Tony D'Amato: If you're gonna be a loser, raise your hand. IF you're gonna act like a pussy, raise your hand.
[Julian Washington stands up and raises his hand]
Tony D'Amato: What the hell are you doing, J?
Julian Washington: Well, I didn't want you to be the only pussy with your hand up, so I thought I'd help you out.
I can see a decent sports movie struggling to break free of Oliver Stone's `Any Given Sunday'. It's an entertaining movie that offers both insight and excitement into the rock-em, sock-em profession of pro football. Unfortunately, the director seems to have only one priority on his mind: sprucing up the film with an assortment of fancy camera maneuvers. In altering each frame with quick-flash photography and dizzying, in-your-face editing, Stone appears to have completely ignored the matter of plausible character development and football politics. We see glimpses of greatness, but `Any Given Sunday' has its agenda all tangled in technical gobbledy-gook. It grows tiresome and monotonous. Yes, Stone has pulled a Brian DePalma.
Matters of importance are pushed aside right from the get-go. Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino), coach of the struggling Miami Sharks, finds his team stuck in a losing rut. Aging Quarterback Cap Rooney (Dennis Quaid) appears to be losing his touch, and D'Amato can't seem to ignite any passion in his squad. When Cap is injured on the field, and after a patch of unlikely events occur, third-string QB Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) is brought into the game. Once in the huddle (and this becomes an in-game ritual), Beaman horks all over the field. Nerves, you see. Eventually though, the ancy youngster wins the game for his teammates, sparking his rise to fame in the football world - the endorsements, the music videos, etc. - and Stone straps us in for the jolting ride of behind-the-scenes stress and fury that the business is apparently like. And I believe it. There is some intriguing insight posed, but in the big scheme of things, Stone fumbles the ball.
The problem with the director's visual approach is this: he uses extravagant editing devices when a more conventional approach would have been appropriate. Football is an exciting game to watch, but Stone seems to think dizzying the audience with an assault on the senses will only add to the adrenaline rush. I guess he is mistaken. `Any Given Sunday' is a visual kaleidoscope that leaves the audience in a frustrated stupor more frequently than it excites them. Many football fans (including one I attended with) are liable to be disappointed with the `ultra-stylish' way Stone has decided to present the game.
In return, a three-star film becomes unfortunately degraded due to the director's tampering. In welcome scenes when the visual pummeling comes to a break, this actually shows decent character development and interaction. For instance, heated returns between D'Amato and feisty young owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz) are enjoyable to watch. There is also a solid performance from Jamie Foxx, who experiments with great success in his first trek into dramatic territory. The stellar supporting cast includes Matthew Modine, Aaron Eckhart, Lauren Holly, Ann-Margret and Charlton Heston (in an extraordinarily brief appearance). Unfortunately, too many big names are wasted - a typical demise for a film with such a large and experienced cast.
Pacino makes some interesting progress with his character. You begin to identify with coach D'Amato and the morals he is striving for.... but I often felt he was just another play thing Stone could weave in and out of his editing dynamics. `Any Given Sunday' is a watchable but disappointing sports film in which plot and characters take a back seat to excessive filmmaking technique. And a very distant back seat, at that.
By : Jamey Hughton ( http://Welcome.to/MovieViews )
Source: rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup
Rating: 3
Lately Oliver Stone hasn't been cutting it. His last 2 films were garbage, and I was hoping he would have a come back here. He partly succeeds, but again he gets too fancy and ends up fumbling again. The story is simple, but messy. Head coach Tony D'mato (Al Pacino) is struggling to win. He has a beat up quarterback named Cap Rooney (Dennis Quaid), a severely injured defensive captain named Luther Lavay (Lawrence Taylor) and an extremely moody owner (Cameron Diaz) breathing down his back 24:7. The Miami Sharks needed help, and they got it. When Cap and another QB become injured, their last hope arrived. His name, Beamen (Jamie Foxx)a cocky young player who likes breaking the rules. Even though he helps the team win some games, he is constantly changing the plays, there by angering the team as well as the coach. There are also a few subplots, involving the medical staff (James Woods, Matthew Modine) and a sports writer (John C. Mcginley). Any Given Sunday is similar to For Love Of The Game. Both films work on one level, which is focusing on the game. Outside that, it's one sloppy mess. That's not to say that isn't bad, but it does indeed have many faults. One thing I particularly liked was the message. As Pacino says in the film, he believes there's more to football then winning, but Foxx and other young talents believe otherwise. I couldn't help but feel this was a jab towards Hollywood. Like I have been saying in a few of my past reviews, many directors only make films for money. Profit is all that matters, in other words winning is a must. Aside from those positive aspects, there are many sloppy moments. Director Oliver Stone uses far too many scenes in which more than 1 objective is going on. One moment we're watching the football game, the next a scene from Ben-Hur. His artistic ability has gone down the tubes, and so have his movies. He is no longer one of the top directors in the business as far as I'm concerned. He had his moments of fame with Platoon and JFK, but those days are gone. Another painful element of the film was the length. If it wasn't for Stone's obsession with his artistic approach, the film could have been cut an hour. Did they even edit this thing what so ever? I was completely bored the second half, and even the football matches became a bore. Unlike the Green Mile, this actually seemed like 3 hours Luckily the film isn't a complete waste of time during its 2 hour and 40 minute run, because there's some nice acting along the way, but not by Pacino. In fact Pacino has never been worse. He lacked any charisma for his role here, unlike the Insider. I don't know how an actor does the best acting to one of the worst, it just doesn't seem right. Cameron Diaz however continues to prove she's more than a good looking actress. It's true she overacted a bit, but so did the rest of the cast. At least she put forth some energy towards her part. That's more than I can say for Pacino or even James Woods. They were painfully dull. Any Given Sunday is a mediocre but dreadfully long effort by Stone. If you can get pass the length, the many unneeded scenes, the overacting and Stone's pitiful script, then by all means see it. But for me, it's just another fumble for the holiday season.
