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Any Given Sunday

Starring: Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz
Director: Oliver Stone
Genre: Drama
Year: 1999
Rating: 3 / 5

Any Given Sunday is the grittiest, most realistic film ever made about football. It captures the raw emotion of the players on the field, the brutal temperament of the sport, and the unforgiving nature of the modern game. That being said, Any Given Sunday is not a terribly entertaining film. Director Oliver Stone produces a fine picture, complete with all the major players in today's financially-driven sporting world. He shows us the cutthroat nature of the business, both on the field and in the sky boxes. Yet, in his attempt to make the viewer see the true essence of football on the cusp of the twenty-first century, Stone desensitizes us so much that we care little for the characters he throws before us. We are left to watch the mind-numbing violence in solitude, not even remembering whether we are supposed to feel anything or not.

Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) is old school, a coach whose track record dates back to the 1960s. His team, the Miami Sharks, is four years removed from the Pantheon Cup and is mired in a horrendous losing skid. As the film opens, we see former league MVP Jack "Cap" Rooney (Dennis Quaid) crushed by a pair of defenders, knocking him out the game. A fluke injury to Rooney's backup forces D'Amato to send in green quarterback Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx), a man so nervous he vomits as soon as he reaches the huddle. Beaman is raw athleticism, unbridled energy, even if he does not know one lick of the playbook. Unfortunately for the Sharks, he is their last available option.

Surprisingly, Willie Beaman leads a stunning resurgence, and the Sharks suddenly find themselves in playoff contention yet again. The problem is that Beaman does things his own way, going so far as to deliberately undermine the play calls of his offensive coordinator and D'Amato. This leads to a contentious relationship between the head coach and his new star, a situation only magnified because the team's owner (Cameron Diaz) views her new quarterback as a potential cash cow. D'Amato is left to fight his owner and his quarterback for control of a team that was once purely his own, all the while wondering if the game has passed him by.

The acting in Any Given Sunday is a mixed bag, with some performances truly sparkling and others barely noteworthy. Al Pacino delivers his usual fiery portrayal, though he is arguably less flamboyant than usual. Dennis Quaid is seriously underwritten as the aging quarterback on the downside of his career. However, his role seems downright juicy next to the stereotypical team doctor portrayed by James Woods. The true breakout performance comes from Jamie Foxx, as we see not only his confidence and swagger, but also his struggle for respect and an opportunity. Stone crafts his film in a way that his audience cannot help but grimace at the current state of the game. Yet Americans still watch professional football, albeit not to the same degree that we once did. That is because we are still entertained by the game, something which cannot fully be said about Any Given Sunday.

Cast:

Certification: Rated R for language.
Running Time: 162 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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