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23
American Carol, An
26
Babylon A.D.
24
Bangkok Dangerous
42
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
45
Blindness
62
Body of Lies
62
Burn After Reading
xx
City of Ember
15
College
82
Dark Knight, The
43
Death Race
15
Disaster Movie
43
Eagle Eye
54
Express, The
49
Family That Preys, The
57
Flash of Genius
36
Fly Me to the Moon
54
Get Smart
72
Ghost Town
49
Hancock
34
Happening, The
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
71
Horton Hears a Who!
55
House Bunny, The
36
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
61
Incredible Hulk, The
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
79
Iron Man
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
73
Kung Fu Panda
46
Lakeview Terrace
52
Longshots, The
24
Love Guru, The
53
Lucky Ones, The
51
Mamma Mia!
43
Meet Dave
37
Miracle at St. Anna
35
Mirrors
31
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The
34
My Best Friend's Girl
64
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
39
Nights in Rodanthe
64
Pineapple Express
xx
Quarantine
36
Righteous Kill
53
Rocker, The
47
RocknRolla
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
36
Space Chimps
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
51
Step Brothers
47
Swing Vote
60
Traitor
71
Tropic Thunder
70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
93
WALL-E
64
Wanted
27
Women, The
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
93
WALL-E
82
Dark Knight, The
79
Iron Man
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
73
Kung Fu Panda
72
Ghost Town
71
Tropic Thunder
71
Horton Hears a Who!
70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
64
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
64
Pineapple Express
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
62
Burn After Reading
62
Body of Lies
61
Incredible Hulk, The
60
Traitor
57
Flash of Genius
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
55
House Bunny, The
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
54
Express, The
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
53
Rocker, The
53
Lucky Ones, The
52
Longshots, The
51
Mamma Mia!
51
Step Brothers
49
Hancock
49
Family That Preys, The
47
Swing Vote
47
RocknRolla
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
46
Lakeview Terrace
45
Blindness
43
Meet Dave
43
Death Race
43
Eagle Eye
42
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
39
Nights in Rodanthe
37
Miracle at St. Anna
36
Space Chimps
36
Righteous Kill
36
Fly Me to the Moon
36
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
35
Mirrors
34
Happening, The
34
My Best Friend's Girl
31
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The
27
Women, The
26
Babylon A.D.
24
Bangkok Dangerous
24
Love Guru, The
23
American Carol, An
15
Disaster Movie
15
College
xx
City of Ember
xx
Quarantine
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

