Friday Night Lights (2004)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Directors:

Peter Berg
Josh Pate

Writers (WGA):

Buzz Bissinger (book)
David Aaron Cohen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Hope comes alive

Plot:

Based on H.G. Bissinger's book, which profiled the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas and their heroic high school football team, The Permian High Panthers.

Plot Keywords:

Texas | Coach | Odessa Texas | Small Town | Championship

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Billy Bob Thornton	...	Coach Gary Gaines
Lucas Black	...	Mike Winchell
Garrett Hedlund	...	Don Billingsley
Derek Luke	...	Boobie Miles
Jay Hernandez	...	Brian Chavez
Lee Jackson	...	Ivory Christian
Lee Thompson Young	...	Chris Comer
Tim McGraw	...	Charles Billingsley
Grover Coulson	...	L.V. Miles
Connie Britton	...	Sharon Gaines
Connie Cooper	...	Mrs. Winchell
Kasey Stevens	...	Flippy
Ryanne Duzich	...	Melissa
Amber Heard	...	Maria
Morgan Farris	...	Jennifer Gaines

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic issues, sexual content, language, some teen drinking and rough sports action.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:LH | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:M (tv rating) | South Korea:12 | Malaysia:U | Ireland:12A | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-11 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Abilene, Texas, USA

Company:

Friday Night Lights LLC

Trivia:

Neither Derek Luke nor Lee Thompson Young had ever played football before.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Booby Miles is cleaning out his locker, his knee brace is on his left leg in the first part of the scene, then it is on his right leg in the middle of the scene, then switches back to his left leg at the end of the scene.

Quotes:

Boobie Miles: Go on, go on and be perfect

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Terminator X to the Edge of Panic

Why the changes?

As one who thoroughly enjoyed Bissinger's book, I found myself shaking my head during the movie over the deviations from the book. There are many of them and some reviewers have already done an excellent job of pointing them out, so I feel no need to repeat them. This is not a movie altering fiction, this is a movie changing facts and events that really did happen. None of my three movie companions had read the book and they all enjoyed the movie more than I, who wondered how these changes were making the story better. In case anyone is confused, the author was following the team during this season, he did not simply choose afterword to write about that season. Bissinger wrote a great book, but was extremely fortunate that the season he chose to follow the team turned out to be one full of interesting twists. I hope everyone enjoys the movie, and if you did, I strongly encourage you to read the book!