Visceral, gritty, immersive, oversaturated, raw, unfiltered, cynical, decadent, cutthroat: telling from the frequency of descriptors such as these in this podcast episode, Any Given Sunday is in no way a film for the feint of heart. Oliver Stone's reimagining of a war film on a football field, this film is unlike any other in the genre in that it delves into the dirty backstories and underbelly of the sport is has chosen to probe: the NFL.
With epic performances by Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Aaron Eckhart, and Al Palcino, to name just a few, Any Given Sunday also serves as a time stamp on a the pop culture sensibilities of the late 90's, and as a marker for what Oliver Stone was up to in a year in which filmmakers went big. Criminally underrated, and marginalized by many critics simply for being about football when it is really is about the rich tapestry of capitalism and greed and insecurity and ambition via the milieu of professional athletics, this is one of the most ambitious and sprawling and aesthetically intriguing sports films ever made.
Also: we speak about how authentic this film is with J.B. Huffman, a former football player and a podcaster / host on SEC Tavern Talk.
