Movie Review – Friday Night Lights (2004)
In honor of the month of August and the rapidly approaching football season, today we’re taking a look at high school football in the film Friday Night Lights.
Released in 2004, Friday Night Lights is based on the true story of the Permian High School football team in 1988 and their run for the state championship. The school is located in the city of Odessa, Texas, a region of the country where people are fanatic about their local high school football teams. Out there football isn’t merely a sport but an obsession. It’s a way of life.
Directed by Peter Berg, Friday Night Lights is based on the book Friday Night Lights: A town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton as head coach Gary Gaines. Supporting him are Lucas Black playing the role of quarterback Mike Winchell, Garrett Hedlund as fullback Don Billingsley, Derek Luke as running back James Miles, Lee Thompson Young as running back Chris Comer, and Tim McGraw as Charles Billingsley, Don’s alcoholic and somewhat abusive father.
Friday Night Lights begins with scenes from around Odessa, Texas. As we can see, it’s a oil-driven but still desolate area. Dirt dominates the landscape and trees are few and far between. That doesn’t really matter though as it’s August and the local people once again have football fever. Some of the sports talk on the radio questions whether head coach Gary Gaines is the right man to lead the team to a state championship. NOTE – In reality, Odessa, Texas is a medium sized city with the metro area containing about 250,000 residents.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
The Permian High School football players gather at the football stadium and begin their practice sessions guided by Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton). In attendance in the stands are parents, members of the media, and talent scouts from college football programs. Out on the playing field we see highlights from star players such as quarterback Mike Winchell (Lucas Black) and running back James Miles (Derek Luke). Fullback Don Billingsley (Garrett Hedlund) has poor ball-handling skills and keeps fumbling. His father, Charles Billingsley (Tim McGraw), is furious with his son’s mistakes, and he goes onto the playing field to yell at his son.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
That night the football players attend a house party to celebrate their anticipated success with the upcoming football season. Of course, the high schoolers get drunk and the football players hook up with the girls. Mike Winchell has to prove his sexuality to one of the popular (a.k.a. easy) girls in his class. Don Billingsley takes a girl home, but they’re interrupted by Don’s drunken father. Charles is still angry about his son’s poor football skills and proceeds to tape a football to his son’s hands and then beats the ball and his son.
Later we see the football players joking around while working out in the locker room. One of the contests is to see which player can get Mike Winchell to finally crack a smile or laugh at a joke. James Miles succeeds at the contest. However, James is also arrogant with his abilities and lets the letters from major college football programs get to his head. He skips completing his workout in the locker room, a move that upsets Mike.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
September 2, 1988, is the first game of the season for the Permian panthers. They’re playing at home against the Marshall bulldogs. The panthers take the field and destroy the bulldogs in a blowout victory. However, the victory does not come without a sacrifice to the team. Near the end of the game, Coach Gaines sends third-string running back Chris Comer (Lee Thompson Young) into the game to replace James Miles. Comer isn’t ready for this move and he cannot find his helmet on the sideline. Time is ticking and they need a player on the field, so Miles returns to the football field to take Comer’s place. On the following play Miles is given the football, but he’s brutally tackled by two defenders. The impact severely injures Miles’s knee, taking the star player out of the game for at least a few weeks.
The team’s fans are just as upset about the loss of James Miles as are his teammates. The football team’s offense was built around that one player. Odessa’s sport talk radio station is on fire with angry fans who heavily criticize Coach Gaines’ decision to play and risk the injury of a star player when the team had a tremendous lead at the end of the game.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
Nonetheless, the season continues and Permian faces their first division game the following week against Abilene. This game goes poorly for Permian and the players make mistakes throughout the game. Permian loses the game decisively with a score of 49-6. The dream of a perfect season is now finished. However, Permian can still make a run for the prestigious state championship.
