Movie Review by Nigel A. Messenger
Starring: Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, James Woods, Jamie Foxx
Director: Oliver Stone
A story about football, we’re talking American Football here, not soccer. The game itself, the players, the coach, the quarterback, the management.
Cameron Diaz is the team’s (The Sharks) owner, who has inherited not only the team from her father, but also his obsession with the game. She wants to win at any cost, and she’s ambitious, very ambitious. Al Pacino is the coach, he stands between the players and the management. He’s been in the game a long time and he knows what it is to be part of the team. Dennis Quaid is the quarterback, although injured at the beginning of the movie he’s still got a couple of good years left in him, his wife knows it, even if his mind has had enough. Jamie Foxx is the young maverick quarterback. He takes over from an injured Dennis Quaid but he doesn’t take his place. He does things his own way as he’s not a team player, not yet. He doesn’t lead, but is good, he’ll save the game all by himself.
These are just a few of the many characters this film is about, but it’s not just about people. It’s about the team, the excitement, the winning and the losing, everything that is “football”. ANY GIVEN SUNDAY is an amazing movie. It shows everything from the violence on field to the gorgeous cheerleaders. But most of all ANY GIVEN SUNDAY portrays to the audience what I can only imagine as the true feeling of the game. You don’t have to be a football fan to appreciate this movie, although it helps. The performances from all the cast are excellent and the direction from Oliver Stone is a direct hit.
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY is an amazing movie.
