I disagree with the masses on this one and here's why

Rating: 5/10 (23 April 2008)

First of All...I read this book back in HS and it may be the best sports book ever written. I'll go ahead and start with what I liked about the movie. The cinematography is excellent. THe football scenes are excellent. THe acting is above average. Now, I know what the scores are on IMDb for this(7.2) AND Varsity Blues(5.something).... and I also realize that FNL is a far better film when it comes to production value... but I have to say... I was more entertained and honestly enjoyed Varsity Blues more than I did FNL. Even though I hear it all the time,....this was one of the first times that I said, "the book was much better"..... How can that be?...Liking VB better? By piling in as much of the books' subplots as possible.... by not focusing on specific characters(which resulted in underdevelopment)... FNL left me with an uneasy, unsatisfied feeling as a movie-goer. Is it dramatic....yes... is it more realistic than VB...YEs...and it should be considering its' based on true events... Unlike the book, I thought the film failed miserably in showing the true obsession that IS Permian football.....as well leaving the viewer COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED with the characters. As for the coaches in both VB and FNL.... Jon Voigt's acting was masterful compared to Thornton.... One is made better than the other and that's obvious.... but one is more enjoyable than the other....at least for this viewer. This is the "babel" of sports movies... beautiful... great quality overall... but just left me with that blah feeling... In my opinion....7.2 is a "quality" sympathy vote. Stays true to the book but comes off as a jumbled mess. 54/100