imhetzer88 So many memories came flooding back for me while watching this, the nostalgic aspect was worth it right there. From most of 1970 until Meredith left, my buddies and I were fixated in front of the TV on Monday nights. It was an institution, and we always talked about the game and Howard the next day. No one could ever begin to capture what Howard Cosell was all about, but Turturro does one heck of a good job. Heard does an equally good job of capturing Arledge, and everything else just falls into place. While we were watching the broadcasts, no one had a clue as to what was really going on, but there were clues that everything wasn't as it seemed. This movie really brought the inside to the outside. I closed my eyes during the halftime highlight segment, and by jobe, I could actually hear Cosell doing the bit, especially the pronunciation of Jim Lash. But perhaps the best scene of the entire movie was Cosell announcing to the world that John Lennon had been killed. When he originally did it back in 1980, Cosell brought me to tears, and Turturro's imitation of that moment has the same effect. If you remember those halcyon days of MNF, then this is the holy grail for the fans. Nothiong will ever come close to the real deal, but this movie gives anyone who is interested a little peek, and that is telling it like it is.

Kotter7579 This is a great movie. After seeing it, one doesn't get the sense that it was made for cable (TNT originally aired it.... More than once!) John Tuturro plays Howard Cosell, and does a great job. The only minor issue is that it seems he was too young to portray Cosell, especially by the early '80s when the real Cosell looked quite a bit older. The voice, mannerisms, and dramatizations are worthy of noting as a great performance. Eli Wallach and John Heard were the best in this film. They were cast perfectly. Portrayals of Meredith and Gifford weren't bad. The man playing Pete Rozelle was adequate, but not memorable. It did 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. (For example, take a close look at the Joe Namath shot. That's not the original shot of him. I don't think it's him at all.) 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. 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.

Michael O'Keefe To expound or pontificate without just and moral actuality sustained with guarded malice and remorse would be an injustice, disservice and undeniable shame. This is a very good TNT production that is not afraid to show the back stabbing, bitching, pompous ego clashing and 'money talking' maneuvers that made Monday Night Football a revered TV institution. Putting three men in a booth to call a football game was thought to be foolish, haphazard and ratings suicide. Just getting the right trio was not the easiest thing to do, let alone an event that would flourish without its own inherit complications on, off and behind the camera. The focal character from which this story radiates is that of Howard Cosell, portrayed excellently by John Turturro, who never played football, but could make you believe he invented the game. Cosell with his talented brand of commentary seemed well versed and articulate of any and every topic one wanted to entertain.There are other notable characters that have major parts in this mayhem that began in 1970. There is football heroes Frank Gifford(played by Kevin Anderson)and 'Dandy' Don Meredith(Brad Beyer). John Heard seems flawless as major contributor good and bad, producer Roone Arledge. Outstanding is Nicholas Turturro as director Chet Forte. Forte's story alone is like opening a can of worms. In smaller rolls, but not taking away from their actual importance to Monday Night Football are Shuler Hensley playing a disgruntled Keith Jackson; Michael McGrath as the stoic Jim McKay; Zak Orth portraying Don Ohlmeyer; and Chad Coleman as O.J. Simpson.High fives to director Ernest R. Dickerson and of course the Turturro brothers. Even if you were not a faithful follower of Monday Night Football or even a sports fan in general you should still find this interesting. Hardcore fans and armchair quarterbacks can use this as entertaining fodder to sustain the memory of the beast. Monday Night Football was mayhem.

conromj I'm 35 years old and the Cosell years on Monday Night Football bring me back to an age when football was the most exciting thing in my life. Although John T. overplayed Cosell's character, this movie kept my interest throughout the length of the film. Maybe it's my age, but this movie brought back memories of the famous 'monkey incident', the O.J. years as well as many other exciting events of the Cosell Monday Night Football years. I would highly recommend this movie for anyone looking for a very interesting and well documented account of Monday Night Football and the infamous Cosell.