ANY GIVEN SUNDAY

Cole's Rating: ★★★

Jesse's Rating: ★★★ ½
Thatcher's Rating: ★★★

Director: Oliver Stone
Year: 1999

Cast: Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid

Genre: Sports/Drama

MPAA Rating: R

        Incredibly detailed, unconditionally enjoyable, yet over length, and in need of editing, that pretty well sums up Any Given Sunday, a 1999 sports film that's not really about sports; yet that benefits it in the long run. It's epic in some people's books, and entirely unappealing to others, but one thing is for sure: it's something moviegoers hadn't yet seen.

       The cast is one of the major factors that makes this movie what it is. Before this, Jamie Foxx hadn't been much of an actor, so this is his big moment of stardom in the film industry (later comes Collateral, Ray, and Django Unchained). His character was the cocky Willie Beamen, back-up quarterback of the Miami Sharks. The film deeply delves into the relationship between his coach, Tony D’Amato, played by Al Pacino, who I found to be a very amusing and wise character; this resulted in the ultimate factor for any film (the main character being very likable and entertaining), the ideal piece of work for any director. It was similar to a father-son’s relationship—but wouldn't that be Dennis Quaid's character's relationship with D'Amato? That's the great thing about this, there's so much to look at when it comes to character variety. Oliver Stone has tattooed the film industry in many different ways, and while Any Given Sunday isn't his best work, he still shows us that he's capable of producing movies in every way shape or form. That may be the most important thing to think about when you're watching Any Given Sunday.

        So where does the movie fall short? Well, it doesn't fall short on length; that's for sure. With a running time of 165 minutes, this movie leaves out nothing that it could have. My Uncle Jesse is a moviegoer who pays attention to detail, and he likes football. You can connect the dots from there, he loves this movie (in fact, it's on his top twenty of all time). If you're like him, this is your cup of tea. If not, don't go into it expecting to fall in love with it, because chances are, you won't. 

-Written by Cole Pollyea

Jesse's Thoughts: In the 90's, Oliver Stone was one heck of a filmmaker. Any Given Sunday represents the last great film he made from that era. He takes his flashy, disorienting, off the cuff style from his movies JFK, The Doors, and U-Turn, and applies it to the bone crunching game of football. The dude also likes to wrap up his films sort of abruptly (even though they’re normally over two hours long) as evident in Any Given Sunday (all the characters who have conflicts between each other suddenly learn to get along 20 minutes before things end). But know this, from the opening scene you'll find out that what you get is an in your face, down and dirty depiction of the most popular sport in America. As usual, Stone literally pulls out all the stops. And with all of his movies, he gets the most out of his actors (at the time Jamie Foxx was not much of one but he sure does shine here). From multiple viewings, I can tell you that this flick is an invigorating and explosive ride. If you saw it back in 1999, you'd realize that Oliver Stone could make an effective movie about any subject. It's just a shame that he hasn't risen to the occasion since.