Any Given Sunday


Any Given Sunday is a 1999 American sports drama film directed by Oliver Stone and produced by Clayton Townsend, Dan Halsted, and Lauren Shuler Donner from a screenplay by Stone and John Logan based on a story written by Logan and Daniel Pyne, with Stone and Richard Donner additionally serving as executive producers. The film depicts a fictional professional American football team. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, James Woods, LL Cool J, Ann-Margret, Lauren Holly, Matthew Modine, John C. McGinley, Charlton Heston, Bill Bellamy, Lela Rochon, Aaron Eckhart, Elizabeth Berkley, and NFL players Jim Brown and Lawrence Taylor.
It is partly based on the 1984 novel On Any Given Sunday by NFL defensive end Pat Toomay; the title is derived from a line in the book, that a team can win or lose on "any given Sunday", said by the fictitious coach Tony D'Amato. The quote was originally derived from a statement made in 1952 by then-NFL commissioner Bert Bell, about the league's devotion to financial and competitive parity.
Cameo roles also feature many former American football players, including Dick Butkus, Y. A. Tittle, Pat Toomay, Warren Moon, Johnny Unitas, Ricky Watters, Emmitt Smith and Terrell Owens, as well as coach Barry Switzer.

Plot

The Miami Sharks, a once-great American football team, are struggling to make the 2001 Affiliated Football Franchises of America playoffs. The team is coached by thirty-year veteran Tony D'Amato, who has fallen out of favor with young team owner Christina Pagniacci, and his offensive coordinator Nick Crozier. Crozier is also Tony's expected successor.
In the thirteenth game of the season, both the starting quarterback Jack "Cap" Rooney and second-string quarterback Tyler Cherubini are injured and forced to leave the field. The desperate Sharks call on third-string quarterback Willie Beamen to enter the game. While a nervous Willie makes a number of errors and fails to win the game for the Sharks, he plays well and gains confidence. Cap vows to make it back by the playoffs, with the coach promising not to give up on him.
The following day, Tony and Christina argue about the direction of the team. The owner favors Crozier's progressiveness, and wants to eventually cut Cap. Tony argues that Christina's late father, the previous owner, would never have meddled in his coaching plans.
During the next game, to Tony's chagrin, Willie disregards the team's conservative offense and changes plays in the huddle. As the media hails Willie as the next model of quarterback, the newfound success feeds his growing narcissism and leads to tension with teammates and coaches. During a confrontation with the quarterback, Tony demotes him to the bench.
After Willie gives an interview in which he takes sole credit for the Sharks' winning streak, the other players refuse to perform for him and consequently lose a home game. After Willie is involved in a brawl with running back Julian "J-Man" Washington, an irate Tony expresses his embarrassment at his team before leaving. Willie thinks about his behavior and amends his ways.
As the playoffs arrive, Sharks middle linebacker Luther "Shark" Lavay reminds Willie about how lucky he is to be in the league, and to find a life outside of football; his words fall on deaf ears. Tony worsens his relationship with Christina and berates Cap for second-guessing his availability. Before the game, Tony gives a rousing speech urging team unity that Willie takes to heart and energizes the rest of the team. Cap returns as starting quarterback but is injured with a concussion after scoring a touchdown.
Cap urges D'Amato to let Beamen finish the game; after an argument, D'Amato relents. Subsequently, Pagniacci enters the locker room to demand that D'Amato play Beamen. After she and D'Amato argue, Beamen informs her that he had already been told that he would start the second half. Beamen apologizes to his teammates for his actions and leads the team to win. In a post-game talk with D'Amato, Beamen dedicates the next game to Rooney, but admits that he is worried about his ongoing health.
The Sharks eventually lose the championship to San Francisco. At D'Amato's final press conference as head coach, he is thanked by Pagniacci. D'Amato is expected to announce his retirement, but he instead drops two bombshells, announcing that he has been hired as head coach and general manager of an expansion team in New Mexico, the Albuquerque Aztecs, and that he has signed Willie Beamen to be his starting quarterback and franchise player.

