Rating: 
Summary: Great fun!
Review: "Monday Night Mayhem" is extremely entertaining, even for viewers who don't have much interest in football. My wife falls into that category, and she really enjoyed it.This was originally a made-for-TV movie (TNT network) depicting the formation and early years of ABC's Monday Night Football. It's fast-paced, funny, occasionally moving, and always interesting. The script is heavily based on the book of the same name, which I would also recommend (authors are Bill Carter and Marc Gunther). The movie's focus is on Howard Cosell. John Turturro is absolutely terrific as Humble Howard, America's most beloved and most hated sportscaster. John Heard as Roone Arledge turns in an excellent job, too. The rest of the cast is nicely filled out as well. Having several old MNF games from the 1970s on videotape, I can attest that the makers of the movie put a lot of effort into getting the look of the times just right. The soundtrack also does a nice job of bringing those years to life. I'm fortunate to have grown up watching MNF in the '70s and remember fondly the magic of the early years when MNF was so cutting edge. In those days before cable, there was nothing else like it on TV. As an earlier reviewer put it, it would be nice if another Howard Cosell came along to liven up Monday Night Football again, but it's safe to say there will never be another Howard Cosell. I highly recommend this movie, both for older folks like me who will enjoy the nostalgia, and for the younger generations who can get a taste of what they missed.
Rating:
Summary: Great fun!
Review: "Monday Night Mayhem" is extremely entertaining, even for viewers who don't have much interest in football. My wife falls into that category, and she really enjoyed it. This was originally a made-for-TV movie (TNT network) depicting the formation and early years of ABC's Monday Night Football. It's fast-paced, funny, occasionally moving, and always interesting. The script is heavily based on the book of the same name, which I would also recommend (authors are Bill Carter and Marc Gunther). The movie's focus is on Howard Cosell. John Turturro is absolutely terrific as Humble Howard, America's most beloved and most hated sportscaster. John Heard as Roone Arledge turns in an excellent job, too. The rest of the cast is nicely filled out as well. Having several old MNF games from the 1970s on videotape, I can attest that the makers of the movie put a lot of effort into getting the look of the times just right. The soundtrack also does a nice job of bringing those years to life. I'm fortunate to have grown up watching MNF in the '70s and remember fondly the magic of the early years when MNF was so cutting edge. In those days before cable, there was nothing else like it on TV. As an earlier reviewer put it, it would be nice if another Howard Cosell came along to liven up Monday Night Football again, but it's safe to say there will never be another Howard Cosell. I highly recommend this movie, both for older folks like me who will enjoy the nostalgia, and for the younger generations who can get a taste of what they missed.
Rating:
Summary: Great fun and informative, too
Review: Anyone who's addicted to Monday Night Football but doesn't know how the whole thing got started should see this movie. John Turturro gives a remarkable performance as Howard Cosell, who is both the most prominent and sympathetic character in the movie. Brad Beyer is pretty funny as Don Meredith, and John Heard draws the audience into his enthusiasm for MNF as Roone Arledge. There is plenty of archival football footage, and even the music goes along well with the action. I really enjoyed this movie; besides giving a good account of how MNF began, it satisfied my craving for anything NFL-related during the off-season.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent docu-drama
Review: As someone who didn't get the chance to see the Cosell era of Monday Night Football, this movie was great for me to see. Tuturo does an outstanding job with Cosell and the whole movie really highlights a "golden era" in the world of MNF. As someone who enjoys watching football, it was good for me to the see the roots of the primetime game and how it revolutionized the way football was televised. After seeing this movie, I can only hope that another "Howard Cosell" joins MNF in the future to stir things up a bit.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent docu-drama
Review: As someone who didn't get the chance to see the Cosell era of Monday Night Football, this movie was great for me to see. Tuturo does an outstanding job with Cosell and the whole movie really highlights a "golden era" in the world of MNF. As someone who enjoys watching football, it was good for me to the see the roots of the primetime game and how it revolutionized the way football was televised. After seeing this movie, I can only hope that another "Howard Cosell" joins MNF in the future to stir things up a bit.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: Even though I wasn't around at the time Howard, "Dandy", Frank, and a host of other Monday Night Football commentators were entertaining the continent, I have a large interest in sports history and found this movie an amazing dramatization of this classic television program. This is a wonderful movie based on the lives of the men that made football one of the greatest sports on Earth!
Rating:
Summary: Great fun!
Review: Football fans will be able to enjoy this film and have that pregame feeling about the start of what is still the longest running weekday "prime-time show" known as Monday Night Football on ABC. Sports history buffs can get a sense of many things, including the peaks, valleys and drama of all the behind the scenes action. After seeing this film, one doesn't get the sense that it was made for cable (TNT originally aired it.... More than once!)
