'Draft Day'

Sports are a cheap shot into making a film emotional. They begin with some sort of adversity, such as race or socioeconomic status. Then the audience is propelled into a moving story of brotherhood or sisterhood as the team finally unites to defeat the opponent in an epic game that comes down to the final seconds.

Well, “Draft Day” is no “Remember the Titans” or “A League of Their Own.” “Draft Day” is a film for the pure-hearted football fangirl, with about as much depth as the turf the sport is played on.

Kevin Costner plays Sonny Weaver Jr., the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. Sonny is going through a lot. His father just died and his girlfriend, Ali (Jennifer Garner) is pregnant. But most importantly, it’s Draft Day, and as the general manager, it is Sonny’s job to select the future players for the Browns.

Tired of doing what everyone expects or asks of him, Sonny decides to take some risks that could put his and the team’s future in jeopardy.

I actually enjoyed “Draft Day” for some reason I still can’t fathom. I was entertained throughout the film and satisfied with the ending. But when I broke it down, I had to admit it was a bad movie.

“Draft Day” is about delivering an authentic look into the NFL draft. The entire film takes place throughout the course of the most stressful day in the NFL. The film begins agonizingly slow and builds speed throughout Sonny’s day up until the time of the draft.

Non-sports fans are isolated in the film’s overuse of football jargon. And if you don’t understand how the draft works, you will be endlessly lost.

Sadly, the film tries to wrangle those lost audience members back in through unnecessary emotional plot pulls. As if Sonny’s day isn’t stressful enough, his father’s death is continuously brought up, and he has to watch his pregnant girlfriend walk around the office angry at him for not being thrilled at the thought of being a father.

These plot points are so underdeveloped, they’re insulting.

The most annoying part of “Draft Day” was a poorly-chosen editing technique. I don’t know what director Ivan Reitman was thinking, but he lets a thick black line cross the picture to transition scenes and split the screen during phone calls.

Worse, while on the phone the characters’ bodies go over the line and into the each other’s scene. It’s cringe worthy.

There is no point to “Draft Day.” There is no antagonist, just Sonny dealing with his stressful life, which isn’t a good story. There is no epic game to look forward to, just some phone calls between middle-aged white men spitting football statistics.

“Draft Day” is basically just one long, expensive promo for the NFL draft. So let me save you some time and money and tell you the draft begins May 8. You’re welcome.