85
Alexandra
xx
All of Us
53
Allah Made Me Funny: Live in Concert
57
Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela, The
40
America the Beautiful
66
American Teen
74
Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
63
Appaloosa
xx
Ashes of Time Redux
65
August Evening
xx
Bachna Ae Haseeno
62
Baghead
81
Ballast
55
Battle in Seattle
59
Beautiful Losers
xx
Beer for My Horses
47
Before the Rains
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
xx
Billy: The Early Years
63
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
56
Bottle Shock
75
Boy A
55
Bra Boys
xx
Breakfast with Scot
61
Brick Lane
64
Brideshead Revisited
61
Bustin' Down the Door
xx
Call and Response
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
Choke
xx
Choose Connor
xx
Christmas on Mars: A Fantastical Film Freakout Featuring the Flaming Lips
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
41
Cthulhu
64
Duchess, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
66
Elegy
33
Elite Squad
52
Elsa & Fred
80
Encounters at the End of the World
26
Everybody Wants to Be Italian
64
Fall, The
28
Fireproof
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
65
Flow: For Love of Water
37
Forever Strong
39
Forgiveness
82
Frozen River
73
Girl Cut in Two, A
62
Girls Rock!
xx
Goal II: Living the Dream
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
57
Good Dick
54
Hamlet 2
68
Happy-Go-Lucky
25
Hell Ride
44
Henry Poole is Here
31
Hounddog
53
Humboldt County
72
I Served the King of England
71
I.O.U.S. A
40
Igor
64
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
46
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
67
Jellyfish
xx
Just Buried
62
Kabluey
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
78
Last Mistress, The
52
Last Stop for Paul
70
Love Songs
xx
Lower Learning
63
Man Named Pearl, A
89
Man on Wire
62
Mister Foe
86
Momma's Man
74
Mongol
80
Moving Midway
46
My Mexican Shivah
xx
Nights and Weekends
73
Obscene
80
Order of Myths, The
67
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
xx
Phoebe in Wonderland
55
Ping Pong Playa
77
Pool, The
72
Priceless
82
Rachel Getting Married
61
Red
55
Religulous
71
Roman de gare
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
51
Savage Grace
58
Save Me
72
Secret, A
45
Shoot on Sight
57
Sixty Six
55
Sukiyaki Western Django
16
Surfer, Dude
82
Tell No One
56
Then She Found Me
63
Thousand Years of Good Prayers, A
71
To the Limit
57
Towelhead
72
Transsiberian
83
Trouble the Water
83
U2 3D
84
Up the Yangtze
52
Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived
79
Visitor, The
xx
W.
61
Wackness, The
xx
Whaledreamers
54
What We Do Is Secret
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
67
XXY
55
Year of the Fish
39
Young People F**king
75
Young@Heart
89
Man on Wire
86
Momma's Man
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
85
Alexandra
84
Up the Yangtze
83
U2 3D
83
Trouble the Water
82
Tell No One
82
Rachel Getting Married
82
Frozen River
81
Ballast
80
Encounters at the End of the World
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Order of Myths, The
80
Moving Midway
79
Visitor, The
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
78
Last Mistress, The
77
Pool, The
75
Young@Heart
75
Boy A
74
Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
74
Mongol
73
Girl Cut in Two, A
73
Obscene
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
72
Secret, A
72
Priceless
72
Transsiberian
72
I Served the King of England
71
To the Limit
71
I.O.U.S. A
71
Roman de gare
70
Love Songs
68
Happy-Go-Lucky
67
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
67
XXY
67
Jellyfish
66
Elegy
66
American Teen
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
65
August Evening
65
Flow: For Love of Water
64
Brideshead Revisited
64
Duchess, The
64
Fall, The
64
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
63
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
63
Appaloosa
63
Man Named Pearl, A
63
Thousand Years of Good Prayers, A
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
Kabluey
62
Baghead
62
Girls Rock!
62
Mister Foe
61
Bustin' Down the Door
61
Wackness, The
61
Brick Lane
61
Red
59
Beautiful Losers
58
Save Me
57
Towelhead
57
Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela, The
57
Good Dick
57
Sixty Six
56
Bottle Shock
56
Then She Found Me
55
Year of the Fish
55
Religulous
55
Bra Boys
55
Sukiyaki Western Django
55
Battle in Seattle
55
Ping Pong Playa
54
Hamlet 2
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
54
What We Do Is Secret
53
Humboldt County
53
Allah Made Me Funny: Live in Concert
52
Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived
52
Elsa & Fred
52
Last Stop for Paul
51
Savage Grace
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
Before the Rains
47
Choke
46
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
46
My Mexican Shivah
45
Shoot on Sight
44
Henry Poole is Here
41
Cthulhu
40
America the Beautiful
40
Igor
39
Forgiveness
39
Young People F**king
37
Forever Strong
33
Elite Squad
31
Hounddog
28
Fireproof
26
Everybody Wants to Be Italian
25
Hell Ride
16
Surfer, Dude
xx
Phoebe in Wonderland
xx
All of Us
xx
Whaledreamers
xx
Ashes of Time Redux
xx
Breakfast with Scot
xx
Bachna Ae Haseeno
xx
Choose Connor
xx
W.
xx
Christmas on Mars: A Fantastical Film Freakout Featuring the Flaming Lips
xx
Nights and Weekends
xx
Goal II: Living the Dream
xx
Beer for My Horses
xx
Just Buried
xx
Lower Learning
xx
Call and Response
xx
Billy: The Early Years
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Friday Night Lights
Universal Pictures
FILM:
TV:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for thematic issues, sexual content, language, some teen drinking and rough sports action
Starring
Billy Bob Thornton,
Lucas Black,
Garrett Hedlund,
Derek Luke,
Jay Hernandez,
Lee Jackson,
Lee Thompson Young, Tim McGraw,
and
Connie Britton
A true American story of a group of young athletes, their town and their dreams. (Universal)
| GENRE(S): |
Action
|
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
David Aaron Cohen
Peter Berg
Buzz Bissinger (book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Peter Berg
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: January 18, 2005
Video: January 18, 2005
Theatrical: October 8, 2004
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
117 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Chicago Tribune
Allison Benedikt
There isn't a bad performance here, but besides Thornton, Luke stands out.

