Friday Night Lights (2004) User Reviews (312)

A Sports Film With a Touch of Humanity

[eric262003 · 8/10 · 11 March 2018]

Set in Odessa, Texas in the year 1988, "Friday Night Lights" centres around a town in Texas who's thriving to make it into the state finals. But the issues go way beyond the gridiron, as players are faced with personal issues as we cross-examine them through the benefits of sports and the triumphs and setbacks that comes with the package while the whole town wants this team to win like their lives are depending on them.

This is not the cliched underdog story with the selected team we're forced to root for to go all the way. The big rewards are the events that led to the team winning which is more reflective in storytelling and feels more refreshing in its premise. There are moments that are melancholy and humane, intense and surreal, hopeless and triumphant. Sure this film seems to be the perfect companion for sports lovers, but if you're not fanatical about sports, there's plenty more to like about this film. The human issues depicted in this movie has equally poignant moments than compared to the action on the football field.

Under the direction of Peter Berg who co-starred with Linda Fiorentino in "The Last Seduction", utilizes his power to tell an intriguing story while pulling no punches about it. Sure the settings of this film is in the late 1980's, you wouldn't really know the difference with its modern outlook. The cuts are quick-paced, the hand-held shots are quick-tempered, but it works effectively due to the point of view that comes behind it all. Berg wants us to a part of his world contrary to the ones we live in. His concentration is not about the actual game but the dramatic scenes that lead prior to the climactic game like it was a memory we can reminisce to our grandchildren when we get older.

While filmed on stock angles, the film truly feels just like a flashback. The period details are enough to this film a more storied effect in its presentation making this archaic technique all the more sufficient. The film does succeed giving the background that 1980's vibe with costumes, clothing and props that were prominent to the time period this film is set in. A firm example is that the female costars are sporting the typical big thick haired pompadour that was apropos for the 1980's.

Billy Bob Thornton adds to the authenticity as a sports a look that is similar to that of a young Jimmy Swaggert as Coach Gary Gaines who combines the willfulness to win while playing an important role in his young player's lives. He can really turn the role of his personality as he can be volatile in one moment and then compassionate in another.

Coach Gaines has a lot on his mind as he's placed in a disposition of very talented players, but are still green, but he hopes to change that with their need for speed. One of the prominent characters on the gridiron is a young man named Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), a arrogant player who plans to make it big. Those plans come in question when an injury sidelines him. Boobie now has to think from the outside while looking on while sitting out while seeking other options in life outside of football.

Though Berg and screenwriters Buzz Bissinger snd David Aaron Cohen lures into caring about which team is going to win, does not mean the characters themselves feel the same way. Therefore, we get the better understanding of how obsessive the town is in its dependence not how the team is playing, just as long as they win the state championship. Every other time, the life in that town is one long, cynical slog, but the championship season, the town lights up brighter than the neon lights of Sin City. The stress factor is on these kids as they strive to make these memories all the more worthwhile while trying to appease to the drab, unmotivated adults which lacks in any healthy relations.

Tim McGraw who plays Billingsley, an abusive father to one of the players gives an unhealthy reprimand to his son that this game will mean more to him than anything he's ever going to achieve in life. Granted he's right sine like so many others in that town who's one-track-mind fixation is all that's coming to them. The execution to that frame in mind is handled brilliantly. When Gaines drives home after being ostracized over the radio, he's confronted by two local townspeople threatening his job if his team doesn't win. Gee no rest for the weary?

Even though as adults they'll remember this event as long as they live, the kids they were back then were left feeling miserable, frustrated and stressed out not from the coach or their regiment or even, let alone the game, but by the townsfolk who forced them to excel, not through their hard work, but by their own personal pride. The tension is bestowed upon Lucas Black's performance as the star quarterback and Garrett Hedlund shines as the young Billingsley. Although masked as a football film, the drama of this story is about a football team drafted into a metaphorical war zone obsessed by the neurotic pleasures of the citizens of Odessa, Texas.

