Hit and miss, certainly, but intense stuff.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:116
Fresh:56
Rotten:60
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Sometimes entertaining, but overall Any Given Sunday is a disappointment coming from Oliver Stone.
Runtime: 2 hrs 58 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Oliver Stone delves into his love-hate relationship with pro football in this high-impact film, thriving on the game's adrenaline rush while revealing its ultimate corruption. When legendary Miami... Oliver Stone delves into his love-hate relationship with pro football in this high-impact film, thriving on the game's adrenaline rush while revealing its ultimate corruption. When legendary Miami Sharks quarterback Cap Rooney (Dennis Quaid) is badly injured in a game, coach Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) is forced to reach deep into his bench for Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx). The third-stringer's injury-plagued career and difficulty with maintaining focus make him a dubious commodity at best. But Beamen, aware of what this opportunity could mean, starts playing at a much higher level than ever before, planting championship hopes in the minds of Miami fans. The extraordinary success of Beamen, an athlete whose flamboyance contradicts everything the Lombardi-like D'Amato believes about the game, makes the coach wonder whether his time is passing. To add to his problems, Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), a young woman who has inherited ownership of the team from her late father, is pressuring him to win now, and at any cost. Will D'Amato be able to pull the team together for a final run at the championship? The film conveys a vivid sense of the atmosphere of pro football and features a finely modulated performance by Pacino. [More]
Starring: Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx
Starring: Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, James Woods, Matthew Modine, Ann-Margret, Bill Bellamy, Elizabeth Berkley, Jim Caviezel, Aaron Eckhart, Charlton Heston, Lauren Holly, John C. McGinley, Lela Rochon, Lawrence Taylor
Director: Oliver Stone
Director: Oliver Stone
Screenwriter: Oliver Stone, John Logan
Producer: Dan Halsted, Lauren Shuler Donner, Oliver Stone, Clayton Townsend
Composer: Richard Horowitz
Reviews for Any Given Sunday
Despite the film's multifarious faults, which also include a truly rotten cameo from Stone himself as a sports commentator, there can be no argument that this is one of the most visually exciting experiences you will have this year...
Any Given Sunday is content to document, observe and convey. While it does all these things well, a little more passion would not have gone amiss.
Any Given Sunday may fall on its face a few times during the game, but wouldn't you rather watch a team going recklessly for the touchdown than playing safely for time?
Amidst all the drama, there are comedic moments, such as the Sharks' version of the self-congratulatory end zone dance the Dirty Bird, the metal-vs.-rap locker room debate and the loose crocodile in the shower.
A solidly-acted action-drama hybrid whose cartoonish asides largely undermine the greater subtext.
Taken as a whole, Any Given Sunday is probably the most purely enjoyable movie that Stone has ever made.
This pumped up ensemble piece is a boiling sea of adrenaline, testosterone (with estrogen in the back office), and pain during the Sunday Gladiatorial spectacle of American football.
Never transcending the cliches and predictability of its genre, but also maintaining a level of excitement with its likeable, engaging characters.
...the movie remains watchable if only for Pacino's amazing performance and the action-packed football sequences.
I could hardly take my eyes off the screen. It's unflinchingly real, but explosively entertaining, too.
Latest News for Any Given Sunday
July 15, 2005:
LL Cool J Finds a Multi-Pic Home at Lions Gate
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of a deal between actor/rapper LL Cool J and Lions Gate Films. Although the exact numbers have not been released, Mr. J (born as: James Todd... More...
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