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Critics Consensus: Sometimes entertaining, but overall Any Given Sunday is a disappointment coming from Oliver Stone.
Critic Consensus: Sometimes entertaining, but overall Any Given Sunday is a disappointment coming from Oliver Stone.
All Critics (121) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (59) | DVD (10)
Almost three hours of this jitter deteriorates from bravura filmmaking to annoying mannerism, and Any Given Sunday ends up less than the sum of its many, often interesting parts.
A meathead burlesque.
Choc-a-bloc with manly blather about sacrifice and honour and rugged individuals pulling together for the greater glory of the team.
We're reminded that very little movie material is original until actors transform it from cliches into particulars.
Most interesting are images of dangerous play as the players themselves see it.
Big, bold, brash and occasionally brilliant.
The film has an entirely compelling emptiness and exhaustion.
A richly composed and well acted ensemble piece...
Stone's blend of mayhem and sensuality-which doesn't shy away from the eroticism of athletes-is a refreshing alternative to the solemnity of most sports dramas.
Stone isn't interested in merely bashing modern football: Any Given Sunday looks at the best and worst of the sport. [Blu-ray]
...it's hard to tell if Stone was making a serious sports movie here or a parody of a sports movie.
Hit and miss, certainly, but intense stuff.
Oliver Stone brings his unique style to the sports drama in his 1998 film Any Given Sunday. The film wastes no time to get into the face of the action. Cinematographer Salvatore Totino plunges the camera right into it, and the movements are fast, confusing and all over the map. Despite this, there are still some interesting shots of in depth Football footage, and it's cool to see, if you can get past the frantic pace. However this is an awful sports film that had potential of being a great film. Unfortunately, the script lacks anything that is interesting in terms of a truly compelling sports film. Oliver Stone tries far too hard at delivering a film that all testosterone and no substance. There's nothing on-screen to appeal to viewers and sports drama enthusiasts. Any Given Sunday is forgettable in the long run, and it definitely doesn't stand out among other sports classics. Oliver Stone misses the mark with this movie, and he is better with conceiving kinetic action flicks like Natural Born Killers than making Sports dramas. This was really the start of a creative rut for Stone, and he would not recapture that energy until 2006's World Trade Center. This movie is just a collection of sports clichés and wasted talent. Oliver Stone has made one of his worst films with this one and it fails in terms of a truly compelling plot and effective performances. I really didn't enjoy this one, and though it had great Football footage, it wasn't enough to deliver a truly memorable sport drama. Stone is a good director, but with this genre, he should never touch another film like this. The material was lacking, the talent was there, but ultimately the execution was poor and ultimately not worth your time. At one point near the ending, we see a sports caster played by director Oliver Stone shake his head as if he realized his film was bad, and it is.
Super Reviewer
Wonderful cast. Wonderful director. Woeful film. I really thought I was going to like this, considering the talent involved and the fact that American sports tend to be good stock for film material. Sadly not on this occasion. Al Pacino plays Tony D'Amato, a coach for the fictional Miami Sharks, a team who have hit a real slump in form and are struggling to hold their own on the football pitch. The team has too many Chiefs and not enough Indians and D'Amato not only has to manage the on-field antics of his players but also the off-field antics and spiraling ego's. This is all done with new hard-ass owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz) breathing down D'Amato's neck demanding results. There is such a brash in-your-face kinetic energy to this film that you dont get a minute to relax throughout it. Pacino has several of his usual in-your-face rants, Oliver Stone's direction and dreadful cameo are in-your-face, the sharp and edgy editing is in-your-face. The whole exhibitionist sport is in-your-face. So much so, that it becomes very abusive and quite frankly, tiresome very early on. Added to this, the film goes on for at least an hour over its recommended running time, bombarding us with some very high testosterone and machismo. The only positives rest with the impressive use of close contact football scenes, complete with disorientation and crunching tackles and the fine cast, particulary Cameron Diaz who shows she can match the rants and aggression of Pacino, who's one of the best in the business. It's just disappointing that the film couldn't supply the great ensemble with some material to work with. On Any Given Sunday, I'd avoid this stinker.
Never before has something I have no interest in, been so exciting. I'm not a real fan of any sport and American Football is something I find mostly dull. Stone manages to create an instantly unforgettable opening. He knows sports movies will only play to a certain crowd, so he dives into the world of football, not just the sport itself. We're taken on a fast and frantic tour. We see the game itself, the commentators, the journalists, the business women, the coaches etc. It makes the game feel so technical and calculated that it really feels like a battle. Over the course of the film we also get glimpses of the medical aspect and even the religious side. The character drama is also present. Every ying has a yang and all sides are represented fairly. The editing and acting are both powerful and used sparingly. The script itself gives enough time to each character and situation and has some excellent dialog. All star cast in an all star film that isn't just for American Football fans.
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