Captures the West Texas Environment Remarkably Well

[Uriah43 · 7/10 · 21 March 2019]

This film centers around a high school football team in West Texas known as the Odessa-Permian Panthers who have set a standard of excellence that remains difficult for anybody else to surpass on the football field. However, with this success has come such a rabid devotion to this team by the local residents that an enormous amount of pressure is put upon everyone associated with the team in the process. So much so that the local residents and alumni not only expect a victory each and every time the team takes the field but they also demand it--or else! And this puts the new coach "Gary Gaines" (Billy Bob Thornton) in an especially difficult postion which only gets worse after he loses his star running back "Boobie Miles" (Derek Luke) to a season ending knee injury in the very first game. And things really get bad when he not only loses this game but another one not too long afterward. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although there was some artistic license taken with the historical accuracy here and there, the film follows the basic plot of the book and makes for an enjoyable movie experience overall. I especially liked the manner in which the director (Peter Berg) managed to capture the West Texas environment as vividly as he did. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this movie and recommend it to all those who might be looking for a film of this type.

The Best Sports movie ever made

[espenshade55 · 8/10 · 10 October 2004]

This movie was phenomenal in every way. It had incredible performances under a great director with a fantastic story to back it up.

It tells the story of a high school football team in Texas through the course of their 1988 season. Billy Bob Thorton played the coach of the team and give the best performance I've ever seen him give. The film was directed by Peter Berg who gave it a unique film style. He managed to tell this story in a very beautiful way.

Tim McGraw gives a great debut performance of an ex-high school football player who has become the drunken abusive father of one of the players currently on the team. He was almost unrecodnizable in this role and he portrayed it well. He, and the rest of the cast for that matter deserve a lot of credit.

This is the only football film I have ever seen that has done justice to what it feels like to play football in high school. I played under Friday night lights myself, that time of my life ended just a year ago and it still holds fresh in my memory. And because of that I can tell you how accurately this film portray's the sense of brotherhood and friendship that is felt by every team, at least every good football team.

Whether you ever played under Friday night lights yourself or not anyone should be able to appreciate this film.

The Real Varsity Blues

[zatz-1 · 9 February 2005]

This is a very dark sports movie. It's about fanaticism, the great weight of importance certain people place on sports. Sports fans often regard their teams as extensions of themselves. In "Friday Night Lights," the entire town of Odessa, Texas collectively puts their town's reputation on the shoulders of a high school football team. It's basically the same exact plot as "Varsity Blues," except a serious version of high school football in small town Texas.

One thing the movie does extremely well is taking hackneyed plots of the individual players (because it's all been done before) and putting them all in the background. So the plots play out not in a cheesy, inspirational, in-your-face way. Instead, they are just there with only as much attention as the viewer wants to put on them. The great aspects of sports are enough to keep us interested and makes the movie incredibly real.

The only character whose plot is really focused on is Boobie, the cocky running back who is injured and tries to defy his own injury. This is a plot in sports movies that has been focused on somewhat - the injured player. But never before has the pain been so real and so powerful.

This movie is heart-wrenching. Sports movies usually have so many moments of redemption and cheesy happiness that often feel false. This movie only has one such moment and it is incredibly powerful. Nothing about this movie is Hollywood. Billy Bob Thorton gives a great, understated performance as the coach, a man who is simply internal, who can do nothing but sit back and watch events unfold, knowing full well the impact that each game has on himself and his family. All the actors playing the football players do a good job, especially the guy who plays Boobie.

Don't expect this movie to uplift you. But it will show you an interesting side of sports you may have never considered. And, in the end, it shows exactly what is great about sports, and it has nothing to do with winning or making a career out of the game. It's about giving all you have for a teammate.

Pretty enjoyable football drama!

[UniqueParticle · 7/10 · 19 May 2020]

Lots of great actors with powerful performances throughout! Somber moments and inspirational sports story. Peter Berg is a great director for many projects I'm glad the movie was at least nominated. Even though I gave it a 7 I thoroughly enjoyed the bulk of everything that occurs.

A sports movie worthy of non-sports people

[trillian28 · 9/10 · 7 December 2004]

This movie is not what you might expect. It is not your typical sports movie, where a disparate team comes together to triumph over adversity as the music swells with a dumb sense of pride. This is a movie about people, kind of like Seabiscuit that way, except less happy and with no horses.

This movie is about Odessa, a medium-sized town in Texas with no economy and nothing to do besides obsess about high school football. It is a town where they pay the football coach twice as much as their teachers, where a boy's best chance out is to get a football scholarship to a faraway college, and where these boys are under so much pressure to win because the town seems unable to succeed at anything else.

