Excellent bone crunching varsity football flick

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2005)

"Friday Night Lights" follows a season of football in a dusty little Texas oil town where varsity football is not just the only game in town but the only way out of town and the only hope for the future for many of the players. The film examines the team's key players and their good guy coach (Thornton) as they wrestle with personal issues and work their way through the season one bone jarring touchdown at a time. Working more with montages than linear plot development, Director Berg brings life and verve to the screen culminating in the mania and frenzy of the statewide championship. An excellent football flick, "Friday Night Lights" is all about football and what it means to the town that lives through it vicariously. (B+)