Friday Night Lights

Billy Bob Thornton delivers a career-best performance, and leads an all-star roster of supporting cast performances in Peter Berg’s hard-hitting football classic.

---

PRE-GAME 🏈

---

Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻

I’m quite surprised that we’ve gotten to week 7 of the newsletter without reviewing an American Football movie. This is one that I’ve had lots of requests for, and a first-time watch for me too. In fact, I’ve not seen the television show either and opinion from people I know who have seen both seems split 50/50 on which one is better. After watching this, I’m really excited to dive into the show. We’re staying on the gridiron next week too, albeit in a more light-hearted way with Little Giants. I’ve heard it described as “The Sandlot, but for American football” which is certainly a bold claim.

In some other news, I mentioned last week that I had to postpone The Clubhouse due to some work commitments. Unfortunately, that is set to continue and life has gotten pretty busy for me work-wise recently. I’m going to hit pause on The Clubhouse for a little while until I have more time again to fully dedicate to it. I don’t like to half-ass anything, and I also don’t want to take any time or effort away from the Friday edition of the newsletter, and the sports movie reviews. Right now, balancing work, life and two editions of the newsletter per week is more than I can handle, but it won’t be a permanent thing! At the moment, we’re going to go back to once a week on Fridays, and The Clubhouse will return at a later date once life and work calms down a little. To make up for this, I’m going to extend the Halftime portion of the Friday newsletter and dive into more of what else I’ve been watching, sports-related and otherwise. I’m going to continue my Ted Lasso rewatch here in the Friday edition of the newsletter too. I hope you all understand the reasons for this temporary change! ❤️

With that, it’s about time for kick-off!

---

FIRST HALF 🏈

---

After The Wrestler last week, I was hoping that our first American football movie review would bring a bit of good, old-fashioned sports movie levity, with a plucky underdog story and plenty of feel-good moments. Well, I certainly picked the wrong movie for that! I wasn’t quite prepared for how brutal and unrelentingly bleak Friday Night Lights was. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic film but this story following the Permian High School Panthers on their path to glory was an emotionally draining experience that I won’t soon forget.

Universal

Based on the book by H. G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights chronicles the 1988 football season of the Permian High School Panthers in Odessa, Texas, a town obsessed with its high school football team. The film follows their quest for a state championship.

What sets Friday Night Lights apart from the typical sports movie tale, is that it’s more about the insane pressure placed on these young players than the sport or the journey to the championship game itself. This pressure that comes in many forms that’s at the centre of a lot of the film’s brutality and darker elements.

Universal

Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) is not the stereotypical, larger-than-life coach that’s often seen in sports movies. Instead, Thornton plays the part with a quiet intensity. His performance grounds the character, portraying a man who carries the weight of an entire town’s expectations on his shoulders, yet never lets it show that he’s moved by it all. I really liked that he’s never portrayed as a motivational figure either, despite the fact that he’s always concerned for his players’ welfare. It’s a delicate balancing act that the film gets just right, and that’s down to the writing and Thornton’s nuanced performance. The film doesn’t shy away from highlighting his vulnerabilities and showing his temper, particularly in the heat of the moment during a big game scene where the pressure begins to get to him. For me, it’s probably the best performance of Thornton’s career. I would have liked to have seen more from Connie Britton, who plays Sharon Gaines and their relationship. She’s pretty much reduced to a nothing character here, and I don’t think I even noticed her utter a single line of dialogue until pretty far into the film.

The supporting cast are fantastic, and there’s no character that feels insignificant. Mike Winchell (Lucas Black) is the team quarterback and is burdened by the overwhelming weight of leading the team, while dealing with pressures of his home life. Black gives a phenomenal, yet understated performance that reflects the quiet nature of the young player with the weight of the world on his shoulders. One of the film’s more emotional storylines is the journey of Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), the confident running back who’s dreams are shattered by a knee injury. Boobie oozes swagger and early in the film seems a little one-dimensional, and even unlikeable. The devastation that follows the injury, however, is one of the most powerful aspects of the movie. Black’s performance is heartbreaking, showing the harsh reality of how quickly an athlete’s life can change. There’s one scene near the end of the film after Boobie collects his belongings from the locker-room that almost brought me to tears.

All of that said, what hit me the hardest in Friday Night Lights was Don Billingsley’s (Garrett Hedlund) strained relationship with his father, Charles (Tim McGraw). Charles Billingsley is a former football star himself and someone who’s horizons have never expanded past his own glory days of college football. He is abusive and extremely demanding, expecting his son to live up to his own past glory whilst at the same time, dealing with his own internal struggles and depression. Don struggles to live up to his volatile father’s expectations, and just about every scene between them had me on a knife’s edge - particularly one scene that takes place inside Don’s car after a game. McGraw plays the loose-cannon father to perfection and is utterly reprehensible at times, compared to Hedlund’s portrayal of a fragile kid desperately seeking some of kind of approval.

The town of Odessa feels like as much of a character as any of the players or coaches too. It’s small, run-down and football is the only thing that matters. The weight of this is felt constantly throughout the film. There’s a palpable tension and sense of dread any time a player or coach encounters a local, who attempts to offer words of encouragement that instead come across as thinly veiled threats. ‘Go win state!’ never sounded so menacing.

