DRAFT DAY – The Blu Review

When Michael Haffner reviewed DRAFT DAY here at We Are Movie Geeks, he wrote: “DRAFT DAY still serves as a carefree way to get through a Sunday afternoon until the 2014 football season kicks off. A few late in the game twists will make audiences cheer and seeing Costner act as a capable leader for the whole team makes DRAFT DAY an easy win for football fans.” – read all of Michael’s review HERE)

I missed DRAFT DAY on the big screen but just caught up with it on Blu-ray courtesy of the folks at Lionsgate. I was less enthused than Michael. The title doesn’t lie. This film is all about the NFL draft and draft day to a mind-numbing degree. It’s a real ‘inside baseball’ look at the process but I suspect most folks who are not fans of the NFL will find their eyes just glazing over early on. They tried to hammer father/mother and relationship issues in to Kevin Costner’s Sonny Weaver character along the way but it feels tacked on, as if the producers pulled the writer aside and forced it in to the script after it was finished. Weaver’s peripheral romance with Jennifer Garner’s executive lawyer is dull and pointless, as are the conversations with his opinionated mother (Ellen Burstyn). In the lead, Costner remains in the kind of laid-back mode he’s gotten away with in the past, but now just seems lethargic, barely commanding the screen at all. It’s clear that the NFL was in full support of this movie but that spun in to an almost propaganda type cooperation. DRAFT DAY does get somewhat intriguing as the minutes tick down to the televised event the film’s named after, but on balance, DRAFT DAY is one long ESPN/NFL commercial with no depth.

However, hardcore sports fans seemed to have enjoyed it.

Paul Salfen at Fox Sports wrote:

“Kevin Costner is the king of great sports movies. DRAFT DAY is another winner!”

And Verron Haynes, an NFL Running Back said the movie is:

“Masterfully entertaining and completely electrifying. A must-see!”

DRAFT DAY comes to Blu-ray Disc from LionsGate Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that is impeccably sharp and well detailed, offering sweeping panoramics of football fields and offices, delivering excellent fine detail in midrange and close-up shots (several close-ups of Costner are almost unforgiving in revealing the increasingly deep crags in the actor’s face). Colors are generally very accurate looking and frequently pop nicely aided by strong, consistent contrast.

The quality of the audio can be noticed in the scenes with newsrooms, meeting rooms, and overlapping dialog. The track proves impressive for the movie’s many smaller character-driven moments. Like the video, the audio here is quite impressive, and also earns a reference-quality score.

Bonus Features:

–  (HD) On the clock: The making of Draft Day (2 segments totaling 59 minutes)

–  (HD) Welcome to Prime Time – 9 minute featurette

–  Filmmaker audio commentary featuring writers Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman

–  (HD) 5 deleted scenes totaling 8 minutes

–  (HD) Theatrical trailer

–  Bonus DVD

–  Digital HD Copy

Here’s a special clip that’s a nice summary of  Costner’s many sports films:

Though I didn’t care much for DRAFT DAY, it’s a film that seems to know its audience and relishes in the details of the business of sports, and a certain type of sports junkie may find a lot to enjoy.