Anytime the word 'best' precedes a statement, that statement is looked at under immense scrutiny. How often is anything unanimously the 'best'? Never, probably. Yet I can confidently say Friday Night Lights is the best football movie. It contends for best sports flick, as well.
Friday Night Lights is as real a sports flick there is. Most sports movies are exaggerrations of the truth. This is a story of a town built around a singular thing: football. The pressure of expectations weighs heavily on the people. For the kids playing, it's as close to life or death as there is. It is life. Every moment has built up to that final year of high school. Director Peter Berg captures this from the minute the title roll to the closing credits.
The desperation on screen is overwhelming. One scene takes place after the star player has suffered an injury, he's sitting in a car with his uncle and begins crying. It's a heartbreaking picture. The realization crashing down on a young man who has been robbed of his only talent. FNL is full of elements like this.
On top of that, the game scenes are fluid. Most sports flicks, especially football, do not capture the overall look of the games. They're choppy and feel unfinished. Friday Night Lights stays simple. Very few cuts allow shots to play out and let the viewer actually see whats going on.
For anyone who has ever suffered failure, Friday Night Lights will touch you.
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