Much Over-rated

Rating: 3/10 (6 December 2010)

I never read the book, which got good reviews. I've never seen the TV series which generated a lot of buzz. But the movie -- well, it's a great disappointment. There are lots of places where high school football is a symbol of local pride and where the fans and the boosters are as heavily invested in their team's success as any big city is in its pro team. High school football is pretty intense in Ohio and Pennsylvania but, it's widely said, that high school football is nowhere as big a deal as it is in Texas. Perhaps it's because there ain't much to do in small Texas towns on Friday night and we might as well mosey down to the "stadium" (actually a field with bleachers on both sides) and watch the local boys play their arch rivals. It seems as if every opponent is an arch rival. And it ain't about the game. It ain't about the sport. It's all about winning. Permian High School in Odessa, Texas, is the school and Billy Bob Thornton is the coach who better, by God, win or they'll kick his ass out of town. This is supposed to be a true story and for all I know it is. But except for the exceptionally talented running back who expects to be a star at a Division I university and a pro after college, the kids aren't of much interest, despite strenuous efforts to make them so. What happens to the star running back is the only interesting element in the story, and I won't spoil it for anyone who decides to watch this boring film. Hard, even vicious tackling can be seen on TV every Saturday, Sunday, Monday - - and in plenty of cases on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday too. Now there's a channel that's all NFL football all the time. I can only watch so much of it, and this wasn't it. Besides, we forgot the popcorn and soda