Any Given Friday Night - but is that so bad?

Rating: 7/10 (9 October 2004)

One of the nicest surprises in the movie "Collateral" was an uncredited cameo (but pivotal) performance by actor Peter Berg. It was great because Peter Berg throws himself with unparalleled earnestness to any role he gets, even one as small as he had in Collateral. (If you're reading this and haven't seen "The Last Seduction" yet - get thee to a video rental store!) It also made me wonder if Michael Mann was a conscious or unconscious influence on Berg's direction of his cousin (H.G. "Biss" Bissinger)'s book, "Friday Night Lights." Well, no need to wonder. "FNL" is as all new directors' movies are, a hybrid blend of the movie masters he admires. This vertigo-friendly mix of Michael Mann + Oliver Stone + MTV + Cinema verity = a gripping, sports drama that grabs on like a linebacker on a face mask, and occasionally it hits as hard. Now as common with sports films, there is some definite "character abbreviation" here: we have the hard-drinking and take no prisoners father, the mentally-delicate mother that's a 21st century version of a Tennessee Williams character in a faded housedress, the gruff but lovable coach, the flashy knowitall star athlete who's just biding his time until his pro league checks start rolling in. Yes, we've seen these characters before. But triteness is not at fault here - Bissinger did not make these characters up, they are real-life people. Only a few plays and some events were changed to protect the innocent and the undramatic. So when we see shortcuts taken to show these characters, we understand that for our patience, the director rewards us technical creativity like more hand-held camera shots than a reality show, and more extreme close ups than an MRI. "FNL" owes a lot to the sports movies that precede it but it adds a modern sensibility, a directors deft hand at drama and almost-too-revealing cinema verity to the mix. The acting ranges from good to amazingly strong. One of the strongest performances is turned in by country singer-turned-acting newcomer Tim McGraw. McGraw is almost unrecognizable in the callous father who crawls out of a whiskey bottle long enough to chip away at his son's self esteem. It's clear McGraw's character is reduced to living vicariously through his son but then so is the entire town. From middle aged sheriff deputies wearing their old high school championship rings to menacing athletic supporters who accost the coach during a family shopping trip - it's clear that this town lives, breathes, and eats football. Billy Bob Thorton is totally on point as the Coach of the Permian Panthers and if he hadn't done "Sling Blade" or "Monster's Ball" then this would be considered his role of a lifetime. As it is it's damned good although Oscars are handed out quite stingily to actors who don athletic gear rather than executioners' gear or mental hospital uniforms. It's Oscar's loss, Thorton's turn as Coach Gaines will probably be one of the top male drama performances this year. Derek (Antwone Fisher) Luke seems to phone it in as the star player with as much ego as talent. Better is Lee (Jett Jackson) Thompson Young as the young hungry backup running back. One standout is Lucas Black who gives a heart wrenching turn as the overburdened young quarterback, Mike Winchell. Black plays Winchell with just the right touch of uncertainty, premature responsibility and stomach churning fear. Ironically Black's only major TV guest star appearance was an episode of "Chicago Hope" where he starred with "FNL" director Berg, and he's had no formal drama training. It's in this way that his aw-shucks persona adds depth and realism to this role. Would it be great if there were more Lucas Blacks in this film? Yes. It does still stand on it's own as a better than average portrayal of the life and death drama of Texas High Football. And if someone likes football, likes small town drama, and can well the tolerate the stylized *look* of "Any Given Sunday" - you can't make a better Friday Night Movie choice this season. 7/10 if you're open minded, 8/10 if you like fast moving, reality camera-work *and* love football. Give it a try!