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| Friday Night Lights (2004)
  
Starring: Billy Bob Thorton, Derek Luke, Tim McGraw Director: Peter Berg Rating: PG-13 Category: Drama  |
In the true spirit of the sports drama, “Friday Night Lights” rushes to the front of the pack with a captivating tale of teamwork and intense action sequences that dive so far into the lines, you can actually hear the bones break with each crushing blow. Adapted from the real life football tales of H.G. Bissinger, “Friday Night Lights” is a perfect blend of fancy music-video edits (“Varsity Blues”), gritty trench-warfare football action (“Any Given Sunday”) and a genuine story of teamwork that depends on the strength of individual relationships (“Remember the Titans”). But while the film depicts a solid representation of what high school football season is like in Texas, the characters are poorly developed and the audience never really experiences their lives outside of the stadium.
Texas is known for its rabid obsession with the game of football -- treating it like a religion in many respects -- and the small town of Odessa is no exception, placing the “protection of the town” in the hands of the school’s senior players: Mike Winchell (Lucas Black), the starting quarterback looking for a way out of town; Don Billingsley (Garrett Hedlund), the fumble-prone tight end who is criticized by his hometown hero father (Tim McGraw); Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), a hot-shot running back with dreams of making the pros; and Brian Chavez (Jay Hernandez), a defensive lineman who isn’t depending on football as his ticket to college. The story revolves around the team’s six major playmakers and their new coach (played with a pleasant humility by Billy Bob Thorton) as they contend for the state championship with plenty of injury-driven setbacks and a looming team of all-stars who heavily outweigh the smaller farm boys.
Directed by Peter Berg, “Friday Night Lights” is an honorable portrayal of an economically depressed town that looks to football for excitement and inspiration. Unlike past football films, Berg’s story doesn’t rely on only a few actors, but is instead a very lucrative ensemble effort that doesn’t shy away from giving unknown actors the respect that each character deserves. While the audience is introduced to at least seven major characters, though, their equally interesting outside lives are traded for more football action. A few exceptions to this include the emotional father-son struggle between Don and Charlie Billingsley, as well as the physical and mental trauma Boobie Miles experiences during a serious injury that threatens to sideline his career. “Friday Night Lights” never seems to fade away from projecting the gloomy spirits of the Odessa townspeople, even during their victories, but its ability to represent their undying conviction for their football team is a rare quality in film today.
DVD Features:
The DVD release of the film offers a handful of special features including deleted scenes and three featurettes: “Tim McGraw: Off the Stage,” which follows the country music star’s transition to film; “Player Cam Action Shots,” an inside look at the six week shoot; and “Real Life, Real Games, Real People,” a short documentary on the real players and fans of Permian High School.
~Jason Zingale
jzingale@bullz-eye.com