It's less than 13 hours before the start of the NFL draft. Seattle Seahawks Walt Gordon (Chi McBride) is looking to trade away the number one draft which is sure to be quarterback Bo Callanhan. Cleveland Browns GM Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) has the number seventh pick and is under tremendous pressure from owner Anthony Molina (Frank Langella). He struggles in the shadow of his legendary father coach and against the loud-mouth present-day coach Penn (Denis Leary). Ali (Jennifer Garner) just told him that he's going to a dad. Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman) is desperate to get picked high and is Sonny's preferred candidate. Earl Jennings (Terry Crews) is the father of lineman Ray Jennings (Arian Foster) who got into some gang trouble. Chris Crawford (Sean Combs) is Bo's agent. Then Sonny's mother Barb (Ellen Burstyn) comes with his ex Angie (Rosanna Arquette) to sprinkle his father's ashes on the field.

I don't know how a real NFL teams operates but these guys look amateurish. Maybe that's the compelling part about the story. It's a movie about a dysfunctional messy team. The deficiency here is in Sonny. He should be flawed but he shouldn't so flustered. Every move he makes is a struggle. Instead of working the draft or working the deals, he gets sidetracked by everybody and everything. Kevin Costner is trying squeeze every moment of melodrama. It is simply too over-written like a football soap opera. The draft drama is pretty good and salvages it from being completely soapy. It's no accident that Costner's character seems to come alive at that point. It's where the real drama occurs rather than some of the made up ones before then. The worst being his father's ashes like his mother wouldn't care that it's a horribly important day.

I remember when my Vikings decided not to pick Warren Sapp in the first round because they had concerns about some marijuana use at one time. They ended up getting some other sap who lasted one year. The former is Hall of Fame material. So when we get to see Kevin Costner, the general manager, wheel and deal on draft day, it's not so far fetched. What bothered me were that among the other general managers such weak kneed, fearful characters. Granted, they are under tremendous pressure, but they seemed pretty poor choices for this job. That said, it was really fun to watch the whole process unfold in a kind of docudrama way with the likes of Chris Berman and Mel Kiper around. The big show at Radio City Music Hall. The interaction between Costner and players he is interested in, the tradition in his family (he once fired his own father, but that's another issue) and the "friendships" among the general managers trying to outfox one another make this fun. There is a sappy romance and a bunch of family pressure that I could have done without. The scene concerning the father's ashes on the day of the draft is idiotic. Things are also a bit contrived but aren't most movies? Costner is fairly convincing, butting heads with his head coach and the other members of the Cleveland Brown brain trust. It is suspenseful and worth watching.

The film centers around Sonny Weaver jr. (Kevin Costner) the GM of the Cleveland Browns on draft day. Sonny's dad recently died, he has girl friend (Jennifer Garner) issues, and he doesn't consult the head coach (Denis Leary) on deals. The character build up is light and unlike comparable films like "Money Ball" the players are all fictional.

The film is supposed to be behind the scenes on draft day, but wasn't believable, especially the part with players calling the GM on draft day wanting to play in Cleveland...not Dallas. Costner makes a deal he comes to regret, finding himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place and needs to do some dealing to keep his job.

I did not find the fictional drama very engaging. A more fun film could have been quirky die hard draft fans showing up expecting their team to get Ricky Williams and winding up with McNabb. Indeed this film could have included that quirky fan element as a subplot to lighten things up and relieve the boredom that builds with the mock drama. Costner was boring. They needed a better lead.

Recommend as a rental only and I love football.