Friday Night Lights

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Friday Night Lights

PG-13

2004

1h 57m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

171 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), is seriously injured during the first game of the season, all hope is lost, and the town's dormant social problems begin to flare up. It is left to the inspiring abilities of new coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) to instill in the other team members -- and, by proxy, the town itself -- a sense of self-respect and honor.

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Critics Consensus

An acute survey of the football-obsessed heartland that succeeds as both a stirring drama and a rousing sports movie.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 24, 2010

4/5

So much more than a football movie.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Nov 1, 2007

Few films have shown so powerfully the slashing double edge of sports fever.

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

Mar 26, 2007

A heart-pounding big-screen treatment that captures all the action of a tumultuous season while showing the emotional toll on the players.

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John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

May 12, 2026

78/100

It’s not just about the big game, it’s about what happens when the lights dim after. If you haven’t seen it in a while, it is worth a rewatch.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

Dec 8, 2023

Friday Night Lights still remains one of the most entertaining and engrossing sports movies of the past two decades.

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Jul 24, 2020

4/5

The game sequences do stand out, but this refreshingly no-frills affair also finds time to question the value of the win-at-all-costs ethos rife in modern sport.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 11, 2026

Friday Night Lights = a *4.5* star Movie

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Brian D

@Brianwd2 Sep 10, 2026

72%. 9/6/26. I almost certainly would have rated this somewhere in the 80s after an earlier watch. I remember loving this film, I just wasn't as invested. Billy Bob as the coach is somewhat likable but not that inspiring. Chavez is awesome but the rest of the kids didn't do much either. The pressure these high school kids feel is palpable - they do a great job portraying that - between the family, friends and town. It's a very quiet town and a slow, somber feeling to the story. I still hate how Boobie gets hurt. It's fun to see them take on the underdog mentality though. Love this portrayal of high school football. Worth a rewatch every once in a while. 2/5

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Seth R

@Rowlander Jul 8, 2026

Great film all around; one of my favorites

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Meri S.

@mschroeder May 13, 2026

Good movie but I’m just not a big football fan, so scaled my score back.

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Gi S

@Gistevenn Apr 3, 2026

I a big billy bob fan and this was a great movie based on a true story.

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Jay W

@RT52162311 Feb 23, 2026

Like most people, I was more familiar with the TV series by the same name. I watched this film after finishing the series. The idea of watching a film that cuts out all the horrendous teen drama of the series sounded like a great idea to me. Unfortunately, this movie manages to mess up in a lot of different ways. The movie fast forwards through so much character drama that I know nothing about the coach, Chris Comer or any of the players. The only ones we learn about are Boobie Miles and Mike Winchell. And Boobie isn't in the game, and Mike has such a terrible father, I want them to lose just to spite him. I'm an easy mark for a good sports movie; this shouldn't be so hard. Just a story with some sports, some character development and not incredibly annoying characters like in the series.

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Peter Berg

Director

Billy Bob Thornton

Coach Gary Gaines

Derek Luke

Boobie Miles

Jay Hernandez

Brian Chavez

Lucas Black

Mike Winchell

Garrett Hedlund

Don Billingsley

Friday Night Lights: Official Clip - Coach Gaines on Being Perfect

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Synopsis

A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), is seriously injured during the first game of the season, all hope is lost, and the town's dormant social problems begin to flare up. It is left to the inspiring abilities of new coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) to instill in the other team members -- and, by proxy, the town itself -- a sense of self-respect and honor.

Director: Peter Berg
Screenwriter: Buzz Bissinger, David Aaron Cohen
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Imagine Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Rough Sports Action|Language|Sexual Content|Some Teen Drinking|Thematic Issues)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 8, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.2M
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround

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