A movie like this depends on its actors, because it is a character drama at its core. Much noise has been made of Billy Bob, and how he gives a great performance, and this is very true, but he is not the only star in this movie. The boys all do a great job too, especially Lucas Black. I have never noticed this actor before, but he is so intense as Mike Winchell that he makes you really feel for him. The other boys, including Derek Luke and Jay Hernandez, are also note-perfect.

There is a great moment at the end, after their final game, when they talk about what they are going to do next. They haven't graduated yet, but it is already over for them. There is a sense that nothing else matters. Subtitles tell us what happens to everyone. It is sometimes funny, often tragic, and always ironic, and you leave the movie feeling like you've met some new people who are very real.

Style Over Substance

[ReelCheese · 6/10 · 29 December 2006]

"Friday Night Lights" is perhaps the flashiest sports film ever made. With its rapid-fire cutting and artsy angles, it at times borders on visual genius. The performances are equally lively, with Billy Bob Thornton shining as the small town high school football coach who shifts seamlessly from patting backs to shouting at faces. His roster, meanwhile, is sprinkled with young talents like Derek Luke as Boobie Miles, the spoiled next big thing, and Lucas Black as Mike Winchell, the introverted team leader.

Unfortunately, other aspects of "Friday Night Lights" hover around the average mark. The story offers little in the way of originality, except for perhaps the ending (if you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it for you). It's basically your typical high-school-sports-team-carrying-great-expectations tale. Director Peter Berg tries covering as many worthwhile human angles as he can. A star player must deal with the end of his career. The coach is shunned by fans taking the game way too seriously. Young men must balance the confusion of early adulthood with the stress of being sports icons. Again, it's nothing we haven't seen before ("Hoosiers" and "The Program" come to mind).

Although it's based on the true story of Texas's Permian High Panthers, "Friday Night Lights" has a decidedly Hollywoodish feel. Perhaps out of necessity -- cramming an entire book into two hours is a gargantuan task -- the characters seem too oversimplified to be real. The Panthers are a diverse bunch, but they're also clichéd: he's the troubled one, he's the one who has trouble with girls, he's the one from a broken home. And while Berg's directorial style is electric, it hampers his ability to capture a small town feel so crucial to the film succeeding.

Those behind "Friday Night Lights" deserve an "A" for effort, something you certainly can't say about every film. But what it delivers in style it generally lacks in substance.

Excellent Look at a Small Town's Football Madness

[jabell · 10/10 · 9 October 2004]

To be honest, I went to this movie primarily to see Christian Kane, but the reviews had been excellent. I expected a cross between All the Right Moves and Remember the Titans, but it was nothing like the second, which was about two coaches forced to make their teams blend into one while avoiding racial problems. There were elements of All the Right Moves, though, as several of the young men expressed their desire to get out of Odessa through football, but the movie focused on several of them rather than just one. Its best companion piece in my opinion is the Texas Cheerleader Murder, which shows the same football madness from the other gender as they will do anything to be cheerleaders!

Billy Bob Thornton was excellent as the coach, facing pressure on all sides to win the state championship. An excellent touch was the large number of for sale signs on his lawn after his team was blown away in the game following Boobie's injury. The community put pressure on the boys as well, everyone who owned a state championship ring from prior years pushing them in the kids' faces. Tim McGraw was a revelation as Brian's abusive father, and the actress who was Mike Winchell's mother gave a brilliant performance.

All of the young actors were excellent, especially Derek Luke as the unfortunate Boobie. He made the audience feel his pain and frustration. Lucas Black, who had done such a marvelous job in American Gothic, has a face that reflects his pain as he faces all of his tribulations, which include the pressure of suddenly becoming the team's best hope when Boobie is out and of having a mother with mental and/or emotional problems. Every one of them is a gem.

The cinematography was outstanding, and the shots of the town and the bleak surroundings certainly demonstrated why the kids wanted to get away. Despair hung in the air, with people clinging to their moments of glory as the only happy days of their entire lives. This was its primary likeness to All the Right Moves, although the hated home town was a Pennsylvania steel town (Johnstown, PA, which I escaped from myself), not a Texas prairie city.

