Any Given Sunday (1999)

A behind-the-scenes look at the life-and-death struggles of modern-day gladiators and those who lead them.

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers:

Daniel Pyne (screen story), John Logan (screen story)

Stars:

Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Tony D'Amato
Cameron Diaz	...	Christina Pagniacci
Dennis Quaid	...	Jack 'Cap' Rooney
James Woods	...	Dr. Harvey Mandrake
Jamie Foxx	...	Willie Beamen
LL Cool J	...	Julian Washington
Matthew Modine	...	Dr. Ollie Powers
Jim Brown	...	Montezuma Monroe
Lawrence Taylor	...	Luther 'Shark' Lavay
Bill Bellamy	...	Jimmy Sanderson
Andrew Bryniarski	...	Patrick 'Madman' Kelly
Lela Rochon	...	Vanessa Struthers
Lauren Holly	...	Cindy Rooney
Ann-Margret	...	Margaret Pagniacci
Aaron Eckhart	...	Nick Crozier

Storyline

When a devastating hit knocks a professional football legend and quarterback Cap Rooney out of the game, a young, unknown third-stringer is called in to replace him. Having ridden the bench for years because of a string of bad luck stories and perhaps insufficient character, Willie Beaman seizes what may be his last chance, and lights up the field with a raw display of athletic prowess. His stunning performance over several games is so outstanding and fresh it seems to augur a new era in the history of this Miami franchise, and forces aging coach Tony D'Amato to reevaluate his time-tested values and strategies and begin to confront the fact that the game, as well as post-modern life may be passing him by. Adding to the pressure on D'Amato to win at any cost is the aggressive young President/Co-owner of the team, Christina Pagniacci, now coming into her own after her father's death. Christina's driving desire to prove herself in a male dominated world is intensified by her focus on the...

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | man wearing a jock strap | male in underwear | man wrapped in a towel | wrapped in a towel | 

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Taglines:

This Christmas. It's Better To Give Than Receive.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and some nudity/sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gridiron

Filming Locations:

Joe Robbie Stadium - 2269 NW 199th Street, Miami, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,584,625, 26 December 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$75,530,832

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$100,230,832

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Ixtlan, Donners' Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

162 min 156 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Karen and John C. McGinley also appeared in Wall Street (1987) and Nixon (1995), all films directed by Oliver Stone.

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Goofs

Before the final play of the game, the quarterback is shown in the huddle with a part of his right shoulderpad outside of his jersey. When he comes to the line, the pad is tucked back in.

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Quotes

Willie 'Alien' Beamen: Maybe it's not racism. Maybe it's just placism. A brother needs to know his place.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, we see D'Amato accepting an award and telling of his future plans with the league.

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Alternate Versions

Although billed as the "Director's Cut" and boasting 6 minutes of added footage, the U.S. DVD version is actually shorter than the U.S. theatrical release, which ran 162 minutes. Even with the added footage, home video versions run a mere 157 minutes. Among scenes/shots cut from the DVD incarnation...

• Some locker room footage during halftime of the first game.
• A voiceover phone call between Cindy and Christina following the first game is re-cut.
• Tony's drunken barroom speech about giving everything for his players, prominently featured in the trailer, is entirely removed.
• The second game is re-cut.
• Game 3 begins with a Kid Rock song in the theatrical version. The DVD opens game 3 with a Black Sabbath song, and the game is heavily edited, with much of the football action rearranged or cut entirely.
• A beach football game between the players and bikini-clad beauties is trimmed.
• A brief bit in which Rooney antagonizes Willie during practice is cut.
• The final game is slightly re-edited, with a new scene of a player losing an eye added, as well as more footage of Caps's comeback montage, but other plays are cut in slightly different ways.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Comebacks (2007)

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Soundtracks

I Dreamed About You
Written by Bill Elliott
Performed by Bill Elliott's Swing Orchestra
Courtesy of WAYLAND RECORDS

User Reviews

Machismo

Any Given Sunday is one of Oliver Stone's most enjoyable movies. Sunday is pure entertainment, an action-packed spectacle that will delight even the most ardent sports enthusiast. Stone draws on the usual assortment of sports movie clichés, but he directs his actors, including Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, and LL Cool J, into such passionate and intense performances, that the movie is able to transcend its familiar material. While its 160-minute running time is a bit of a detriment, AGS works overall as a superior piece of escapist entertainment. Also, the locker room scene, which showcases a confrontation between Cameron Diaz and a football player with a giant penis, is a classic.