One of the best football movies in a long time

Rating: 9/10 (15 October 2004)

This movie is more than a story about a single football team or a single season. It realistically captures the spirit, pressures, expectations and emotional charge related to small-town athletics.
In Texas, high school football is a big deal. Really. Over one and a half million Texans are attending high school football games every Friday night in the fall. For some small towns, their greatest source of pride is, for better or worse, their football team.
"Friday Night Lights" captures that spirit in an almost documentary form. The pressure parents place on the players. The pressure the town leaders put on the coach. The emotional roller coaster is palpably present as the team overcomes obstacles in pursuit of the state football championship.
A great movie.
One final note -- I found the original commentary by johnwstiles disappointing. The reviewer notes he is not even much of a football fan, and that perhaps this is why he didn't like this movie very much. Understandable, and I applaud his honesty. However, it seems unfair to make the lead review one by a person having that bias. This was a great movie, and Mr. Stiles review is unfairly critical.