Mr. Irrelevant screens for Giants legends ahead of Christmas release
David Corenswet's football drama Mr. Irrelevant has faced its toughest audience — former New York Giants — at a New York screening ahead of its theatre release on 25 Dec.
The screening took place at the New York Sports Legend Tastemaker event hosted by former Giants quarterback Phil Simms, Variety reported. Former Giants players Leonard Marshall, Bill Ard and Amani Toomer attended. Simms moderated a post-screening Q&A with the film-makers.
Mr. Irrelevant is a biographical sports drama that tells the true story of John Tuggle, an NFL running back. Tuggle was selected by the Giants with the 335th pick of the 1983 NFL Draft, the last player chosen in the last round. That final pick carries the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant” each year.
Corenswet portrays Tuggle. Isabel May plays his wife Katie, David Krumholtz plays his driver Whitey, and Michael Shannon portrays Giants coach Bill Parcells. The film was directed by Jonathan Levine from a script by Reacher showrunner Nick Santora.
In the film’s account, Tuggle played all 16 games for the Giants and was named the team’s special teams player of the year. In real life he spent one season in the NFL. At age 23, during the 1984 off-season, he learned he had angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the blood vessels.
Corenswet sustained shin splints to play Tuggle, People reported. The production began filming in Victoria, Australia, in 2025. Levine has also been hired to direct a Days of Thunder sequel scheduled for release in 2028.
The 25 Dec date puts the Paramount Pictures release in the busy holiday corridor, when studios place films aimed at broad family audiences and awards voters. Variety reported the date on 14 Sept.
What makes this stand out is the choice of subject. Football films often follow star quarterbacks. This one follows the last name on the draft board.
That path has worked at the box office before. The Blind Side (2009) earned more than US$255 million domestically, in the United States and Canada. It earned a Best Picture nomination, and Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for the film.
