"ANY GIVEN SUNDAY," a Warner Bros. film directed by
OLIVER STONE, opens nationally today. USA TODAY's Michael
Hiestand examines the film in a Sports cover story and
writes that reviews were mixed among CBS Sports personnel
who saw an advanced screening last week. CBS' Randy Cross
and Jerry Glanville "walked out early." CBS' Craig James:
"Some TV network needs to hire Oliver Stone to produce the
Super Bowl" (USA TODAY, 12/22). National reviews follow:
KID GLOVES? In L.A., Kenneth Turan calls the film an
"energetic and diverting sports soap opera" that "lightly
touch[es]" on the "abuse of painkillers, the winking at
serious medical conditions ... as well as the wheeling and
dealing that go on when teams pit cities against cities in
attempts to get newer, more profitable stadiums built" (L.A.
TIMES, 12/22). In N.Y., Jack Matthews writes that "Sunday"
may "be Stone's most conventional movie. He's breaking no
new ground here nor being typically provocative" (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 12/22). In L.A., Bob Strauss writes that while the NFL
was "understandably hesitant to cooperate" with Stone, the
film "ultimately has disappointingly little to say" (L.A.
DAILY NEWS, 12/22). In Miami, Rene Rodriguez calls the film
a "raucous, dynamic piece of work," but "neither the
controversial expose nor the blistering satire many
expected" (MIAMI HERALD, 12/22). In Detroit, Susan Stark
gives it two stars out of four and writes that it "has
almost nothing new or even striking to say about the high-
stakes business that pro sports in general and pro football
... have become" (DETROIT NEWS, 12/22). In St. Pete, Steve
Persall calls the film a "dramatic letdown" and writes that
it is "unusually reluctant for an Oliver Stone movie. None
of the players are shown abusing narcotics or steroids, and
a distinct line is drawn between painkillers" (ST.
PETERSBURG TIMES, 12/22). In Boston, Jay Carr writes that
while the "stage was set for some smart, scathing skewing of
the celebrity and sports and marketing culture we have
become," Stone "veers into a celebration of chest-pounding"
(BOSTON GLOBE, 12/22). In Detroit, Terry Lawson calls it
Stone's "least pretentious, least judgmental and most
entertaining movie ever" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/22). In
Toronto, Bob Thompson writes, "Not as smart or focused as
North Dallas Forty, Stone's gridiron profile does do on-
field justice to the violent game" (TORONTO SUN, 12/22). In
Atlanta, Bob Longino writes that while some may expect
"North Dallas Forty" meets "The Insider," Stone instead
offers a "frequently entertaining, rah-rah look at pro
football at its most ferocious. ... It's full of hard hits
and harder cheerleader bodies" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION,
12/22). In Ft. Lauderdale, Todd Anthony gives the film
three out of four stars and writes that Stone "opts to keep
the story moving and not bog down too deeply in any
meaningful discourse that might dampen the fun" (Ft.
Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 12/22). In Milwaukee, Duane Dudek
writes that Stone "swipes a broad brush across a variety of
volatile issues ... but really never explores them"
(MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/22). In Boston, James
Verniere calls it a "galvanizing, concussive, spectacular-
looking portrait of pro football" (BOSTON HERALD, 12/22).
In DC, Stephen Hunter writes that Stone "loves the vulgar
decadence of the league" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/22). In N.Y.,
Stephen Holden writes that the film "cops out," but that it
is an "expose" of pro football and "its sins and the mad,
mindless excesses of greed, power-mongering, exploitation
and phallic worship it enshrines" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/22). In
Baltimore, Ann Hornaday calls the film "enormous fun," with
"some perceptive things to say about football as part of the
entertainment-industrial complex, the way African-Americans
are changing the culture and physical expressivity of the
games and the enduring power of ritualized tribal
aggression" (Baltimore SUN, 12/22). VARIETY's Todd McCarthy
wrote that the film "connects for long yardage as smart
popular entertainment." The film evokes "the crisis-crammed
lives of at least two dozen characters ... connected to the
game" (VARIETY, 12/20). In N.Y., Mike Freeman wrote that
Stone "made a movie that looks and feels like a real N.F.L.
season" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/19). In Denver, Steven Rosen writes
the film "goes wrong, right from the start," but that it has
"lots of gritty details of party-down pro-football life, as
if all time off the field is an orgiastic bacchanal
balancing the warlike intensity of game" (DENVER POST,
12/22). In Pittsburgh, Ron Weiskind gives it three stars,
but writes the fictional Miami Sharks "do an awful lot of
partying and boozing for a team with several weeks left in
their season" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 12/22).
FROM THE SOURCE: Stone: "We could have picked apart the
NFL, in areas like domestic abuse. But this movie is not us
against them. It's a much larger thing" (USA TODAY, 12/22).
DAVID LETTERMAN to film co-star L.L. COOL J: "There's no
conspiracy here about the football. This is not one of them
conspiracy deals, right?" L.L. Cool J: "You mean, is JFK's
killer the QB of the team? No" (CBS, 12/21).
