Director Ivan Reitman, known primarily for his comedies like Stripes, Twins, and Ghostbusters, ventured into new territory with his 2014 sports drama, Draft Day. The movie, Reitman’s final directorial project prior to his death in 2022, focuses on the NFL’s Draft Day, when professional American football teams pick the best new players to join their franchises through a dramatic drafting process.
“Thirty-two teams, seven rounds, 224 young men who, today, are about to become players in the National Football League. A day where lives are changed, fates are decided, dynasties are born, and the clock is always ticking. Of course, I’m talking about… Draft Day.”
‘Draft Day’ Is Full of More Familiar Faces Than Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner, in one of his most underrated movies, stars in the lead role as Cleveland Browns’ General Manager Sonny Weaver Jr., whose Draft Day is thrown into chaos when the Seattle Seahawks trade him their number one pick. The opportunity to get star quarterback Bo Callahan on his team (played by Josh Pence, a real Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Wisconsin), is too big to pass up. What follows is a drama-filled day as Sonny makes decisions that upset his current team, the Browns’ owner (Frank Langella), the head coach (Denis Leary), and the city of Cleveland. He’s under immense pressure to live up to his family’s legacy as his father, the Browns’ beloved coach Sonny Weaver Sr., died just days earlier.
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Draft Day creates a sense of authenticity by including real footage from Radio City Music Hall in NYC on Draft Day 2013 and casting recognizable football faces in the movie — including ESPN radio hosts Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer, NFL announcers, and several cameo appearances from current and previous players. In fact, Draft Day was the last film appearance of Cleveland Browns alum, civil rights activist, and actor Jim Brown before his death in 2023. The movie also boasts a solid cast with the late Chadwick Boseman playing the role of Vantae Mack, a linebacker who is trying to get drafted to the Browns, and brief appearances by other A-listers like Sam Elliott, Terry Crews, Ellen Burstyn, and Rosanna Arquette.
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However, the true highlight of the movie is Jennifer Garner in the role of Ali, the Browns’ finance manager and Sonny’s secret girlfriend. She brings a much-needed break in testosterone to the screen and keeps a cool head while everyone else seems to collectively lose their minds. She spends the day keeping the team’s financial cap in check, showing off her extensive football knowledge, keeping her colleagues in their place, and acting as Sonny’s emotional soundboard — and doing it in six-inch heels. Only adding to the stress of the day is her announcement to Sonny that she’s pregnant, putting the fate of their relationship in as much question as the team’s roster.
Does ‘Draft Day’ Do Justice to the Real Thing?
When Draft Day first premiered, reactions from football professionals were mixed, with some claiming it wasn’t an accurate representation of what Draft Day is really like and others saying they’ve witnessed real conversations that mirror the ones in the script. Ultimately, it’s necessary for Hollywood to take some creative liberties when depicting fictionalized versions of real events in order to ramp up the drama for entertainment purposes. For example, teams do months’ worth of research into their prospective picks leading up to the draft, but the Browns do plenty of last-minute sleuthing in the movie after being traded the first pick. Their decisions throw all the other teams’ plans into disarray and cause chaos across the country.
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The literal ticking clock in the movie creates a built-in sense of urgency as the executives of the 32 NFL teams make multi-million-dollar, life-changing decisions on the fly — occasionally acting in consideration of their ego in addition to what’s in the best interest of their franchise. (“I want my picks back, and I want David God*amn Putney, just because I feel like it.”)
Director Ivan Reitman Championed the Project
It turns out that Draft Day might not have even been made if it hadn’t been for Ivan Reitman seeing its potential when others in the industry had passed on the project. He explained to Collider, “By the time I got to the last few pages [of the script], I knew this was something I wanted to direct. I can’t really tell you now why that was. I didn’t think it was necessarily going to be a big hit or be commercial, but I knew it was a good story.” Ultimately, Reitman’s belief in the project led to one of the best football movies of all time. Reitman continued:
I’m a football fan. I’m a sports fan, in general, but it’s not like I was looking to make a movie about the NFL. It just moved me. I got emotionally involved. I didn’t know how it was going to end as I was reading it, which is something that I really appreciate.
‘Draft Day’ Can Be Enjoyed By Anyone
To the director’s point, the beauty of Draft Day is that it doesn’t require you to be interested in football in order to become invested in the story. Though the movie is considered a must-watch for sports fans, it was particularly well-received by non-sports fans, who were able to enjoy the drama of the story without needing any inside knowledge. It can be debated whether any of the teams or players come out on the other side of Draft Day in a better position than they would have prior to Sonny’s antics, but the movie’s suspense keeps viewers in rapt attention, if for no other reason than to discover how it all plays out.
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Ultimately, Draft Day is a story about underdogs taking their power back, giants being put in their place, and building hope for the future. It’s a solid Hollywood flick that isn’t trying to be anything other than what it is. If you’re interested in a lighthearted, easy watch with a good dose of excitement and a dash of heartwarming growth (and a lot of football chatter), Draft Day is streaming on Netflix starting April 1, 2025. Watch it through the link below: