Watch Monday Night Mayhem For Free

Please don't spend money on this.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

"Monday Night Mayhem" is a film about the early days of Monday Night Football on ABC--with a particular emphasis on Howard Cosell. One thing I noticed early on in the film is the movie's use of labels for each of the people in the film--so you'd know who someone was and their job title. I REALLY liked this and actually wish more films did this. However, while it did a great job of getting this detail right, many other details were often omitted or were left dangling so you were left a bit confused--such as when Don Meredith left the network to go work for another--but then he STILL is in the rest of the movie doing Monday Night football. Another big example is a QUICK glimpse of Cosell's godawful flop of a show "Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell". You see him doing an episode but then hear NOTHING about it. And, for that matter, there are way too many montages--and I hate montages. Yet, despite the film's problems, there is still a lot to like. I appreciated how it tried to humanize Cosell and it did a good job in creating a nostalgic look. But, I also feel that it's a film younger folks wouldn't appreciate at all--as they have no idea who Meredith, Cosell and Keith Jackson are, nor would they appreciate what a phenomenon the show was in its day. Interesting but flawed.

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.

** 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.

Although there are some scripting problems, this film is otherwise a very good watch. Overall, it was fun, and did a great job of bringing back the good feelings associated with life in the 70's.And John Heard is terrific.