Friday Night Lights -- A Couragous Touchdown

Rating: 10/10 (26 October 2008)

Prepare yourself. Friday Night Lights is one of the most incredible sports movies to ever hit the movie screen.
Billy Bob Thorton stars as the head coach for the Permian High Panthers, a football team that the town of Odessa, Texas depends their lives on. His performance will literally knock you out of your chair as he delivers line after line in a way you've never seen him deliver before. But it's hard to keep your attention on just him when you have actors alongside him who are just as great. The cast mentioned features Tim McGraw who gives us a monstrous performance as the abusive father of Don Billingsley who is played by Garrett Hedlund, a receiver. Then you have Derek Luke, the halfback for the team, and Lucas Black, the team's quarterback. I could list out the names of every actor and depict each of their incredible performances but I just don't have enough room to write.
Peter Burg directs the film with a style that seems to be hated by most film critics, however it's almost as if it's meant for this genre and Burg uses it in such a talented and superb way that it stands out from all the others who have tried to make it work before. Everything from the setting to the lighting is all part of the magic which is, Burg's fantastic directing.
The scriptwriting stands out like the color pink in a black & white film, with moving quotes and excellent speeches on every corner. Sports movies just can't work without a great script and Friday Night Lights delivers one of the best. I recommend this film to all coaches who need inspiration and to all football players that can relate to the characters being portrayed. On that note I recommend this to everyone who just needs to watch a great movie, even if you don't know what the hell football is.
In the end, Friday Night Lights isn't just a football movie and truly gets the point across better then any film ever will, the point being, it's not about winning, it's the fact that you tried your best that counts.
I'll end my review by saying, Friday Night Lights brings a whole new definition to five stars and is by far my new favorite movie.
*****/*****