SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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.

rickmcq ** Spoilers? **Howard Cosell is the focus and should be, with Roone Arledge a major figure, too. Well written drama brings back pungent memories of the Cosell zingers and why he was one of a kind. And Turturro as Cosell is great casting. Nice story of the risks, messiness, and rewards of creating a new media format. Also a timely reminder of the 72 Olympic massacre in Munich; it brings back a chill. I wish they would have shown more of what football was like pre-Monday Night; it really lets you appreciate the modern spectacle of sports, and viva la spectacle. Definitely worth seeing as a piece of TV history and to hear a great character mouth off with intelligence and class.

midnightrane Fans of MNF will absolutely love this movie. Fence-stradlers will enjoy it and anti-football fanatics will relish the opportunity to say, "See, I told you they were idiots!" A behind the scenes look at ABC's Monday Night Football, "Monday Night Mayhem" included all the 'well-known' hijinx plus some more obscure shenanigans. Focusing on Howard Cosell (portrayed with grit and depth by John Turturro) and his relationship with producer Roone Arledge, the movie pulls few punches. It doesn't flinch on most incidents, including alleged racism, the infamous 'bird', booze in the booth, gambling and groupies. Best of all are the collage sequences featuring some good tunes and classic commercials from the era. As a child of the 70s, it was nostalgia overload. There are some excellent performances and some lackluster parts but overall it succeeds. I give it a 7/10: solid.