Best football movie I've seen...

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2006)

...and one of the best sports movies I've seen. I enjoyed the book when I read it years ago and was looking forward to how it would be portrayed in the film. They definitely captured the spirit of the book. I knew Peter Berg from his acting performances, but who knew he would do such a good job directing? Billy Bob Thornton was very believable as the coach. I think he's from Texas so he has the accent and probably understands the intensity from the fans. Speaking of that, my favorite parts were probably the radio show clips where you had conversations like - Announcer: "Some people say that the multi-million dollar stadium is too much and that money should have been spent on the school." Caller: "Well, isn't the stadium part of the school? I don't know what they are complaining about!" That captures the fanaticism of the people for high school football.
Tim McGraw did a good job as the player's father. Reminds me of another country star who did some acting, Dwight Yoakam. The actors playing the players were great. The cinematography was great. I was actually yelling at the screen like I was watching an actual football game.