Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
This one went through several director’s hands before Peter Berg finally stepped up and got the film made. Nordling went to see an early screening of the film and listen to Berg talk after, and here’s his take on things:
Nordling here.
H. G. Bissinger's book FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is pretty legendary in Texas. After its publication Bissinger received death threats from outraged Odessa residents and he didn't return to the town for over ten years. Texas football is serious business. They don't play around. When the high school coach makes more money than the principal, and housewives are giving the coach advice on defensive plays, it's more than just a sport. Players that screw up on Friday will hear themselves be insulted and berated on Saturday morning radio. College scouts buzz like flies at practice. Coin tosses take place at undisclosed locations for fear of a mob. It's always been like that, even in large cities like Dallas and Houston, and it likely always will be.
Peter Berg (THE RUNDOWN) had huge shoes to fill when taking on this project. It had been floating around Hollywood for more than 15 years. With such high expectations from Texas football fans, you couldn't blame him for taking the road more traveled by when it comes to sports films. So it's to Berg's credit as a director that he turned in one of the least cliche and most convincing football films ever made. It feels honest and real, and Berg's documentary-like style serves the subject well. The audience is made to feel as if they are watching the events of the film over someone's shoulder, as if they are a part of the huddle.
It's 1988, and Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) is on his second year with the Odessa-Permian High Panthers. He is constantly reminded of the high standards that the residents of Odessa have for their football, and everyone seems to have an opinion. Odessa is fanatical about their high school football. During the first practice, the coaches and the team are surrounded by local press. The Panthers' star player, James "Boobie" Miles (Derek Luke), has offers from colleges around the country, and Coach Gaines has designed his entire offense around him, with Boobie's uncle L. V. (Grover Coulson) pushing him to excel. Meanwhile, the quarterback, Mike Winchell (Lucas Black) is drilled on plays and positions by his mother as if she were tutoring him in algebra. Third stringer Chris Comer (Lee Thompson Young) is overshadowed by Boobie, but he takes it all in stride.
Runningback Don Billingsley (Garrett Hedlund), however, is under constant pressure by his father Charles (Tim McGraw) to excel. Charles is a former State winner himself, and through threats and insults tries to keep his son's mind on the game. In Odessa, the players are treated like movie stars - they never pay for meals and are asked for autographs and pictures constantly. "I don't feel 17," says Brian Chavez (Jay Hernandez), as the players worry about the next game and the enormous pressure they are given by the town.
During the first game of the season, disaster strikes. Boobie's knee is injured, throwing Coach Gaines's entire offensive strategy into question. As he struggles to get the team into State, the players each try to make the best of their situation, and face incredible stress as the town places their hopes and dreams onto the team.
"Our motto was 'No acting allowed,'" said Berg about the performances in the film. They feel natural and real, and Berg avoids the sentimentality that clogs so many other sports films. The actors do fine, fine work here, especially Derek Luke, who will break your heart. First time actor Tim McGraw also does good work as the tyrannical father and gives a performance like he's been acting all his life. Billy Bob, of course, is perfect as Gaines, and he manages to find the nuances in what is admittedly a cliche character that we've seen in pretty much every sports film ever made. When you think he's about to make the cliche "I love you all and it doesn't matter if you win" speech, he turns it around to something deep and true.
I think Peter Berg is quite a skilled director. THE RUNDOWN was way more fun than it had any right to be. With FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, however, he approaches the subject with a respect and an honesty that surprised me. This could have been incredibly predictable. Instead, Berg's fly on the wall approach to the film, coupled with the fantastic editing job and photography, gives FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS a sense of immediacy and a "You are there" feeling. The film reminded me a lot of Michael Mann's approach to his films, putting the audience right there in the action. It's obvious that Berg has immense respect for not only football, but the fans, family, and crowds that surrounds it. He is a fan and it shows. The hits rumble in the theater, and you feel the pain the players go through during the game. It's also good that he chose a cast of mostly unknowns, because they don't distract from the story. The multiple story arcs and characters might have been too complicated for some audiences, but Berg handles the various subplots remarkably well.
There's a few films that get Texas intrinsically right, what it's like to actually live here. Not many, though. John Sayles' LONE STAR. Wes Anderson's BOTTLE ROCKET and RUSHMORE. Richard Linklater's DAZED AND CONFUSED. Add FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS to that list. It feels like it was made by someone who lived here, and that's about the highest compliment I can give a Texas-based movie. If it's not the best film ever made about football, it's definitely the most interesting, and Peter Berg has stepped up several notches as a director. Highly recommended.
I’m wide open! Hit me!!
Nice report, man. Looking forward to this one.
"Moriarty" out.