And what made things even more intense was that this was a true story. Showing the boys' fates at the end was an excellent conclusion.

And Christian Kane? I knew he only had a cameo, as he had told Peter Berg that he'd love to be in the movie and would take any part there was. He was the man in the restaurant/bar who asked Mike Winchell if he'd take a picture with him & his kid. He was long-haired, unshaven, and, to be honest, if I'd seen him this way first, I'd never have given him a second look. He did a good job as a "good ole boy," though!

Adequate Football film, but generic and disappointing.

[dmc42c · 6/10 · 6 September 2005]

I have to say first of all that I had high expectations for this movie. I heard it was supposed to be a very realistic film about high school football. Having heard that, I had in mind a high school equivalent of a movie like Any Given Sunday, which I felt was amazing in representing on-field play and (I imagine) very good about off-the-field goings on. I must say that FNL didn't represent High School football the way I remember it. I played for a fairly small school (about 500 students) in a small but supportive town of 6000. I remember we had about 2000 spectators for one game. The kind of football represented in Friday Night Lights is the kind that may be authentic for the large and rabid Texas town in which it is set, but a brand which seems to me closer to college football than the high school football that I and probably most others remember playing.

I think the weakest part of the movie was the character development. By the end, you could tell that certain players were supposed to have been main characters, but yet you're left with a very empty and superficial understanding of who they are. For example, there was one character (who I won't name to avoid any kind of spoiler) who we find out in text at the end went on to a very prestigious profession, and yet we had been left with no particular impression that he was smart or ambitious from the movie to that point. In fact, I felt that I knew almost nothing about the character at all. I did feel a connection to one character, Don Billingsly, although I thought even that was a bit underdone, and to the quarterback Mike Winchell to a lesser extent.

The on-field and other football aspects of the film were alright, although I think a bit generic. They are not particularly inspired though, and don't convey the raw emotion and excitement of being on the field particularly well. I don't know, but I am left to suspect that the director and/or cinematographer may not have experienced high school football themselves.

All that being said, it was still a decent movie. I don't feel I wasted my time in watching it or anything, but it certainly did fall short of expectations, and certainly is not of the same caliber as Any Given Sunday, or even The Program.

Friday Night Explosions in the Lights

[andrewCmcauliffe · 9/10 · 5 February 2006]

When I first heard of this movie, I immediately let it go under my radar because I am not a big fan of sports movies. However, I am a huge fan of the Texas band Explosions in the Sky and when I heard a few months ago that they scored most of the soundtrack for Friday Night Lights, it was compulsory that I check it out.

It turns out that I freaking love this movie. The cinematography is nicely done, comprising wide, sweeping shots of Texas plains, oil-rigs, and football fields. The colors come through nicely (the white and black of the jerseys is particularly nice). As I already mentioned, I am not a big sports fan, but from what I could tell, the football sequences were well done and quite intense.

The acting is superbly executed by most in the film. However, there are still one or two times when one of the players' lines is delivered with that all-too-well-known teen-acting cheesiness that almost makes me cringe a little. Those times aside, the acting works wonderfully.

As I already mentioned, the reason why I initially watched this movie, was because Explosions in the Sky did the score. In my opinion, every song that they wrote (or adapted from previously written songs) for this movie lends beautifully to the content. Their lush soundscapes play nicely alongside the beautiful fields of Texas (no surprise, since TX is their home). Their crescendo-laden rock happens also to fit perfectly with slow-motion sequences (which there are plenty of in Friday Night Lights).

I am sure that almost all of the other reviews here have touched on the fact that this football movie does not play like other football movies (with all of the regular sport movie clichés). Because of this, I won't go into that. My thoughts are, if you like football (and also enjoy genuinely good cinema) OR if you aren't really a big fan of football (and also enjoy genuinely good cinema), you will probably dig Friday Night Lights.

So go and buy the DVD; and while you are at the store, pick up an Explosions in the Sky CD.

Decent for what it is, bit no new ground broken here

[Denver53 · 6/10 · 16 March 2005]

Ever watched a movie that was technically very good, with fine performances by the actors, but which contained no surprise and even was filled with plot twists you just knew were coming? That's Friday Night Lights.