Fictional teams

Any Given Sunday was filmed in Miami, Florida, and Dallas, Texas. The Orange Bowl in Miami represents the home of the fictitious American football team, the Miami Sharks, and Texas Stadium is used for the home of the fictitious Dallas Knights. These and the other made-up teams and their league, Associated Football Franchises of America, are based on the National Football League. The actual NFL teams and league names are trademarked.
At the end of the film, D'Amato laments to gathered media about his team's loss to San Francisco but does not reference their mascot. On the team schedule, the San Francisco Knights are mentioned, but this is likely a mistake because the Dallas team has that nickname. A team called the Pharaohs is mentioned during the Minnesota game without any city, so it is possible that they are the San Francisco Pharaohs.
  • Miami Sharks
  • Minnesota Americans
  • Chicago Rhinos
  • California Crusaders
  • New York Emperors
  • Dallas Knights
  • Seattle Prospects
  • Oregon Pioneers
  • Colorado Blizzard
  • Washington Lumbermen
  • Los Angeles Breakers
  • Kansas Twisters
  • Orlando Crushers
  • Texas Rattlers
  • Houston Cattlemen
  • Wisconsin Icemen
Expansion team:
  • Albuquerque Aztecs

    Cast

  • Al Pacino as Tony D'Amato, head coach of the Miami Sharks. Having held his position for decades and been given much autonomy by the team's owner, "Tony D" is respected for great successes, including two Pantheon Cups, the championship for this professional football league. He devoted so much time to the team that he became estranged from his wife and children. Tony's traditional methods have come under fire from management and the media for recent failures, including missing the playoffs. Bitter that he was never promoted to general manager, Tony resents the hands-on "interference" of Christina Pagniacci, who succeeded her late father Artie as team owner. His last name comes from boxing trainer Constantine "Cus" D'Amato.
  • Cameron Diaz as Christina Pagniacci, owner and general manager. She inherited the team from her father and boasts a Cornell MBA. She attributes the team's disappointments to Coach D'Amato's "old-school methods" and takes a more hands-on approach, bringing in innovative new offensive coordinator Nick Crozier as his eventual successor. She hints that Tony will not return after his contract expires, adding to his distractions. She also threatens to move the franchise if the city refuses to build a new stadium, causing a confrontation with the AFFA Commissioner and the Mayor of Miami.
  • Dennis Quaid as Jack "Cap" Rooney, starting quarterback and team captain. Seen as being like a son to Coach D'Amato, the two have been credited with the team's greatest on-field successes. Cap is now an aging veteran who faces injuries and conflicts with team personnel. Owner Pagniacci wants to dump him. Relations have soured between Cap and wife Cindy, the latter of whom goads him without sympathy for his physical or mental situation, mercilessly browbeating him when he mentions retiring. Cap is injured during a game and is replaced, but is determined to make a comeback. Cap recovers for the first round of the playoffs, wherein he plays well until suffering a hard hit while scoring a touchdown before halftime.
  • James Woods as Dr. Harvey Mandrake, the unscrupulous team physician. He risks serious injury to players for the team to have a better shot at winning, often at the direction of Christina. He is fired by Tony after his unethical methods are discovered by the conscientious team internist.
  • Jamie Foxx as Willie "Steamin" Beamen, the third-string quarterback, out of the University of Houston. Willie has a history that has led him to distrust his coaches. In particular, while playing for San Diego, Willie was turned into a defensive secondary player for having "fast feet", and was eventually injured while making a tackle. He initially believes that racism played a major role in his history of being denied opportunities, using an alternative of "placeism" to describe a lack of African-American quarterbacks and head coaches in pro-football. Willie becomes the starter after injuries to Cap and the backup quarterback. Although surprisingly successful, Willie causes tension among staff and teammates. He frequently either changes the plays that the coach calls or calls his own. These acts create major tension with Tony. The coach respects Willie's athletic ability and acknowledges that his talents warrant him to be a quarterback, but heavily criticizes his lack of leadership skills and intangibles. He is granted his own music video, and asks owner Pagniacci for a date when she enters a postgame locker-room full of naked or partly-dressed players like himself. Willie's antics on and off the field eventually get him demoted to the bench by Tony, who firmly believes that a quarterback's most important role is to lead the team and help keep them confident, both for which Beamen took a clear disregard. Willie eventually matures and is inspired by Cap's gutsy performance in the Sharks' first playoff game.
