Friday Night Lights - Touchdown am Freitag

...this is a film about American football, but it is so much more. It is a stark survey of the hold sport has on life, with its tribal allure and power to devastate both supporter and player.

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.

...does a good job of capturing the small-town mania that draws breath from the fortunes of its school team and knows no greater good than the winning of the state championship.