100
Empire
Ian Nathan
The best sports movie for years, as it's not about sport at all. Forget fears of jingoistic grandstanding, this is an un-American all-American tale that deserves attention.

90
Newsweek
David Ansen
Few films have shown so powerfully the slashing double edge of sports fever.

88
USA Today
Mike Clark
One of the best football movies ever, Nights in the end celebrates the game.

88
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
The movie demonstrates the power of sports to involve us; we don't live in Odessa and are watching a game played 16 years ago, and we get all wound up.

88
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
A smart, sharp, stirring adaptation of the H.G. Bissinger best-seller.

83
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Thornton, giving a splendid, disciplined performance, seamlessly shapes his coach into a believable man of quality rather than star-size charisma.

80
Dallas Observer
Robert Wilonsky
The movie works because Berg never forgets to keep his heart in the game and not just his head.

80
LA Weekly
Ron Stringer
Country singer and sometime actor Tim McGraw excels as the bitter, besotted ex-Panther who can't cut his kid enough slack to follow his own game plan.

80
The Hollywood Reporter
Kirk Honeycutt
The film lets you get caught up in the excitement of this religion and the addictive nature of those stadium lights. Berg and cinematographer Tobias Schliessler get up close to the action, catching the hits and miscues in all their violent urgency.

80
Chicago Reader
Andrea Gronvall
Captures all the action of a tumultuous season while showing the emotional toll on the players.

80
Village Voice
Benjamin Strong
Director Peter Berg, an actor himself, gets quietly excruciated performances from the team members.

75
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
Compelling.

75
Boston Globe
Staff (Not credited)
It also bears something you rarely experience in a football movie. Friday Night Lights has a soul.

75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
Berg's picture is certainly an above average effort that provides a solid emotional punch.

75
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Thornton gets inside the coach's skin. It's a subtle, soulful performance in a movie that otherwise goes for the jugular.

75
New York Daily News
Robert Dominguez
Rousing, action-packed.

75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
The film goes for a grainy, fast-cut, documentary look that is both a blessing and a curse.

70
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
For all its energy, fine performances and dramatic confrontations, Friday Night Lights substitutes intensity for insight, dodging the book's harsher findings like a dazzling broken-field runner.
70
Variety
Todd McCarthy
Friday Night Lights is the "Black Hawk Down" of high school football movies. As exclusively as Ridley Scott's picture was about combat, this film concerns football and nothing but.

70
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Keith Phipps
When Friday Night Lights gets to the big games, the time it's spent creates an atmosphere thick with tension, one akin to the real-world experience of watching a favorite team play for its life.

70
The New York Times
Dana Stevens
Uplifting and troubling, partly because it is more honest than most sports movies about the high cost and short life span of high school football glory.

70
Washington Post
Michael O'Sullivan
Honest because it gets a paradoxical truth: There's more to life than football, even when there isn't.

70
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
Real enough around the edges to hold our attention even if it sacrifices accuracy for storytelling ease.

70
TV Guide
Angel Cohn
Stands out by virtue of its impressive visual style and the filmmakers' decision not to massage the facts into cliched conflicts with neat, feel-good resolutions that produce the proper sense of uplift.

70
Washington Post
Sean Daly
Give credit to Berg for keeping Bissinger's all-too-true ending intact. It's a doozy.

67
Austin Chronicle
Marjorie Baumgarten
The game footage is as engrossing as the real thing, although it comes at the expense of diminished attention to the teen players and their emotional problems.

63
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
The last half hour devoted to the Big Game, staged by a crew from NFL films, is genuinely rousing and inspiring. That's where Friday Night Lights finally shines.

63
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
It's all amiably hackneyed, but it sucks you in anyway.

63
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
It's a passably made, grittily acted slice of life in Texas that veers not an inch from the norm for this sort of picture.

63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rick Groen
In the deck of clichés that is the typical sports movie, it at least does us the courtesy of shuffling the cards a little.

60
Film Threat
Rick Kisonak
The film also benefits from unusually solid writing and a masterfully understated turn by Billy Bob Thornton.

58
Portland Oregonian
Shawn Levy
Acted with earnest commitment and scored and edited with jazzy, laconic grace, "Lights" tells us absolutely nothing we haven't heard before -- and often -- in sports films

50
Baltimore Sun
Chris Kaltenbach
Too much about the game and not enough about the town, the players and everything else.

40
Salon.com
Charles Taylor
There's some good acting in this mess.


The average user rating for this movie is 6.7 (out of 10) based on 73 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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