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Peter Berg's latest film,
Friday Night Lights, is a big let down from his last film, The
Rundown. Staged in the great state of Texas, Friday Night Lights
is the story of the small town of Odessa, obsessed with their 1988 high
school football team's bid for state champions. Pressure is all around head
coach Gary Gains (Billy Bob Thorton) and his team as they struggle and fight
through every game after their star player, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke) is
injured during their first game.
This is an extremely typical
story by now told in films like Any Given Sunday and The Program,
and even in Hoosiers and more recently, Coach Carter. The
premise is simple. The coach is loved when he is winning, despised when he
is losing. The team struggles to overcome odds and perhaps the loss of a
star player. When things are down, they give it their all, and win or
lose...they are number one in the coach's eyes and in their hearts. *Tear*
What makes Friday Night
Lights a little more interesting is how it delves into the psyche of
these high school players in a football intense community. The pressures of
living up to their fathers' lives as a state champion or their reputation on
the field. Their strive for success, and more important to them, recognition
for hard work is touching, I'm just tired of seeing on screen.
However, I think it is always
important for young boys to see the superstar cut down before he can make it
big. The sadness of losing a career in football to a blown knee and not
having any other option in life is scary. But people still put all their
eggs in one basket otherwise these stories wouldn't be told over and over
again.
The problem is Friday
Night Lights is nothing special. What's such a big deal about this
sixteen year old team that a.) a book was written about them, and b.) a film
was made about the book? I don't get it. It doesn't impact me or come across
in any form. One thing people rave about is the choreography, which is
excellent, but is that a reason to see a film...or worse yet, rave about it?
I think not.
The real winner of the film
is the band that did the score, Explosions in the Sky. It's an
incredible emo, instrumental score. I have to find out more about this band.
In fact, forget the film and just look the band up and rent The Program
instead. |
