Fighting Demons

"Any Day" (2015 release; 101 min.) brings the story of Vian (played by Sean Bean). As the movie opens and the opening credits roll, we see him at a party, drunk and getting into an argument with another guy. Vian, a professional boxer we later learn, ends up pummeling the guy to death (literally)and Vian is imprisoned. After the opening credits, we are informed that we are "Twelve Years Later" and Vian is released from jail. Not knowing where to go, he is turned away from his former boxing club and in desperation goes to his sister Bethley (played by Kate Walsh). She very reluctantly agrees to let him stay for two weeks at her house, as long as Vian doesn't booze. It's not long before we see Vian in the grocery store and getting to know Jolene (played by Eva Longoria), and he asks for her phone number right then and there. Along the way, Vian is also desperately looking for a job and catches a break when he gets a cooking job at a pizzeria managed by Roland (played by Tom Arnold). To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie is written and directed by Rustam Branaman, best known for his acting work in front of the camera. I can see the good intentions of this movie: tough guy with a good heart is re-entering society and really wants to do right this time around. Unfortunately, the scrip is incredibly weak and utterly predictable. There is no tension to speak of in the movie. Worse, the scenes where the emotions get high, are utterly unbelievable. As I was watching this, I felt sorry for the wasted talents of Eva Longoria. She looks utterly and completely lost in this movie. How did she end up in this mess? I admit I struggled to make it through the end of the movie but I somehow did. You don't have to suffer the same fate...

I saw this movie recently at the Silverspot Theater in Naples, FL, where a bunch of movies from the 2015 Palm Beach International Film Festival were featured. I had never heard of "Any Day" and literally took a chance on this, simply on the fact that Longoria is in this. I shouldn't have, and in all honesty, I cannot recommend this movie to anyone. Viewer beware!

I spent 5 minutes of my life resetting my IMDb password to tell you that this is the most bizarre and stupidest movie I've ever seen. There is no defined tone. The protagonist is flat, flat, flat. This movie is whiter than the movie White Girls. What was going on in that house party / dance scene? just what. There is a scene transition every 30 seconds with the strangest music. The kid plays a robot playing a kid. I am so sorry for the people involved in this film. Someone did them very, very wrong. Of all the Sean Bean movies that he dies, his character survives this, but we'll see if his career does. I'm still just very confused about how this got made. Do people read scripts anymore?

The cast is quite good - Sean Bean alone has the gravitas and the charisma to carry the whole thing. Having said that, the script lets him and the others down quite a bit. It is not just the cliches it serves and the predictability. It is the dialog and the situations too. But the actors make it almost work entirely, even if some situations seem and feel quite contrived to say the least.

Also the boy may not be the best choice. Now I'm not trying to put him down, but it felt like he was missing a few things to convey anything he was supposed to feel - or we were to detect him feeling. That may sound mean I guess, but he has pivotal role and I reckon some may feel even stronger about him than I do. Convenience aside this is decent overall I'd say

An amiable and well filmed drama that shares all the common qualities of an above average TV movie, Any Day is a perfectly enjoyable movie that is elevated by the presence of well-known face Sean Bean, who saves Any Day from becoming a cringe worthy tale in its questionable third act.

With a faith tinged core and a focus on finding ones purpose in life, director Rustam Branaman treads a well-worn path of redemption in this story of boxer turned prison inmate Vian and his eventual journey back into every day normal life, but he tells it in a way that keeps things ticking along even if the pace at times grinds to a halt thanks to extremely over the top scenes. Vian also isn't what you'd call a completely likable figure and his short fussed temper shows up a man that is inwardly tormented but there's enough humanity to make him a man we want the best for, helped by Bean's solid work.

For fans of Bean's career I can say he thankfully survives this ordeal so Any Day won't be showing up on Bean's death list any time soon and it's another turn that shows us all his an actor that can disappear into any role. His by far the standout performer here and shares some nice moments with the near unrecognisable Tom Arnold but the rest of the cast struggle to make much of a mark with the slumming it Eva Longoria barely registering and Kate Walsh struggling with some of the films more weighty moments.

Any Day feels quite familiar yet there's enough here to give it its own personality and some nice surprises keep you on your toes even though the films last 15 – 20 minutes are horribly misjudged. For fans of Sean Bean in particular, this is a low key drama that's well worth a watch and much more enjoyable than many of its far more well-known counterparts.

2 and a half dropped pizzas out of 5

Normally, I'd hesitate to review a film like Any Day. After all, I really don't recommend you watch it because the ending will most likely annoy you and let you down. But the first 80% of the film is so good and shows so much promise and I do want to see more from these folks.

Sean Bean plays Vian, an angry man who just spend 12 years in prison for beating a man to death in a fight. Now he has no place to live, no job and no prospects. His only family, his sister is afraid to allow him back in their lives--especially since she has a young son. Despite her better judgment, she does allow him to stay...provided he never drink and gets his life together. Through much of the film, Vian works hard to have a semblance of a life and you really pull for him. After all, the character is well written and Bean and the rest of the cast did a great job. Unfortunately, what follows REALLY frustrated me...with an unnecessary and unbelievable twist that most likely will leave the audience frustrated for buying into the film and pulling for the guy. I would say more, but it would give away too much of the plot.

On the plus side, the directing is wonderful--very stark but never boring and well-paced. The acting, also, is terrific as is the music--which is often haunting. But it really looks like they didn't know how to end this one. One thing for sure, they made the wrong choices and the movie left me and my wife wondering what could have been had they known where to take it. It's all a shame, as if it had been written well throughout the film, I would have given this one an A-. It DOES have a lot going for it despite it's ending and crazy plot twist.