The movie is put together well. Billy Bob Thornton is very good, as are most of the other actors. There is some confusion that isn't explained when the football team does well or poorly with and without a key player ... is the movie saying that at first the team struggled, but then grew as a team and later was better without him? It isn't clear. But otherwise, everything moves along pretty well.

Minor spoilers - The problem is, we have all seen this before. Small town in which many adult residents overly focus on the local high school football team. Players under intense pressure as a result. Coach who faces comments everywhere he goes about how the team is doing or will do. Even a father trying to relive his life through his son. It has all been done. Nothing in this movie was a surprise. There is a mild one at the end to avoid total cliché.

I expected the movie to be stronger, but instead I felt like I was watching the son of "All the Right Moves" or cousin of "Radio." We gave it a 6.

A review by a football player

[pulpface · 9/10 · 21 February 2005]

"Gentlemen. The hopes and dreams of an entire town are riding on your shoulders. You may never matter more than you do right now. It's time."—Coach Gary Carter addressing his team.

For years, the Buzz Bissinger's book "Friday Nights Lights" has been proclaimed as the greatest football book ever written. The story is about the 1988 Permian Panthers from Odessa, Texas. In the book, Bissinger illustrates how much high school football effects a town in West Texas that has basically nothing to live for. Almost everyone in Odessa is poor, train tracks divide the town the white and black communities and the school system is below average, yet on Friday Nights (as the tag-line of the movie says) "Hope comes alive".

The thing that I like most about the movie was the it didn't go away from the book too much and the movie tried to imply the same themes as the book did. Anyway, let's get to the actual movie now.

Unlike most sports movies where the viewer is spending about two-thirds of the movie trying to figure out who all the characters are, "Lights" actually does a good job in identifying all the characters. For example, you will know who "Boobie" Miles is (the Panthers' star running back) right when the movie starts. Another unique thing about "Lights" is that when watching, it feels like the viewer is watching a documentary, because movie does a great job on including detail on the attitude the town and players carry throughout the story and highlights from EVERY game are shown (something that never happens in sports movies).

The characters in "Lights" make the movie great, especially "Boobie" Miles (played by Derek Luke). Boobie is not only the best runner on the team, he is probably the best running back in the state. On one play, he broke three tackles and burned two other defenders. The only thing that faster than his legs is...his mouth. He makes Terrell Owens and Freddie Mitchell look modest. Whenever a member of the media talks to him, he proclaims that he is God gift to football and how God made Boobie beautiful and all that junk. When asked about his grades he replies "I'm an athlete, I make straight A's". Boobie is obviously not smart, when he was reading one of his recruitment letters from the University of Southern California, he sounded like a five-year old. Football and his uncle L.V. are the only two things that Boobie has going for him.

The main character of the movie is Coach Gary Carter (played by Billie Bob Thornton). Coach Carter's job is not an easy one. Throughout the movie, he is constantly bugged by boosters and supports telling him that he should imply this scheme or this player should play this position, Coach Carter just ignores them, but he knows that expectations are very high in Odessa (especially if they are the favorites to go the Texas Bowl).

Another character(s) that make the movie great is Don Billingsley (played by Garrett Hedlund) and his father Charles (played by country superstar Tim McGraw). Don probably feels the pressure of playing for the Panthers more than anyone because his dad as on a state championship team for the Panthers and his dad is also an alcoholic. During the first practice of the season when Don fumbled the ball, Charles came running out of the stands and when yelling at his son about "some little fumble". Don is ashamed by his father which is why he probably the biggest playboy on the team as well. However, Don is one tough kid (as evident in the final game).

Football is the only thing that Odessa cares about, after a loss a person calls-in a local radio station to say "there's too much learning going on at that school!" On Friday Nights, all the businesses are closed, the Ratliff Stadium (where the Panthers play) is packed an hour before kickoff and everyone is wearing black and white.

The game scenes are the best part of the movie. Some of the hits are so hard, it would put Terry Tate to shame, especially in the final game of the story. That game scene was the best I have ever saw because it captured everything that goes on during a football game (trash talk, adjustments, dirty play, emotion, etc.) Where does Friday Night Lights among football movies? Personally, I think it's the best football movie of all time. I have played football for nine years and I have seen about every single football movie ever made and I will have to say that this film truly captures what football REALLY is. If you are a sports fan, you will love this movie.