The dramatic tone and the emotional intensity of the story is underscored by Peter Berg’s direction and Tobias Schliessler’s cinematography. Did you ever watch The Shield? Well, that’s what I was immediately reminded of watching this. The colour palate is washed out, conveying the bleakness of a destitute, down-on-it’s-luck town and the whole film has a gritty feel to it. The film relies heavily on use of handled cameras, particularly during the game scenes, which are shot with a visceral, almost documentary-style approach. Mixed with a lot of quick cuts and slow motion during big moments, it adds to the intensity of the on-field action. There are plenty of big hits here, much like you’d see in a real game. Bodies are thrown into the air, crushed and contorted and you really feel every last blow.

Special mention must go to the film’s soundtrack by Explosions in the Sky, which elevates the film in almost every way. I don’t remember the last time that I watched a film and was impacted by the soundtrack in the way that I was watching this. It plays such a crucial role in defining the tone of the film, whether it’s the intensity of the game scenes, a rousing locker room speech or the emotional turmoil being felt by the characters. At the end of the movie, we get the typical early 2000s montage of all the characters with some text telling us what happened to them all later in life. This is a trope that’s since been endlessly poked fun at in pop culture and feels played out, but here it makes for an emotional, hard-hitting end and it’s all down to the music.

Friday Night Lights contains many of the usual elements of a sports movie that we all know and love. The game scenes are exciting, and there are plenty of likeable characters to root for and some rousing, chest-thumping moments that will have you on the edge of your seat. At its core though, it’s a harsh look at the pressures placed on young athletes, the fleeting nature of success and youth, and the fragile nature of chasing your dreams.

I’m excited to go watch the series now!

Friday Night Lights is available to rent or buy via most digital stores.

---

HALFTIME 🏈

---

Let’s take a break for halftime.

Here’s what else I’ve been watching this week:

Ted Lasso - Season 1, Episode 3 - ‘Trent Crimm: The Independent’

Episode 3 of the series continues to endear Ted to the audience, but marks a turning point in the way that the other characters see him too. In this episode, Ted invites Trent Crimm, the skeptical journalist, to spend a day with him - a meeting set up by Rebecca as an opportunity for a hit piece on the Richmond coach. It backfires though, as Ted’s authenticity and kindness silences Crimm’s skepticism, resulting in an article that highlights Ted’s unconventional, yet effective leadership style. This really comes together during Ted and Roy’s visit to a local school, which ends up being one of the episode’s best moments and also key to Roy’s character arc. Side note - rewatching this now, I love that the tension between Roy and Trent is introduced so early on, and wouldn’t be explored again until season three.

Apple TV+

Ted Lasso is available to stream on Apple TV+

Twisters

I might get some hate for saying this, but I enjoyed this so much more than the original. Maybe it’s because I saw it in 4DX which added so much to the overall experience, but this was one of the most fun cinema outings I’ve had in some time - despite the idiots in the front row who insisted on filming themselves doing a synchronised dance for TikTok during any non-action scenes. I loved the pacing, the characters and the chemistry between Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell was fantastic. A great big-screen watch with old-school summer blockbuster vibes.

Twisters is in cinemas now.

I’ve got quite a few trips to the movies coming up this week. This weekend, I’m off to see Trap. I always love an M.Night Shyamalan movie, so I’m looking forward to it very much. Early next week, I’m off to a surprise horror movie screening and I’ve got a few guesses of my own as to what it might be, but we won’t know until the lights go down. Then, next Friday I’m off to see Alien: Romulus. I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while, and I love that it seems to be taking the franchise back to its proper horror roots.

As usual, let me know what you’re watching or what you’re planning to go see. Let’s get back on to the field!

---

SECOND HALF 🏈

---

Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.

BEST SCENE 🏆

Gaines’ locker room speech at the end for sure. Chills.

BEST LINE 🏆

Coach Gary Gaines: “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 didnt let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasnt 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!”

MVP AWARD 🏆

There are quite a few standout performances in this film. I found all of the scenes between Tim McGraw and Garrett Hedlund very powerful, but I have to give this award to Billy Bob Thornton. For me, this is probably my favourite performance of his career. The soundtrack comes a close second!

IMDB TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆

In an interview on The Rich Eisen Show, Billy Bob Thornton revealed that the half-time speech in the State Championship game was written out for him but was then improvised by the actor at the last minute. The speech was inspired by an event that happened the night before filming. "Literally the night before a friend of mine...screwed me over. In a way that I can't describe, I was so devastated. And I asked Pete Berg [the director] if I could go off this, and he said 'Sure whatever you want to do'." - Billy Bob Thornton, The Rich Eisen Show.

BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆

BONUS FEATURE 💿

Here’s Peter Berg talking about how the film got made:

---

POST-GAME 🏈

---

Watching this has definitely got me excited to check out the series. I might watch an episode or two over the weekend and report back. It’s also got me excited to explore more American football movies. Remember the Titans is one of my all-time favs, but there are so many football movies I’ve not seen. What are your favourites?

Are you a fan of the tv show? Let me know what you think is the better or the two in the comments.

I still can’t get over how good the soundtrack is in this movie, and how much it elevates some of the most important moments. I thought I’d include this amazing piece of music from Explosions in the Sky to end:

I’m looking forward to Little Giants next week. After this, it’ll be a nice change of pace for sure!

See you next week! 👋🏻

~James