Before they think that they can compete for the state championship, the team first has to re-group and focus on themselves first and correcting their errors. Coach Gaines visits with James Miles and his uncle, L.V. Miles (Grover Coulson). James has been evaluated by the town’s clinic, but he was referred to Midland, Texas to receive an MRI and know the full extent of any damage to his knee. James shrugs it off and he and his uncle both assure Coach Gaines that he’ll be playing again in a few days.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
Quarterback Mike Winchell is having problems accurately throwing the ball. His mistakes have caused key interceptions in the previous game, and he’s not improving in practice. Coach Gaines visits with Mike at his home and tries to talk to the boy. He knows that Mike is better than what he’s been recently showing on the field. Coach Gaines believes that Mike is intentionally throwing poorly so that no college will offer him a scholarship and he won’t have to leave town and leave behind his ailing mother. Gaines assures Mike that his mother will still be fine when Mike leaves the town, boosting the boy’s confidence.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
The next game arrives and once again Permian is behind. The team’s running back is injured and Coach Gaines is forced to play Chris Comer. But as we see, the first time Comer receives a handoff he runs out of bounds instead of staying on the field and taking the hit by the defenders. This move infuriates the coaches. The game progresses and we see changes as the players re-gain their confidence. Comer sprints down the field for a touchdown and the team ultimately wins the game.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
James Miles and his uncle drive to Midland to have an MRI on James’ knee. His uncle claims that this facility is the absolute best in the state of Texas. The doctor examines the images from the MRI and notices a significant injury to James’ knee. He recommends that the boy no longer play football, otherwise another injury will injure him for life. Football is James’ life, and he becomes furious at the doctor’s recommendation. James accuses the doctor of being paid off by the town of Midland (a rival of Odessa), and he storms out of the examination room.
On October 28, 1988, Odessa-Permian is set to play against Midland Lee. A loss for Permian in this game means that they’ll be placed in a three-way tie for the lead, something that will be settled with a coin toss. Before the start of the game, Coach Gaines meets with James and his uncle. James lies and tells his coach that he’s okay for playing in the game. His uncle confirms the lie and Coach Gaines allows James to suit up and play.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
The game goes poorly for Permian and Coach Gaines is reluctant to play James Miles. The team is down at halftime, and the second half doesn’t go much better. Being down 14-7 and with only five minutes left in the game, Coach Gaines finally allows James Miles to play. James carries the ball and is stopped for a loss, and it’s clear to see that he’s wearing a brace and his knee isn’t as well as what he was claiming. The running back later receives a nasty tackle that destroys his knee and ends his high school football career.
The football team keeps fighting to win the game. They march down the field and make a gallant comeback, but their efforts fall short when Mike overthrows his receiver in the end zone. Permian loses the game and their fate for the remainder of the season rests in the luck of a coin toss.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
While driving back home, Don Billingsley is repeatedly taunted and verbally abused by his drunk father. Charles works a dead-end job and isn’t successful in life. His biggest accomplishment was winning the state championship when he played for Permian years ago. He continually waves his championship ring in front of his son and basically tells him that he’ll never be good enough to earn one himself.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
The night arrives for the three-way coin toss to determine which two teams advance to the playoffs. The three head coaches all toss their coins simultaneously. At first it looks like there’s a three-way tie and they’ll have to do another coin toss, but one of the coaches used a worn coin and the tails side actually looked like heads. That coach was eliminated and the other two coaches (including Coach Gaines) advanced to the playoffs.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
James Miles returns to the locker room to clean out his locker and say his goodbye to his teammates. Outside the school in his uncle’s car, reality hits James as he realizes that his dreams of playing professional football are over. On top of that his academic grades are also dismal. James breaks down as he ponders what he’s supposed to do with his life. In reality, James had surgery in 1988 to fix his knee, but he lost too much speed to make him an effective running back. James played football for a small college, but that only lasted for a year before he academically failed out of school.
Odessa-Permian advances through the playoffs and they fight their way to play in the Texas state finals against Dallas-Carter. The problem is that Dallas-Carter is an all-black football program, and neither team is willing to play at their opponents stadium. Coach Gaines suggests that the teams play at Houston’s Astrodome, a neutral field for both teams. There’s more controversy as the Dallas-Carter coaches try to insist on having a black referee crew officiating the game.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
The team packs up and prepares to leave for Houston. Before the convoy leaves, James Miles arrives and asks Coach Gaines if he can ride along and help support the team. Gaines allows him to do so and the players and fans make the trip across the state to Houston.
The Texas state championship game begins and Odessa-Permian is clearly outmatched by Dallas-Carter. The Carter football players are big and intense. They hit hard, gang up on the Permian players, and they cheat with holding and delivering late hits. Most of those hits were not called by the referees, a grouping of both white and black officials.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
Permian manages to score a touchdown right before halftime, but they’re down 26-7. Both coaching staffs yell at their players during halftime, and one of the Permian players tries to rally his teammates. Coach Gaines takes a different approach and speaks honestly with his football players. His technique works and the Odessa-Permian team is ready to play in the second half of the game and fight for the championship.