  • LL Cool J as Julian "J-Man" Washington, starting running back. He is very good but becomes increasingly angry at Willie for his cockiness and tendencies to take plays away from him. He is motivated by incentive clauses in his contract, and Tony refers to him as a "merc" "who will be gone before next season". Julian redeems himself to the team by running out of bounds to stop the play clock while his team was attempting an offensive drive with little time remaining.
  • Ann-Margret as Margaret Pagniacci, Christina's mother and the widow of the Sharks' original owner Artie.
  • Lauren Holly as Cindy Rooney, wife of Jack "Cap" Rooney. It is heavily implied that she is no more than a trophy wife, caring more for her wealth and social status than for her husband's health and well-being.
  • Lawrence Taylor as Luther "Shark" Lavay, starting middle linebacker and the captain of the defense. He has a cortisone addiction and is nearing the twilight of a very successful career, but he is held in high esteem by Tony for "revolutionizing" his position by being highly skilled in both pass rushing and defending against the run. Mandrake has concealed that "Shark" is suffering from a previous injury, a broken neck that did not heal properly. If he suffers another serious hit, he may be permanently disabled, suffer from seizures, or killed. The team's internist informs him and D'Amato of the situation, but "Shark" says that he will lose a one-million-dollar bonus if he does not make his incentive stats or retire, as Powers suggests. He also has a confrontation with Beamen about the role of offense versus defense. While making a hit, Shark is knocked unconscious. He awakens and is hauled away on a stretcher, satisfied that he made his one-million-dollar bonus.
  • Jim Brown as Monte "Montezuma" Monroe, defensive coordinator. He is vocal and brings intensity to the defense and to the team in general. A longtime friend of D'Amato, who personally confides in Montezuma several times. Monroe states at one point that he would like to return to high school coaching where the game is "pure".
  • Aaron Eckhart as Nick Crozier, offensive coordinator. Nick is an offensive guru brought in from Minnesota by Christina Pagniacci. Young and tech-savvy, he is highly critical of Tony's old-fashioned ways, as well as Beamen's changing the plays in the huddle and Julian's playing for contract incentives. Despite the tension, D'Amato recognizes Crozier's talent. He is named D'Amato's successor after the coach departs to lead an expansion franchise in New Mexico.
  • Bill Bellamy as Jimmy Sanderson, the wide receiver who becomes Willie Beamen's first option on offense once he is moved into the starting Quarterback position, adding to the friction that is already building up between Willie and Julian.
  • Matthew Modine as Dr. Ollie Powers, the team's internist. He discovers that Dr. Mandrake is covering for players who are suffering from near-career-ending injuries, but are overdosing on painkillers, steroids and hormones to cover the pain. Powers faces his own dilemma needing to relieve the players' pain versus prescribing too much medication at the insistence of the addicted players.
  • John C. McGinley as Jack Rose, an abrasive and prominent sports reporter. On his cable show, Rose displays an incredible distaste for all things D'Amato. This leads to D'Amato physically assaulting Rose near the end of the regular season, but no charges are pressed after D'Amato makes a public apology. In spite of their rivalry, Rose confesses that he will miss D'Amato when he retires.
  • Lela Rochon as Vanessa Struthers, longtime girlfriend of Willie Beamen who unsuccessfully tries to pressure him into marriage after being humiliated by Cindy Rooney in front of the other football wives.
  • Elizabeth Berkley as Mandy Murphy, a high-priced escort who provides Tony with a girlfriend experience when he is feeling lonely.
  • Clifton Davis as Mayor Tyrone Smalls, who is always a few steps ahead of Christina in her efforts to leverage him into using taxpayer money to build a new stadium for the Sharks.
  • Andrew Bryniarski as Patrick "Madman" Kelly, a starting offensive tackle with violent tendencies, who at one point threatens a jeering fan.
  • Charlton Heston as AFFA football commissioner.
  • James Karen and Gianni Russo as Christina's advisors.
  • Duane Martin as Willie's agent.
  • Pat O'Hara as Tyler Cherubini, a journeyman quarterback who was initially second-string quarterback after "Cap" Rooney is injured, before being injured himself, leading to Willie Beamen's first game as quarterback.
  • Mazio Royster as wide receiver.
  • Rick Johnson as Dallas quarterback.
  • Allan Graf as referee.
  • Margaret Betts as mayor's aide.
  • Lester Speight as Sharks' security guard.
  • Eva Tamargo as Tunnel reporter, game 3.
  • Delia Sheppard and Jaime Bergman as party girls.
  • Dan Sileo as Dallas defensive tackle.
  • Sean Stone as fan.
  • Antoni Corone as fan
;Cameos