of dollars to first picks,but these large-scale stakes are difficult to convey in a two-hour film.

See also

• List of American football films

External links

• Draft DayatIMDb
• Draft DayatAllMovie