Mr. Stone’s football Opus

The National Football League is an icon all it’s own. It has it’s warriors, it’s fallen and fading heroes, and it’s past glory, present turmoil, and always uncertain future…hence anything can happen on any given Sunday. The Teams portrayed in this movie are fictional. That is because The NFL wouldn’t endorse the film. Like the series “Playmakers”, they hate it when someone is showing the behind the scenes drama that really takes place off the field. Funny how the truth hurts, isn’t it?

That is okay, because Oliver Stone, a director who’s done some epic films of both factual events as well as conspiracy theories (Platoon, JFK etc.) was the perfect director for this movie. Oh, and did I say why it was okay the NFL did not endorse it? That’s because we don’t need them. Some of the greatest players and coaches that made the NFL what it is today decided to come forth and help out a little, whether are players or coaches in the film. That’s right! Irving Fryar, Terrel Owens, Ricky Watters, Lawrence Taylor, Dick Butkus, and even Jonny Unitas all appear in the ultimate football movie.

Stone made the movie set in the present day NFL era, where baseball is America’s pastime, and football is its passion. The plot centers around a long time coach (Al Pacino as Tony Amato) who’s trying to make another run at a championship. He’s got obstacles though, the owner (Cameran Diaz as Christina Pagniacci) who inherited the team from her father after his passing, is sick of Tony’s old school routine, and wants fresh meat on the field as well as the sideline. Tony has his own problems trying to win games when his stalwart veteran Quarterback (Dennis Quaid) Cap Rooney has a hard time coming back from several injuries. Tony is as committed to Cap as cap is to football, but both of them know their loyalties in a game saturated by “win now” mentality enshrouded by the multi billion dollar empire that professional football has become, could be the end for them both. Enter the scene a young rookie who is all talent, all mouth, and all out to independent to play team ball. His name is Steamin Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx). Beaman can’t even see straight getting his first NFL start but seems to start making plays to win games by not listening to the coach, avoiding any playbook, and doing it all on his own. His gunslinger attitude has the owner beaming, the coach fuming, and fans wanting more, more!

As a fan of the NFL for most of my life, I recognized so many comparisons in this movie to actual events that have happened to players and teams, coaches and fans, reporters and trainers throughout their days belonging to the game at the pro level. Cap Rooney? Can you say Dan Marino? Willie Beaman? Reminds me of the situation somewhat of when Pennington took over for Testaverde with the Jets. Tony Amato? His loyalty towards his veterans has Bill Parcells written all over him. Behind the scenes we see the true carnage of course, and a man who experienced them in real life tells it to us early and often. Lawrence Taylor is brilliant as Luther "Shark" Lavay, a veteran linebacker who’s pumping himself up on anything to keep from coming down, and keep from falling apart, before the season ends. It’s not just about the game anymore, for him there is an incentive bonus on the line and he’s trying to eek every last ounce of strength and stamina out of his body to make that payout…even if it kills him. There is a great locker room scene where he conveys the life and times of the NFL athelete to the young rookie Beaman, speaking of Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders, and of the phenoms that take the field every day, some only to fall in “battle”. Another great scene is when the QB Beaman is at the coaches house, and as the conversations of football and the current situations go on, we keep getting the flashes from the movie on TV (I think it’s Ben Hur) showing the chariot races, with the comparison of glory and sacrifice and the ultimate price sometimes paid.

Pacino is superb as coach Amato. A man who’s a legend in his own right (Dan Marino mentioned earlier, look no further than Don Shula!) and has trouble coming to terms with his backup quarterbacks attitude and disobedience. He can’t ignore the outcome, they are winning games, but at what cost for Amato, who’s preaching the team game and trying to play his veterans so that they go out on top. Everyone is in this movie. The players, the actors, heck even Amato’s brief uh, female friend Mandy is none other than Elizabeth Berkely.
James Woods, a standout in several of Stone’s films, plays Dr. Harvey Mandrake, a man who knows when to hold em, when to fold em, and when to say they are okay to play the upcoming Sunday. Mathew Modine plays the part of a team doctor who is an honest, by the book physician surrounded by people who really don’t care, and who will stop at nothing for the price of fame, even if it means treating players as little more than cattle headed to the slaughter. Cameron Diaz is not bad as the team owner. Though some disagreed with her role in this film, the fact is it works! She’s young, smart, business savvy, and ruthless. What more could you ask for in an intense owner who wants to win? She butts heads with Tony early and often while her mother (again, great cast….her mom in the film is Ann Margaret) only watches on with a look in her eyes like she’s seen it all before, and can become numb to it when the time arises. John C. McGinley plays the annoying, in your face, guppy yuppie sports announcer (Jim Rome in real life is not these things, but I think of him being modeled after. Someone with a fresh lyric and sassy attitude as a TV sports journalist). Who plays up to Beamens rising fame like a fly to you-know-what.

Charlton Heston and Football legend Jim Brown also have major roles in the film, and though both are not new to acting, they do an outstanding job and are well cast in their roles as the commisioner and assistant coach respectively.

The metaphysical tones are presented evenly and often throughout the film. We have the issues concerning race, steroids, and freedom of the press, dutiful wives, gold diggers, infidelity, loyalty, betrayal, business, crooked business, cover-ups, scandal, idols, icons, heroics, sacrifice, GLORY, FAME, and FORTUNE. They’re all here, whether it’s the offense fighting with the defense via a chainsaw to an S.U.V. at a mansion hills party or an aging quarterback who’s trying to get off one last pass before retiring into the role of civilian.

The scenes of this movie are all across the board, as I said before, it covers many themes. Though they all center on the game, we aren’t always on the 50-yard line. Some people seemed to be turned away from this movie, but I for one, as an NFL fan, thought it was perfect. The cast, the writing, the themes covered, it’s really a COMPLETE film in every sense of the word.

The action scenes on the gridiron are spectacular, and are often seen with LL. Cool J in them, as he stars as the team’s veteran running back. Jamie Foxx is awesome as quarterback and now that we are in the mid 2000’s we are all too aware of how capable he is of taking on various roles. You’ll get to see some of the NFL greats mentioned before like Fryar, Owens, and Watters. Each team they play (8 are featured) is coached in the movie by an NFL legend. This means a lot to me, it’s in a way like having Christopher Reeves in that episode of Smallville. The connection and relationship is there. Seeing Unitas, Butkus, and Don Coryiel as coaches was a great tribute to these guys, who again, helped make the NFL (who again, didn’t endorse this film) what it is today. Everything comes to a head in the end. Free Agency and the Salary Cap of course are other football related facts presented in this fictional movie, which I felt was executed extremely well. The script is tight, and though we have a multitude of different themes going on they all tie together perfectly so we’re getting the message but not having it shoved down our throats so we can enjoy some gridiron glory.

The fictional team they play for under coach Amato is the Miami Sharks.

The game is football.

The director is Oliver Stone.

Go watch this film.