Friday Night Lights (PG-13, 2004)

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS follows the story of Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) and his team, the Permian High Panthers of Odessa, Tex., a town that literally revolves around high school football. The film chronicles one season from the first day of practice to the championship game and is about dreams, competition, families, tragedy, triumph, and the team. Because it's set in America, it's also about race and class. Most of all, though, it's about how, in this small town, high school football affects individuals. Boobie Miles (href="http://www.commonsensemedia.org/reviews/Derek-Luke/">Derek Luke) is the star player who juggles calls from college recruiters. Disenchanted former player Charles Billingsley (Tim McGraw) hopes to recapture the glory through his son but has no idea how to reach him except through insults and abuse. Mike Winchell (Lucas Black) juggles caring for a sick mother while trying to help the team win the title. And Coach Gaines shows his love for the game and for the boys on the team.

Director/co-screenwriter Peter Berg has produced a movie that has both immediacy and resonance, filled with moments of authenticity and insight. It has an intentionally rough, gritty, bleached, documentary feel, but Berg is in complete control, with every shot a small gem of precision and mastery. Many of the performances are quite moving, and, as always, Thornton brings subtlety and natural honesty to his role.

Within a very traditional sports movie structure, Berg assembles a mosaic of gem-like moments that illuminate a much bigger picture. This is not a football movie -- it's a rich and meaningful story about people who play football and the people who watch them, with respectful and poignant insights, beautiful performances, and sensitive treatment of issues that touch us all.