Friday Night Lights (2004)

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.

Director:

Peter Berg

Writers:

Buzz Bissinger (book) (as H.G. Bissinger), David Aaron Cohen (screenplay)

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Jay Hernandez, Derek Luke

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Odessa, Texas, is a small, town in Texas. Racially divided and economically dying, there is one night that gives the town something to live for: Friday Night. The Permian Panthers have a big winning tradition in Texas high school football, led by QB Mike Winchell and superstar tailback Boobie Miles, but all is not well, as Boobie suffers a career-ending injury in the first game of the season. Hope is lost among citizens in Odessa, and for the team, but Coach Gary Gaines, who believes that "Perfection is being able to look your friends in the eye and know you did everything you could not to let them down", is somehow able to help the team rise up from the ashes and make a huge season comeback. Now on their way to state, the Panthers must go out and be perfect, because they may never matter this much for the rest of their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

football | texas | coach | high school football | odessa texas | 

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Taglines:

Hope comes alive

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Universal Studios [United States]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Friday Night Lights

Filming Locations:

Abilene, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,269,025, 10 October 2004

Gross USA:

$61,255,921

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$61,950,770

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Friday Night Lights LLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Don Billingsley and his father, Charles Billingsley did indeed reconcile. They ended up attending the same church as Gary Gaines and his family.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the Permian vs. Midland Lee game, the scoreboard from previous week's game (against Abilene) is shown.

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Quotes

Melissa: Are you gay?
Melissa: [to Ivory Christian] Is he gay?
Mike Winchell: I'm not gay.
Melissa: Can you prove it?

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Connections

Referenced in Say Goodnight Kevin: Catching Faith (2018)

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Soundtracks

Barbara Ann
Written by Fred Fassert

User Reviews

Not as good as the book.

I just don't see how anyone who didn't read the book could follow the story at all. The book was so watered down, and the story is almost unrecognizable. We saw precious little of Booby Miles' complexity or the pressures around him over which he had no control. We saw almost nothing of Chavez, one of the very few players who actually made something of himself, or what effect the high school football experience had on his success in life. And the other players ... their personal lives were so affected by what happened that single season, and it was pretty much ignored. There was so much background about the frenzy that Mojo generated (and still generates) in Odessa that just wasn't shown.

That being said, I can see why the people in Odessa so disapproved of the book and loved the movie. The movie doesn't show the rather affectionate, yet unflattering picture that Buzz Bissinger painted of the town. Instead, it only showed the stereotypical hype of small town football. After seeing the movie, PLEASE do yourself a favor and read the book.