A far more finished product than you would believe

Rating: 7/10 (19 January 2020)

I saw the television show of the same name around five years ago, and remember loving it: a genuine, down-to-earth production on rural football, featuring big names like Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton and Jesse Plemons. This big-screen version might not have the same starpower (although does feature Billy Bob Thornton), but I actually think that's for the better: this film is simple, it's real, and it tells a story well. Frankly, Hollywood could use some more of this to cut through the swathes of overproduced rubbish being pumped out weekly.
The story is pretty linear - a high school football team in Texas trying to win a championship. They are a good team, but winning is never easy. Based on H.G. Bissinger's book, the stark realities of a depressed town buoyed by football are probably more real than you'd like to believe; it is even sadder to think that for these players, those final seasons probably did mark the highpoint of many of their lives. The team is full of unusual characters, starting with the boisterous running back Booby Miles (Derek Luke), but helmed by the reserved quarterback Mike Winchell (Lucas Black). Ultimately, they are all friends, but the bright lights of football sometimes muddle the mind.
By the end of the film, it doesn't really matter whether they won or lost, who played well or failed to perform. You watch because the characters convince you how much sports means to them, especially considering a lot don't have much to strive for after their season ends. The story doesn't rely on a leading man to have a great performance; they are a team, and this is one of the only sports films I've seen that really seems to understand what that means.