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Review:
 Texas
has little culture outside of the big cities. What substitutes for
it is high school football, and in 1988, the Permian Panthers of
the medium-sized town of Odessa went all the way to the state
finals.
This is the story of that team. Not really the members of the
team, sure, we see the tortured relationship between tailback Don
Billingsley (Garrett Hedlund) and his washed-up drunken father
(Tim McGraw); the angst of replacement quarterback Mike Winchell
(Lucas Black) over whether or not he could do it and what would
happen to is poor mother; and wonder if star quarterback Boobie
Miles (Derek Luke) will have a life after high school if his
injured knee doesn’t heal properly, but this is all for the most
part besides the point.
What’s here is the story of coach Gaines(Billy Bob Thornton) and
his boys as they get from A to B, and once they get there, what
happens.
While the personal stuff is dealt with, and Luke manages to
turn in a brilliant performance, we mostly have a flick for
football fans. The highs and lows of the team and the4 reactions
of the townspeople is actually quite interesting. And it’s fun to
see a whole bunch of "For Sale" signs sprout up on the Coach’s
lawn after they lose an important game. It’s also interesting to
see that the villains of the piece are an all-black team from
Dallas. There’s a kind of courage in making that portrayal.
But all in all, this is a movie for football fans. If you’re
into the sport, you’ll love it as it’s well made and the acting is
terrific, but if you don’t like the port, then you might as well
forget it and try something more to your tastes.
Eric Lurio
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