Friday Night Lights

"Friday Night Lights" was a surprisingly depressing sports movie. The quarterback (Lucas Black) lives with his mentally deteriorating mother. The starting running back (Derek Luke) tears his ACL early in the season, not only ending his season but any hope of a football scholarship and a future. Another receiver (Garrett Hedlund) is both mentally and physically abused by his alcoholic father (Tim McGraw -- yes, THAT Tim McGraw). Meanwhile, the coach (Billy Bob Thornton) knows that his job security is based on every pass and tackle that is made or missed.

The first hour of "Lights" focuses on these main characters and the circumstances they are living with. As high school football players in Texas, the boys must try to deal with the pressure to win put upon them from the residents of Odessa while balancing that with their desire for something better than a life in an economically depressed town that puts football above all else. The fact that their individual lives also suck doesn't help much.

This is one of the best ensemble casts in a movie in years. As the coach Thornton is quiet yet commanding. Black, who starred with Thornton in "Sling Blade", is effective as the QB trying to hold his team and his mother together. Together, Hedlund and an unrecognizable McGraw are powerful as the struggling father and son. Above all, Luke is outstanding as the at first cocky and arrogant running back who, by the end of the movie, has to come to terms with what direction his life will go without football.

The last half of "Lights" isn't quite as heavy, focusing more on football than on drama, as the home team battles to make it to state. The camera work and intensity of the games is well done and pulls you in. I have heard from a friend that movie doesn't even come close to the quality and power of the book by H.G. Bissinger. All in all, "Friday Night Lights" is not what I expected, but I wasn't disappointed. I give it a B+.

"Friday Night Lights" is rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hours.