GRADE: 9.5 out of 10.

FOOTBALL GRADE: TOUCHDOWN with the 2-point conversion

Okay football flick...seen it all before.

[lotus_chief · 6/10 · 9 October 2004]

**WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!!!**

I guess if 'Friday Night Lights' came out a few years ago, I could appreciate it more. When I saw the trailer months ago I just shrugged it off as yet ANOTHER football movie. It's all been done before, how many football movies do we need? In the past 5 years we've had Remember The Titans, Any Given Sunday and Varsity Blues....go back further and there was The Program...and even a football comedy flick (Unnecessary Roughness). Same premise here: small town obsessed with their football, overprotective parents living through their high school athlete sons, hoping they get the glory of 'winning state'. It comes off as all the same to me. Billy Bob did what he had to do here...and Derek Luke just can't seem to rise above the 'supporting actor' status. This is the second movie where I've seen his character basically incapacitated within the first hour of a movie where he's one of the main stars of the film (the other being 'Spartan', where his character was the victim of one of the most unexpected and shocking deaths ever in film). Outside of Antoine Fisher, one really has to wonder if he'll ever get the leading role in a worthwhile film again.

What I found funny was the fact that I sat in the theater for 2 hours with this team; watching them go through their respective battles/dramas in their lives......just for them to lose in the state championship game in the final seconds by inches (I must admit that was pretty tough to witness), and then to get a subtitle saying that Billy Bob coached them again next year and won the state title going undefeated. I guess that 'winning' season was too boring of a story, huh? But I get it, they still 'won' here...off the field in their own respective lives, in essence 'becoming perfect' in the words of Billy Bob. Eh. 'Friday Night Lights' is an okay flick, nothing special; but don't expect anything new here...I honestly don't know how anyone can.

** out of **** stars.

An incomplete pass

[hoodcsa · 5/10 · 17 October 2006]

There are some nice touches here, things like the idiots calling in on the radio shows and "for sale" signs on the family's lawn after a loss. But overall I was disappointed. I haven't read the book so I don't know how to compare it with the film, but on its on the movie left me flat. Billy Bob underplays his part nicely, but I NEVER got a sense that this was a veteran high school football coach at one of the more high pressure, high profile programs in Texas. I love that actor who played the QB, but again never saw him as a player of the caliber he was supposed to be. Mostly, he just screwed up. The way Permian suddenly started playing well in the playoffs didn't make any sense. The assistant coaches were non-entities (as they almost always are in football movies.) Would a high school coach not check with a star player's doctor himself if there was an injury question? The flashy black tailback (Booby) and the quiet but powerful black lineman (Preacher) are almost stock characters, though both are well acted. Actually the most interesting character was the Hispanic defensive back, but the movie didn't do anything with him. The climactic game was highly dubious. It's hard to imagine a team being that physically dominant and then suddenly getting pounded for the last two quarters, Again, I didn't read the book, but the movie overplayed Carter's viciousness. Don't refs in Texas throw flags for that stuff? There were more things in this film I liked and more I disliked, but overall it was a disappointment. The great high school football movie remains to be made. I guess I'll have to write it myself.

Not so good

[captain_astronaut · 27 February 2005]

The problem with Friday Night Lights is that the filmmakers let technique get in the way of story telling. Peter Berg employed the same camera style he used on his failed show Wonderland. Multiple hand held cameras constantly shaking around with short snap zooms. It becomes annoying and takes me out of the moment I want to pay attention to. I didn't care about any of these people, because I wasn't sure who I was looking at or supposed to pay attention to. I didn't know Billy Bob had a daughter until an hour and 17 minutes into the movie. Is that important? Probably not, but she was there to deliver a line about the family needing to move again. I didn't care, because I didn't know anything about his family. Either stick with the main characters and main story or figure a way to fit it all in with out annoying technique. Miracle is a good example of a successful sports movie making. It was not gimmicky and we followed a lot more people. It didn't jump up and down and say "Look how clever I am!" I'm also displeased that the story was changed from the semi-finals to the finals. Can the audience only enjoy the movie if the team is playing the big game? Reality and truth can be a lot more interesting than pandering if you have skilled writing and directing. I like Peter Berg as an actor, but he still doesn't impress me as a film maker.