The Permian football players have their confidence restored and they begin making a comeback against Dallas-Carter. They score a touchdown but they’re still down 26-14 at the end of the third quarter. Dallas-Carter has the ball in the fourth quarter, and a critical incomplete pass is ruled as a catch by the black referee. This controversial call sets up a touchdown and two-point conversion for Dallas-Cater, putting them ahead 34-14. Permian is right back in the game when Comer returns a kick for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 34-21.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
The game resumes and Permian continues with their comeback, cutting the lead to 34-28. During a series late in the game, the Dallas-Carter coach gambles on a fourth and inches play. Permian’s defense stops them and the panther’s offense takes over on the field. The clock ticks down to zero as Odessa-Permian drives down the field for a game winning touchdown. Unfortunately, they run out of time and fail on the last play. The Dallas-Carter defense stops them inches from the goal line.
The game is finished and Dallas-Carter wins the state championship. The Odessa-Permian coaches and players all deal with their loss in their own ways. In the end they’re still proud of themselves and all that they’ve accomplished this season.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – (c) Universal Pictures
Friday Night Lights ends with Coach Gaines returning to his office and removing the seniors from the depth chart on his wall. Outside of their stadium, Winchell, Billingsley and Chavez reminisce about the game and all remark about how much they’re going to miss the experience. Mike Winchell then throws a long pass to a group of kids playing a game of football.
So is Friday Night Lights a good movie?
As a whole, Friday Night Lights is a decent sports drama that attempts to take a serious look into the world of high school football. Here you have a grouping of players who live in a town in the middle of nowhere, and they fight their inner demons while trying to rise to the top in their state.
One of my biggest problems with this film is from the camera work. The film uses a lot of quick cuts and shaky, handheld footage, and at times it’s hard to actually see and try to understand the different characters on screen. This effect can help give the audience a better experience and have them feel like they’re part of the story, but when it’s used frequently it leads to motion sickness and confusion about what’s really taking place in the film.
Don’t expect to see any of the football players in the classroom or participating in any other events around the school. We also don’t see them socialize much the with locals in town. Nor do we hear or see much of the locals themselves. We merely hear some of their opinions on the radio station, and we see the local businesses leaving signs about going to the games and heading to the state finals. This film almost exclusively focuses on the players themselves and their fight to be the state champions.
Also, don’t expect to hear hit music from the late 1980s since this film is set in 1988. Friday Night Lights has more of a modern soundtrack, not that that’s a bad thing.
Remember that Friday Night Lights is a Hollywood movie that’s based on the true story of the 1988 Permian High School football team’s quest for glory. There are many changes in the film versus what really happened during that year of football. This includes changes in the town of Odessa, changes in the opponents and outcomes, and even changes to James Miles’ knee injury. Hollywood rewrote the history to make it into a more exciting and emotional film.
I really enjoy high school football games. Throughout the fall, I volunteer to help work in the P.A. booth at one of the local schools. It’s a small way of giving back to the community and also being an active part of the game itself.
Friday Night Lights (2004) – movie trailer
Those people who love sport dramas and football in particular will really enjoy Friday Night Lights. This is especially true for those who have already graduated and enjoy remembering those nights of playing in front of the home crowds. While this may not be a perfect film, Friday Night Lights captures the action and passion of the game, and you’ll be cheering for the Permian panthers as they march for the state title.
Coach Gary Gaines – “Stop reading the news clippings. You’re small and you’re going to be smaller every week. There ain’t going to be no growth spurt between now and the first game. You’re going to use your minds! You’re going to play with your heart! And that is what you’re going to use to win the State Championship.”
———————————
Mike Winchell – “He designed his offense around one player. We’re dead.”
Brian Chavez – “We’re not dead. You just need to start throwing the ball.”
Don Billingsley – “We’re dead.”
———————————
Ivory Christian – [half time in championship game] “What’s wrong with y’all? Y’all are playin’ like some little girls! Y’all act like you never played football before! These guys are nothin’! They bleed just like we do, and sweat just like we do. They went through two-a-days. We went through two-a-days in 110 degree heat. I want you to hit everything that move! If the ref gets in your way, you hit him! They’re cheatin’ us too! They’re against us too. This is our team. This is us! Let’s go right now! Let’s get it off now and let’s go!”
———————————
Coach Gary Gaines – [half time speech in championship game] “Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It’s not about winning. It’s about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn’t one more thing you could’ve done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentleman – you’re perfect!”