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Grade • B+

DVD •Few movies dare attempt the fast-talking pacing of "His Girl Friday," and even fewer stand up to the comparison. "Draft Day" does, thanks to Kevin Costner's cagey performance as Sonny Weaver Jr., the haggard general manager of the rebuilding Cleveland Browns.

It's the day of the NFL Draft, and Sonny is under pressure from the team owner (Frank Langella) to make a splashy draft pick, but he's also getting an earful from his coach (Denis Leary), his veteran QB (Tom Welling) and his mother (Ellyn Burstyn) — a week after Sonny's father, the popular Browns coach whom Sonny fired, has died. Oh, and Sonny's girlfriend, Ali (Jennifer Garner), who also works for the Browns, just told him she's pregnant.

Though the film occasionally resembles an NFL infomercial (team logos are used generously, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has a cameo), the sharp dialogue and Costner's assured delivery make this movie a winner. List_item —

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