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| 10/11/2004 |
| Friday Night Lights |
I wish I could just go back to the 88'. I'd take state.
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A Movie Review
by Wes Bennett
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There was a critic who called “Friday Night Lights”, “the greatest sports film of all time.”
While I would disagree, and I suspect a lot of other people over the age of 25 would too, I think this has to be at least considered. We always mention “Hoosiers”, “Rocky” and “Breaking Away” as the greatest of all sport films.
These films are all very old (1987, 1976 and 1979). I have no doubt that “Lights” would connect in a much stronger way to today’s audience than these films. We have to seriously consider that if “Hoosiers” came out today, it might not as be as well received.
I really think that “Friday Night Lights” would easily rank in the top three of sport films released in the last 15 years. (This is the definitive film about high school football, easily overtaking such efforts as “Varsity Blues,” “Remember the Titans” and “All The Right Moves.”)
As was “8 Mile” (also produced by Brian Grazer) the film has a gritty feel to it, and almost completely avoids the cheesy quality that sports films always have.
You ask yourself how many more times can a film be made about an underdog sports team? How many more times a can a coach have a rousing speech before the big game? But it all works and manages to be a unique film by portraying the darker side of sports.
The movie is based on real life, described in the best seller “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team and a Dream,” by H.G. Bissinger. Set in the bleak town of Odessa, Texas, in 1988, a place of oil drills and a seeming cultural barrenness, the movie tells the story of the Permian Panther’s quest for another state title.
Memorable characters include the prodigiously talented running back (Derek Luke of “Antwan Fisher”), the shy quarterback (Lucas Black of “Sling Blade”) and Don Billingsley (Garrett Hedlund), the hard-partying tailback whose drunk and abusive father (Tim McGraw) earned a Panthers championship ring and warns Don that “this is the only thing you're gonna have. It will carry you forever.”
Billy Bob Thornton, in another great subtle performance plays Coach Gaines, a man struggling to do what’s right for the kids under the oppressive eye of the town.
He can get very angry, sometimes screaming at the players, other times having a very vulnerable sad look in his eyes, as he knows the town’s expectations is an unforgiving monster that can only be satisfied with winning.
Indeed, the town of Odessa and the relentless hunger for a state championship is almost a character in and of itself. The pressure is shown through the relentless talk radio banter, and constant questions about state asked to both the coach and the players.
Of all the cast, Derek Luke stands out. When Boobie, tears a ligament in his knee, Luke lets out the devastating truth when he tells his uncle, “I can't do nothing but play football.”
The breakdown of Boobie is very powerful, it feels like we shouldn’t be watching. It’s as if he’s not really acting, its an emotional breakdown of a man that is very, very sad.
The entire film is enriched by the excellent drums-and-guitar score from the art band “Explosions in the Sky.” It's rumbling, wistful and really sticks with you.
“Friday Night Lights” remarkably captures the heart and spirit of its players, the pride of their parents, and the uncompromising addiction of its fans. All are relentless in their pursuit to make Permian High better than perfect, to combat the slipping education levels and income and lack of anything else that the town seems to have to take pride in.
Director Peter Berg accurately capture the intensity and fervor of the football. Some of the best action ever put on film, that was staged by a crew from NFL films, is genuinely rousing and inspiring. The film’s gritty look, along with the dizzying handheld camera shots, make us part of every hard-hitting tackle. By the end, people were literally clapping in the theater.
In the championsip game, the team seems to be throwing themselves time and time again into what is essentially a brick wall of defense in pursuit of something they have worked for their whole lives, and worse still something they will think about for the rest of their lives if they fail.
After the game is over, we finally understand the obsession of the town: it was truly unforgettable and inspiring what the team accomplished.
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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