The Best Football Movie?

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2005)

It certainly started out as just another football film (though over-directed with a hyper-active camera)...the parties, the sexual shenanigans, the over-the-top characters. I was ready to pan the film.
But then it heated up. Once the season started, and the football action became the centerpiece, this film shined. The characters were compelling and you really felt for them and their individual situations.
I am not a Billy Bob Thorton fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by his controlled performance. Too often the coaches in football movies are completely over the top. Thorton had the strength to get on people - but he never over did it. It was a football coach.
And the movie ended on a strong note. The half-time speech Thorton gives during the final game is something that gives a former football player goose bumps. It really encapsulates what its truly like to be a part of a football TEAM...and how powerful that experience can be.
I have seen movies like "All the Right Moves", "The Program", "Varsity Blues" and the laughable "Any Given Sunday". NONE of them can hold a candle to this movie. Any football player or fan needs to watch this film...the best football movie I have ever watched.