By Russell Wildermuth

Ah the high school memories! Football jocks are glorified and praised by the student body for their contribution to the school’s reputation. Teachers and parents are on the sidelines and ready to involve themselves in almost every aspect of the game. You might even remember the parents who would show up to every game and scream obscenities to try and raise the football spirit. Friday Night Lights captures those very moments and adds an abnormal twist to it.

Instead of the random few parents and teachers who are diehard football fans, try and picture an entire town that revolves around their 1988 Permian Panthers high school football team. A loss for the team is a loss for every member of the community. This puts overwhelming pressure on the football coach, played by actor Billy Bob Thorton, who is placed in a position where he is directly liable for the record of the team. No matter what the team’s odds, they are expected to win.

The key players in the movie are genuine. The quarterback for the Permian Panthers has a distinguishable accent, portraying him more like rapper Eminem than New England’s quarterback, Tom Brady. It was clearly the intention of the director to get viewers emotionally involved with the person behind the uniform. The quarterback might seem shy but there is wisdom about his quiet mind that might not be so subtle to viewers at first.

The director did a wonderful job of making sure that the movie contained the exact characters that you read about in the book. A close friend and teammate of the quarterback has the unfortunate problem of an alcoholic father who takes the football game very seriously and makes the game much harder than it should have been for the young adult. Don Billingsley (actor Garrett Hedlund) has a hard time coping with his father’s drinking problem. “Hold on to the football!” his father would yell as he did some pretty irrational things to his son. Many people in the town are hardcore football fans like his father and wear football rings that they won when they played in high school for the Panthers. But don’t worry, not all parents take the approach of Billingsley’s father. Still, you get a strong feeling that the football team is all that the town has going for it.

The Special Features of the DVD include some fun extra clips that weren’t placed in the movie and other various behind-the-scenes clips that were very entertaining. The kids seem like high school students after you watch the special features. Audio commentary is available, as it is in every movie DVD nowadays, and is very helpful when it comes to explaining the memories linking the movie and the story behind the movie.

The movie was based on a true story that took place in 1988, west Texas, in a small town named Odessa. The movie largely lives off the book, which has been adored over the past couple of years. It is rated PG-13 for its rough action, sexual content, language, teen drinking and thematic issues (the person behind the uniform).

For those who haven’t gotten the chance to pick up the book, there are some predictable moments throughout the movie but overall, you will be surprised with the outcome. You might even learn a lesson or two along the way. This is movie is a must see and is great for all occasions.

Final Grade: B+

´Friday Night Lights´ captures the intense moments that surround High School Football communities. (Image courtesy www.amazon.com)