Texas high school football in Odessa is more like a Friday night obsession than a game.  It's the chief entertainment, the future path out of a depressed area for the students and a measure of personal self worth for the coach, the players and the whole town.  Needless to say, this creates tremendous emotional pressure on everyone.  The film is well done and it successfully delivers this message in a storyline that moves very fast. 

            The film is based on the novel by H.G. (Buzz) Bissinger and the novel is based on the true story of Permian Panther's bid for their 6^th state championship in 1988.  The town obsession, the team comradeship and the emotional pressure are dramatized in the storyline, but they're squeezed into the time between game sequences.  These football shots are great and fun to watch, but they reduce the opportunity for character development.  It's impossible to portray the depth of a novel in two hours of images, although some of the feeling is captured.

            To get a deeper sense of the drama that enticed Bissinger to write the book, I recommend watching The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers in the Bonus Features section of the DVD.  Bissinger as well as four key original team members are interviewed: Brian Chavez (Chavo), tight end - Don Billingsley, Tailback - Boobie Miles, fullback - and Mike Winchell, Quarterback.  There are also film clips from the 1988 games and commentaries by the director and others.  This segment provides historical information, some interesting consequences of the experience on the participants and a better understanding of the whole episode.  However, don't watch this before you watch the film because many of the story events in the dramatization are reviewed in comparison to the original events and it will spoil the impact of the film.

            This story also inadvertently points out at least three serious disadvantages of football.  First, the emphasis on the game diverts much needed funds and resources away from education.  Yes, it does teach teamwork and team spirit, but there are several other ways to accomplish this.  Second, like boxing, it's a sociologically archaic sport in which human beings are placed in physical contact for the purpose of defeating each other.  The result can be life-changing injuries.  It surprises me that we haven't evolved away from this.  Thirdly, it is expensive and gender specific so that athletic resources discriminate against girls. 

            In the film story, Billy Bob Thornton shines as coach Gary Gaines.  There was no compromising on character depth here and Thornton makes us believe in Gaines, believe in the game and believe in the brotherhood of the team.  I was also impressed with Tim McGraw's role as Charlie Billingsley, the abusive father of Donnie.  McGraw is a country western singer and this is only his second film role.

            Reviewed February 10, 2005

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