Best High School Sports Movie Ever Made

Rating: Null/10 (15 November 2004)

I've seen just about every sports movie ever made in America and FNL was better than any other high school movie, by far. I'm sure it is not as good as the book (they never are), but after seeing it three times, its power grew on me each and every time. Some of the scenes were as powerful as any I have ever seen in ANY movie and the acting was outstanding across the board.
I could not help but break down while watching one of the young men come to grips with losing everything he had ever worked for or dreamed about in his life, only to become one of the main inspirations for his team's achievements, through all of the adversity they had faced together. It also serves as a stark reminder to all young athletes of the value of an education when the big dreams don't come through.
Most inspirational of all to me was the relationship between Coach Gaines (Thornton) and one of his troubled team leaders. In two conversations with the introverted young man, both off school grounds, the coach not only helped him to see his own personal problem clearly... "My mind's not right", but then gave him the solution to it that was well within the players grasp...."If you can get by that one thing, you're going to seriously fly son!" and "Ain't no curses". Coaching and mentoring doesn't get better than that and it should serve as a great example to coaches and mentors everywhere.
Lastly, I didn't realize it until the third time I saw it, that the movie chronicled a huge change in the coach's philosophy as well. He started out just as gung ho as the local townfolk, as the fired-up new coach, and did not realize what their "win at all costs" attitude was doing to him, his family, and to his players. He decided during the conversation with the sheriff/main booster that they all needed to change the way they defined success and achievement. The look on the sheriff's face when he called his bluff was priceless. Then he led them through it by example. The motivational half-time speech given by him was one that so affected me in my current life that I'm sure I will never forget it and will pass it on whenever I can...."Be perfect.....in your heart!". You couldn't take a teenager or young adult to a better movie. They should give it away to every school.