John Turturro plays Howard Cosell, and does a great job. The voice, mannerisms, and dramatizations are worthy of noting during this great performance. The only issue is that it seems Turturro was too young to portray Cosell during any era, especially by the early '80s when the real Cosell looked quite a bit older. Eli Wallach and John Heard were terrific as ABC president Leonard Rothstein and MNF producer Roone Alredge, respectively. These two men turned in great performances and were cast perfectly. You are able to gain a sense of what these men were like, even if you had no idea who they were. The on screen portrayals of fellow broadcasters Don Meredith and Frank Gifford are simple but still pretty good.
The movie does a great job telling the story of how MNF was born. Roone Alredge from ABC truly revolutionized the game by adding flare, more cameras, more angles, and the three-man booth.
One problem is that film lacks real game footage that was true to the era (1970-85.) There seem to be re-creations of the games and their moments, and the uniforms are a bit "off" during some of the game highlights. Colors don't match, and stadium backdrops are not true the game that was going on at that time. For example, take a close look at the Joe Namath shot. (That is not him.) Also, there are a few moments that were supposed to be taking place in the 1970s but some of the extras looked too present-era to pull this off. The catchy "Monday Night Football" theme that was used in the movie for the first broadcast in 1970 was wrong, too. The theme that was played wasn't made popular until about ten years later.
Overall, an excellent film. Football fans should definitely see this. MNF is still one of the greatest additions to the field of sports and entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Monday Night Football!
Review: Football fans will be able to enjoy this film and have that pregame feeling about the start of what is still the longest running weekday "prime-time show" known as Monday Night Football on ABC. Sports history buffs can get a sense of many things, including the peaks, valleys and drama of all the behind the scenes action. After seeing this film, one doesn't get the sense that it was made for cable (TNT originally aired it.... More than once!)
John Turturro plays Howard Cosell, and does a great job. The voice, mannerisms, and dramatizations are worthy of noting during this great performance. The only issue is that it seems Turturro was too young to portray Cosell during any era, especially by the early '80s when the real Cosell looked quite a bit older. Eli Wallach and John Heard were terrific as ABC president Leonard Rothstein and MNF producer Roone Alredge, respectively. These two men turned in great performances and were cast perfectly. You are able to gain a sense of what these men were like, even if you had no idea who they were. The on screen portrayals of fellow broadcasters Don Meredith and Frank Gifford are simple but still pretty good.
The movie does a great job telling the story of how MNF was born. Roone Alredge from ABC truly revolutionized the game by adding flare, more cameras, more angles, and the three-man booth.
One problem is that film lacks real game footage that was true to the era (1970-85.) There seem to be re-creations of the games and their moments, and the uniforms are a bit "off" during some of the game highlights. Colors don't match, and stadium backdrops are not true the game that was going on at that time. For example, take a close look at the Joe Namath shot. (That is not him.) Also, there are a few moments that were supposed to be taking place in the 1970s but some of the extras looked too present-era to pull this off. The catchy "Monday Night Football" theme that was used in the movie for the first broadcast in 1970 was wrong, too. The theme that was played wasn't made popular until about ten years later.
Overall, an excellent film. Football fans should definitely see this. MNF is still one of the greatest additions to the field of sports and entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant behind-the-scenes drama!
Review: I don't watch football. I could care less about football. The great thing is that you don't have to enjoy football at all to enjoy this immensely entertaining and brilliantly acted behind-the-scenes true-story. I would rank this up there with "Barbarians at the Gate" and "Reversal of Fortune" as one of the best docu-dramas ever made. John Turturro is spellbinding as Howard Cosell (much better in my opinion that Jon Voight's Oscar-nominated performance in the same role in "Ali"). If he doesn't get an Emmy for this, I'd be really disappointed. John Heard and Brad Beyer also turn in great perfomances as well. The writing really gets to the emotional depth of each character. Even if you hate football, you'll find a lot to like in this fascinating true story of battling egos, corporate politics and history-making moments.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant behind-the-scenes drama!
Review: I don't watch football. I could care less about football. The great thing is that you don't have to enjoy football at all to enjoy this immensely entertaining and brilliantly acted behind-the-scenes true-story. I would rank this up there with "Barbarians at the Gate" and "Reversal of Fortune" as one of the best docu-dramas ever made. John Turturro is spellbinding as Howard Cosell (much better in my opinion that Jon Voight's Oscar-nominated performance in the same role in "Ali"). If he doesn't get an Emmy for this, I'd be really disappointed. John Heard and Brad Beyer also turn in great perfomances as well. The writing really gets to the emotional depth of each character. Even if you hate football, you'll find a lot to like in this fascinating true story of battling egos, corporate politics and history-making moments.
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