Friday Night Lights

[RobTheWatcher · 7/10 · 4 December 2022]

Based on a book, this movie does a really good job following a Texas high school football team through their season while dealing with themes of expectations, racism, and class. I'm not sure if this is better than the series or not. There's pros and cons to both. But the movie captures everything in just 2 hours and keeps you engaged and excited throughout. There's also some great sport action scenes and music and edits. It's definitely a strong sports drama that's always worth watching. Definitely recommend this to anyone. IMDb needs to chilllllllll with this stupid character minimum expectation.

I played West Texas Football, NCAA, and NFL

[scottstevo · 10/10 · 4 January 2006]

I am not a professional movie reviewer. And I did not play for Permian.

I have seen many great high school football movies including Remember the Titans, All The Right Moves, Radio, Varsity Blues and others and there is nothing better than non-fiction. My high school coach made us read this book during summer ball and I can honestly state that this is what West Texas High School Football is all about. No matter what the "Movie Review Nerds" say, this is great story. Watch it, watch it again and buy the DVD for your kids. Teach these values to your kids. Forget about preconceived notions about the actors.

THIS IS WHAT FOOTBALL IS ALL ABOUT!!

Good movie, better book.

[ecffunding · 7/10 · 20 October 2004]

As like most non-fiction books adapted for the big screen, the movie leaves out much of the essence of the book. I did like the fact that they didn't "hollywood" the ending, but much of the characters lives were left out for more of the football action.

All in all a good view, but I recommend reading the book as well. I think the 10 year anniversary edition of the book, which went into great detail on where the kids were now was also an addition that the movie should have included. The one liners about where they are wasn't enough. It was a bumpy road for a lot of the kids after graduation, and I think the audience would have liked to have seen more of how they turned out.

The music of sport

[joejasso-70-399261 · 8/10 · 2 July 2019]

Few films are truly elevated by their soundtracks, but the scores/songs composed by Explosions in the Sky capture the solitude of youth in suffocating situations (lost in their father's dreams, the isolation of a small Texas town, the aimlessness of high school etc.).

One Thumb Up

[wisneskilife · 7/10 · 29 November 2018]

Friday Night Lights is a good movie and a classic for sure. It's just not as good as Remember the Titans or Rudy. It's got a great early-2000s nostalgic feel though. Love the camera angles, love the actors, and love the entire feel. A groovy movie to watch on a Friday night.

Great Ending

[afroman2033 · 9/10 · 13 May 2019]

My wife went to Carter High School in Dallas, TX back in the early 2000s and it was refreshing to see how the ending was realistic. Great story from their point of view though!

A far more finished product than you would believe

[harrylosborne · 7/10 · 19 January 2020]

I saw the television show of the same name around five years ago, and remember loving it: a genuine, down-to-earth production on rural football, featuring big names like Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton and Jesse Plemons. This big-screen version might not have the same starpower (although does feature Billy Bob Thornton), but I actually think that's for the better: this film is simple, it's real, and it tells a story well. Frankly, Hollywood could use some more of this to cut through the swathes of overproduced rubbish being pumped out weekly.

The story is pretty linear - a high school football team in Texas trying to win a championship. They are a good team, but winning is never easy. Based on H.G. Bissinger's book, the stark realities of a depressed town buoyed by football are probably more real than you'd like to believe; it is even sadder to think that for these players, those final seasons probably did mark the highpoint of many of their lives. The team is full of unusual characters, starting with the boisterous running back Booby Miles (Derek Luke), but helmed by the reserved quarterback Mike Winchell (Lucas Black). Ultimately, they are all friends, but the bright lights of football sometimes muddle the mind.

By the end of the film, it doesn't really matter whether they won or lost, who played well or failed to perform. You watch because the characters convince you how much sports means to them, especially considering a lot don't have much to strive for after their season ends. The story doesn't rely on a leading man to have a great performance; they are a team, and this is one of the only sports films I've seen that really seems to understand what that means.

