Tucked away in the desolate landscape of Northern Texas, where the occasional bar and gas station line the roads, Odessa appears to be like any old-fashioned American town. Every Friday night, Odessa is resurrected when the Mojo High School Permian Panther football team takes the stage beneath the glaring stadium spotlights. Based on the true story novel by H.G. Bissinger and directed by Peter Berg, "Friday Night Lights" is a film depicting not just the entertaining aspects of football, but the bitter realities that underlie the game as well.
1988 is supposed to be the year that The Permian Panthers, led by Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton), are destined to win the state championship. Hopes are high not only for the coaches and athletes, but also for the townspeople and the players’ families.
These high expectations are endangered once the offensive star running back, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), severely injures his knee, ending his season and his hopes of playing professional football. Although he was once a valuable prospect for college recruiters and the dominant offensive athlete on the Panther team, Boobie is left with nothing once football is kicked out of the picture. In this sense, "Friday Night Lights" is not just a film depicting the splendor of football, it also is a powerful and disturbing insight into the many conflicts that can arise when dreams clash with reality.
Throughout the film, tremendous pressures are put upon the players. Close-up images of the athlete’s faces are used to emphasize their strain, focus, and determination. The athletes, played by a number of newly emerging young actors (Garrett Hedlund, Lucas Black, Jay Hernandez, and Derek Luke), parallel each other in ways that portray them both as eager hopefuls whose careers are just taking shape. The numerous live-action shots make the film all the more compelling, as the audience sympathizes with the teams’ every emotional hurdle. As a captivated viewer, one feels like a die-hard fan whose loyalty to one’s home team is all-present.
One appealing aspect of the film is that the story focuses around the high school sub-culture of football. Not the stereotypical NFL Monday Night Football game, it nevertheless shows the seriousness and high impact that a local high school sporting event has on the people of Odessa. By documenting this small scale phenomenon of high school football fanaticism and the impact it has on the community, the film acknowledges the influence football has on small-town communities across America.
Hailed by Sports Illustrated as being one of the "greatest sports stories of all time," the film does an excellent job of illustrating the complexity behind the game of football, the strain and tensions put on the athletes, the intensity of striving for greatness, and the disappointment and frustration when life doesn’t turn out the way it’s expected to. A true reflection of society regarding the coming of age of young athletes and the cut-throat competition of becoming a professional athlete, "Friday Night Lights" provides an even greater meaning to the phrase "it’s just a game." http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=16419
1988 is supposed to be the year that The Permian Panthers, led by Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton), are destined to win the state championship. Hopes are high not only for the coaches and athletes, but also for the townspeople and the players’ families.
These high expectations are endangered once the offensive star running back, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), severely injures his knee, ending his season and his hopes of playing professional football. Although he was once a valuable prospect for college recruiters and the dominant offensive athlete on the Panther team, Boobie is left with nothing once football is kicked out of the picture. In this sense, "Friday Night Lights" is not just a film depicting the splendor of football, it also is a powerful and disturbing insight into the many conflicts that can arise when dreams clash with reality.
Throughout the film, tremendous pressures are put upon the players. Close-up images of the athlete’s faces are used to emphasize their strain, focus, and determination. The athletes, played by a number of newly emerging young actors (Garrett Hedlund, Lucas Black, Jay Hernandez, and Derek Luke), parallel each other in ways that portray them both as eager hopefuls whose careers are just taking shape. The numerous live-action shots make the film all the more compelling, as the audience sympathizes with the teams’ every emotional hurdle. As a captivated viewer, one feels like a die-hard fan whose loyalty to one’s home team is all-present.
One appealing aspect of the film is that the story focuses around the high school sub-culture of football. Not the stereotypical NFL Monday Night Football game, it nevertheless shows the seriousness and high impact that a local high school sporting event has on the people of Odessa. By documenting this small scale phenomenon of high school football fanaticism and the impact it has on the community, the film acknowledges the influence football has on small-town communities across America.
Hailed by Sports Illustrated as being one of the "greatest sports stories of all time," the film does an excellent job of illustrating the complexity behind the game of football, the strain and tensions put on the athletes, the intensity of striving for greatness, and the disappointment and frustration when life doesn’t turn out the way it’s expected to. A true reflection of society regarding the coming of age of young athletes and the cut-throat competition of becoming a professional athlete, "Friday Night Lights" provides an even greater meaning to the phrase "it’s just a game." http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=16419
