MOVIEW REVIEW: ‘Friday Night’ dodges the clichè
“Friday Night Lights” is an adaptation of H.G. Bissinger’s powerful, in-depth examination of the social ramifications of high school football in western Texas.
Taking a departure from typical high school sports movie clichés, this film’s realistic portrayal of Odessa, Texas and its pigskin obsessed population is anything but a feel-good, inspirational underdog story.
It’s a fiercely intense dramatic saga about the overwhelming pressures of high school sports.
In 1988 Bissinger traveled to western Texas in search of the ultimate sports-consumed American city for a book idea. He found just that. On any given Friday night, more than 20,000 fans packed a college-sized stadium in Odessa and cheered-on their Permian Panther football team.
The Panthers are stacked with talent and swamped with legacy. Everything good about Odessa, especially its pride, stems from the Panther’s football record. Players are plagued with external and internal pressures to not only win, but to be perfect.
Billy Bob Thornton (“Bad Santa”) is Gary Gaines, the Panther’s coach, who you would expect to be a whip-wielding tyrant. However, Gaines is anything but. In fact, he’s surprisingly understanding and good-natured and possibly the only person in Odessa who feels more pressure to win than the players. The pressure to win seems unbearable and the town’s residents don’t make it easier for him. After the team’s first season loss, Gaines goes home to a yard full of for sale signs.
Watching a town so wrapped up in something so fleeting is frustrating. The tensions and pressures that bounce between players, residents, opponents and coaches exude from the screen vividly and tug at its viewers emotions. This is a film that purely involves the audience, and does so with an empathetic longing.
These pressure-filled teens are played beautifully by a young cast of rising stars, and done so on such a subtle level their performances hardly feel like acting. The film is shot like a documentary, gritty and organic, which make the performances play like actuality. Derek Luke (“Antwone Fisher”), for example, is brilliant and plays the cocky running back, Boobie Miles with haughty indulgence. When Miles is told a torn knee tendon will prevent him from finishing the season, he, along with his guardian uncle, L.V. accuses the doctors of lying since they live in the city of a rival.
Other great performances by young actors come from Lucas Black (“All the Pretty Horses”), who plays internally disturbed quarterback Mike Winchell, and newcomer Garrett Hedlund as Don Billingsley.
An unexpectedly powerful performance comes from country music star Tim McGraw. McGraw is Charles Billingsley, a washed-up once state champion who lives his football dreams vicariously through his 17-year-old son, Don. During a practice Don continues to fumble the ball, so Charles marches on the field and pummels his son in front of his team. McGraw’s character is the typical Odessa macho and part of the reason the players feel so much pressure. He and other has-been’s parade about the town, flashing their state champion rings, assuring current players they’re nothing without one.
Besides the keen performances and tense mood, “Friday Night Lights” delivers loads of energetic and high impact game footage. These scenes, again, feel raw and actual and create impressively dangerous tackle sequences. During one tackle, two players fly unbalanced out of bounds and smear a cheerleader against the cement. In another scene, Miles’ knee is plowed by an opponent in the opposite direction he’s going and causes Miles to collapse in anguish.
With terrifically visual game scenes, superb performances and a dead-on portrayal of Odessa’s high-pressured atmosphere, “Friday Night Lights” runs all-the-way for a breathtaking touchdown.
Jack’s Weekly DVD recommendation:
“Princess Bride,” Special Edition
Without any reservation, the “Princess Bride” is my favorite comedy of all time. With a contagiously quotable script and devilishly clever performances this film has a timeless quality unparallel to anything in its genre. The special edition comes with two commentaries by both screenwriter William Goldman, and director Rob Reiner, as well as a documentary featuring the cast. Re-familiarize yourself with the classic tale of true love and high adventure, and let some of Hollywood’s greatest movie lines into your noggin once more. Not watching this film would be “absolutely and in all otherwise inconceivable.”
Jack Saunders is a movie reviewer for the Utah Statesman. He is a senior majoring in print journalsim. Comments may be sent to
jrsaunders@cc.usu.edu.