Great Film

[tpfeifer-48153 · 10/10 · 31 May 2017]

Based on the award winning book by H.G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights provides the audience with an inside look at the magnitude of high school football in Texas. The film follows several players, as well as the head coach, as the Permian Panthers attempt to win the State Championship during the 1988 season. The roles of Mike Winchell and Don Billingsley are portrayed well by Lucas Black and Garrett Hedlund. Through their performances, Black and Hedlund were able to show the pressure and stress that football players felt. At one point in the film, one football player says, "relax we're seventeen" and Billingsley responds, "do you feel seventeen?". This quote emphasizes how in Texas, high school football players are held to higher standards than most teenagers. The best performance came from Billy Bob Thornton though, as he played Head Coach Gary Gaines. Thornton does a great job in showing the anxiety of a football coach in Texas. It was cool to see Billy Bob Thornton and Lucas Black together again, eight years after they starred in Sling Blade. The film is directed well throughout, but the final scene stood out the most to me. The scene consists of three football players standing in the parking lot of the stadium a couple days after their last high school game ever. As the players bid farewell to their careers, you can see how a huge part of their lives is over. High school football really isn't like it is in Texas anywhere else. Through excellent directing and acting, the film is successful in highlighting the enormous impact that high school football has on small towns in Texas.

my notes

[FeastMode · 6/10 · 26 June 2019]

Good movie with a nice story. lots of good montages and intense scenes. really shows the love of football. some emotional parts as well, although I thought some of the side stories were unnecessary like the crazy mom (1 viewing)

One hell of a sports cliché fest

[mmckaibab · 1/10 · 12 February 2005]

***Spoilers below***

For the life of me I don't understand how so many folks are so ga-ga over this turkey. For me this was a complete snooze-fest until around half-way through when it got entertaining simply because it was so much fun counting up all the old, tired sports clichés they managed to cram into it.

1. First, there's the setting: small-town, nowheresville Odessa, where high school football is the True Religion, all the kids are desperate to get out, and the football players are the local Gods who get all the free food, booze and sex they want. And, oh yes, there are also the Beautiful Sunset Shots and the Soaring Aerial Views of parts of the town, especially the football field, that tip us off to the fact that something beautiful is really going on under this bleak surface.

2. There's the troubled quarterback with the single mom (who may be seriously ill). Early in the season he's a pretty mediocre player but, when adversity strikes, he steps up and becomes the team leader with skills only slightly less impressive than Troy Aikman's.

3. There's the kid abused by his father and his father's athletic dreams who also, when everything is on the line, suddenly becomes one of the team's stars. He also gets to listen to his father, in a fit of remorse, lecture him on making the most of his senior year because it's all downhill from there and these are the best memories he'll ever have.

4. There's the strutting minority star player with dreams of riding his athleticism to fame and fortune who suffers a serious injury, tries to come back too soon (through the negligent inaction of his coach and his beloved father-figure Uncle), and has his career ended. To drive the point home, the film-makers show us the star sitting dejectedly after his injury watching a group of trash collectors going about their jobs.

5. There's the solid, silent defensive star who has spoken hardly a word, but during half-time of the Big Game he suddenly gives the inspirational speech that fires up the team.

6. There's the calm coach in the center of the storm who, again during half-time of the Big Game, gives the "it's not about the scoreboard, it's all about what's in your heart, it's all about love, and you're all winners" speech. This despite the fact that he has previously (and negligently) ignored what he really knows about his star's serious injury and allows him to play because he wants to win so badly.

**Spoiler follows**

7. Then there's the Big Game itself in which Our Heroic Team gets pummeled by the Bad Guys (including flagrant fouls and one incredibly bad officiating call that make the crisis even worse)in the first half only to suddenly find a way to claw their way back (with accompanying swelling music) to one final last-second try that gloriously fails. Then, for the next several minutes we watch in slow motion shot after shot (from different angles of course) of the stars kneeling in noble defeat next to that football just a few agonizing inches from the goal line.

Then there are the Big Steals from Hoosiers:

1. The "Davids" from Odessa end up in the Big Game playing the "Goliaths" from Dallas Carter.

2. The entire town of Odessa apparently closes down and the entire populace drives across the state of Texas in a long convoy.

3. The "I love you guys" speech transplanted from the coach to the troubled quarterback.

Unless you're looking for a primer on how NOT to make a unique sports film, I'd suggest you avoid this turkey.