It is hard for me to be un-biased towards football movies, because I am a football nut. Also, I played high school football, so it is extra hard for me to say this movie is not good. Fortunately, this movie was very well done and is good, but not spectacular.

The movie is based off of the book, same name, by Buzz Bissinger, who wrote it inspired from his own experiences. The book explains the life of high school players living in west Texas during the late 1980's. It shows the obsession parents, adults and town folk have for high school football. The movie does an excellent job of conveying the same message.

At first, the movie is about an all-star running back named Boobie Miles, played by Derek Luke (Spartan), who will lead the Odessa-Permian Panthers to the state championship in 1988. Coach Gary Gaines has developed his entire offense based on the skills of one player. Well, as fate would have it, towards the end of the very first game, Miles is tackled and tears his ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament), ending his season. The team must now come together and try to overcome the loss, attempting to win the state championship.

Some of the interesting side stories are how Boobie comes to terms with the fact his high school career, and in essence his plan to get out of Odessa, has ended. The starting QB Mike Winchell, played by Lucas Black (Cold Mountain), now has to carry the team, deal with his sick mother and desire to want to leave Odessa. The fullback Don Billingsly, played by Garrett Hedlund (Troy), now has to help carry the load, overcome his problems with fumbling and his alcoholic father, played by Tim McGraw, who did a great job. His father wants Billingsly to succeed, because he doesn't want his son to end up with his life, unemployed and drunk.

The team does fight through this adversity and make it to the state championship against a very big, fast and powerful Dallas Clark team. The ending is very real and not very Hollywood.

Coach Gary Gaines was played by Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade), who did a nice job of coaching these boys and being a father figure at the same time. His portrayal of a high school coach is much more believable then Jon Voight's in "Varsity Blues."

I thought director Peter Berg (The Rundown) did a good job keeping to the script, the book and keeping the picture it real. Likewise, screenwriter David Aaron Cowen (The Devils Own) did well to keep to the book. He also does a nice job of bringing out emotions which we all had as football players when our season was over and no longer had the friendships we developed as a team. Knowing it was over, and you never will have something quite like it again, is not a happy feeling.

I love this movie, but I don't know if it is as good as I think it is. I think it's the best football movie ever made, but it doesn't have a lot of competition. So, I think you should go see it, but don't take your girlfriend/wife. I don't think they would like it, and unless they were athletes in high school, they might not get the feeling this movie would otherwise bring out.

Brian - the Naked Gun