
Friday Night Lights
Blu-ray Edition (2004)
Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke, Tim McGraw
Directed by Peter Berg
Universal Home Entertainment
Release Date: January 6, 2009
Coming from a big city, I have yet to encounter true football country. Sure, when the New York Giants or the New York Jets have a great season, there is definite playoff excitement in the air but when the games are over, the city continues. It moves on and moves onto the next sport on the list. For some towns and some cities, the whole area lives and breathes football whether the season is on or not. The town of Odessa, TX, is certainly one of these types of towns and their Permian Panthers is the subject of the 2004 movie Friday Night Lights, now on Blu-ray.
The year is 1988 and the Permian Panthers with coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) are beginning their new season and things are starting out terribly. Their star player James “Boobie” Miles gets hurt at the end of a game and is unable to play for the rest of the season. Gaines’ decision to leave Miles in the game is questioned by the entire town and he slowly drops out of their favor. Gaines’ players have their own problems to deal with, ranging from drunk abusive fathers to unbalanced mothers who need care. With all this stacked up against them the Panthers still found something within themselves to produce a rather successful football season.
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