RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Friday Night Lights (2004)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
81 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:162

Fresh:132

Rotten:30

Average Rating:7.2/10

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

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for thematic issues, sexual content, language, some teen drinking and rough sports action

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Oct 8, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $61,188,085

Synopsis: From Oscar®-winning producer Brian Grazer and Imagine Entertainment and based on the best-selling book about high school football by H.G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights chronicles the entire 1988... From Oscar®-winning producer Brian Grazer and Imagine Entertainment and based on the best-selling book about high school football by H.G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights chronicles the entire 1988 season of the Permian High Panthers of Odessa, Texas, with football players, coaches, mothers, fathers, pastors, boosters, fans and families struggling with ongoing personal conflicts while the team fights for a state championship. A town for sale, Odessa, Texas has seen better days--the financial bust evident in its boarded-up shops and broken lives. Yet one hope sustains the community where, once a week during the fall, the town and its dreams come alive beneath the dazzling and disorienting Friday night lights...when the Permian High Panthers take to the field. In a city where economic uncertainty has eroded the spirit of its inhabitants, nearly everyone seeks comfort in the religion of the Friday night ritual, where the unfulfilled dreams of an entire community are shifted onto the shoulder pads of a team of high-school athletes. Friday Night Lights captures the frenzy of a small town that reveres its school team and their weekly games. With Odessa standing in for places just like it all across America, the film provides an illuminating look at the hoped-for successes and the built-in failures of trying to live the American Dream through the efforts of a group of talented young men. The film is produced by Academy Award® winner Brian Grazer, directed by Peter Berg (The Rundown, Very Bad Things) and adapted from Bissinger's book by Berg and David Aaron Cohen (The Devil's Own). -- © Universal Pictures [More]

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Tim McGraw, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Tim McGraw, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Lee Thompson Young, Lee Jackson

Director: Peter Berg

Director: Peter Berg
Screenwriter: Peter Berg, David Aaron Cohen
Producer: Brian Grazer
Composer: Explosions in the Sky
Studio: Universal Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • >
    >
    Friday Night Lights
    >
1 - 3 of 3

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Aug 16, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Friday Night Lights

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
10/19/04
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/19/04
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

A crowded film in which the main characters emerge as people who have skewed and unsympathetic priorities.

Full Review Source: Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) | comment Comment
11/01/04
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

Lights only diverts narrative tedium when the gladiators take the field; effectively drowning out the nonsense that eventually takes place off the field.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
10/08/04
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

Substitutes slick, cynical point-scoring for insight.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
10/19/04
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Salon.com

Friday Night Lights is like a third-down play that needs to pick up four yards but gets only two.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
10/07/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

...so ineptly and annoyingly filmed that it should be used in filmmaking classes... to demonstrate how not to make a movie.

Full Review Source: Fantastica Daily | comment Comment
10/08/04
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

The film feels like an anthology of cliches from a hundred football movies.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
10/07/04
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

These kids are not fighting the power, much as they or you might want to believe it.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
10/08/04
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

[T]he belief that high school athletics is something worth ruining lives over is more likely to strike one as pathetic than praiseworthy.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
10/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

What curdles the film beyond rescue by good acting and rousing action is the relentless emphasis on how warlike and painful football can be.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
10/08/04
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

We don’t need a movie reinforcing that high school is the best time in your life because it’s not. If it was for you, get out there and do something more.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
10/08/04
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

While the atmosphere is excellent, and the general elements all strong, the film sadly fails to give any real insight or depth in regards to explaining the hows and whys of the near fever over the game and its players.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
10/30/06
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

There's an interesting movie struggling to get out of Friday Night Lights, but every time it tries it gets rushed and tackled.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
10/08/04
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A routine, rah-rah sports movie.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
10/09/04
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Friday Night Lights is a disappointment in the end because it could have been so much more.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
10/07/04
Jeff Otto
Jeff Otto
IGN Movies

The movie's principles are seriously out of whack, even as it angles toward a Big Life Lesson about learning to live with falling short of greatness.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

How you view the film will undoubtedly depend on how much you share the movie's unhealthy attitude towards competitive sports.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
10/07/04
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

I can’t help looking at this as an indictment of the high school football system.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
10/11/04
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for Friday Night Lights

August 08, 2008: Play Ball With RT's Top Sports Movies!
It's a busy time in the sports universe: the Olympics are underway, baseball's pennant races are heating up, and NFL players are in the midst of training camp. (Oh, and Shaq and... More...

December 23, 2007: Peter Berg Confirmed to Direct New Dune Film
Score another one for the rumor mill: Peter Berg has been confirmed as the director of a new Dune. More...

October 16, 2007: And the Possible Dune Remake's Director Might Be...
A few weeks ago, we discussed a CHUD report about Frank Herbert's Dune possibly heading back to the big screen. Now, according to Ain't It Cool News, some of the details... More...

June 05, 2007: Scott Porter Signs On for a "Speed Racer" Role
Fans of TV's "Friday Night Lights" may be familiar with actor Scott Porter. Movie fans will see him in next year's "Speed Racer" adaptation. More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
66% 66% Public Enemies
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
75% 75% Julie & Julia
32% 32% Terminator Salvation

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
88% 88% Inglourious Basterds
78% 78% The Hangover
49% 49% Taking Woodstock
26% 26% The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
47% 47% The Girl From Monaco

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

James Cameron

James Cameron

We look at the Avatar director's career

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Check out the brand new trailer now!

SAG Awards

SAG Awards

Find out who got nominated!

Nominee Gallery

Nominee Gallery

See who got nominated for Golden Globes!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
96
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
30
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
  • Tobey Maguire Refutes Hobbit Rumors Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • Prince of Persia Featurette Posted Source: Yahoo! Movies
4
  • Trailer Bulletin: Robin Hood Source: ComingSoon.net
61
  • Mel Gibson Plans a Mexican Vacation Source: Variety
8
  • New Iron Man 2 Clue Posted Source: Screen Rant
26
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Awards Tour 2009: Golden Globe Noms Here!
144
  • Critics Consensus: Avatar Is Certified Fresh
84
  • Total Recall: James Cameron Movies
80
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Girlpower Rules Again with Princess at #1
70
  • Awards Tour 2009: Inglourious Basterds Lead Critics Choice Noms
44
  • Awards Tour 2009: Avatar Best Picture at NYFCO!
38
  • Awards Tour 2009: SAG Nominations Are In!
35
  • Weekly Ketchup: James Cameron Plans a Fantastic Voyage
34
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Tron Legacy, and more!
20
  • Awards Tour 2009: The Hurt Locker Dominates Boston Society of Film Critics
18
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Friday Night Lights at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Friday Night Lights at IGN
  • Friday Night Lights at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
MSN's Year in Review
MSN's Year in Review External Link

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

40 Best Films of the 2000s
40 Best Films of the 2000s External Link

Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!

Tarantino's Characters
Tarantino's Characters External Link

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.