Football Friday

After being flaked upon, I called up a good girlfriend of mine. I wanted to go out, but not too late because I had to be at court for 8:30 this morning. Don't worry, it was just to practice my opening statement for mock trial, not to turn myself in, like all the other smoking fiends in front of the courthouse this morning.

We really didn't know what we wanted to do last night, so we checked out what movies were playing. I instantly was attracted to a movie I had never heard of before: Friday Night Lights. We all know that I have a thing for non-professional football, but how could I have known, simply by the title, that this would be a great football movie?

Besides it being about football, and a true story, I was struck by how well it was shot. I really enjoy good cinematography, and it's usually not as apparent in this genre. It wasn't just a well-shot football movie. While there were great shots on the field, it was a great movie all together. In addition to the cinematography, the editing was amazing as well. I loved the cuts in the beginning of the movie that told you more about the history of the town and people in fifteen minutes than a narrator could have done in thirty.

And I just loved these kids. I was rooting for them from the very beginning. Yeah, some of them were cocky, but I couldn't help but want them to win. These weren't your James Van der Beeks who were rebelling against the town. These weren't your delinquent youths who only lived for the field. These were kids who I felt I went to high school with. They were real. They loved football and they loved the recognition they got for being football players. They all wanted out and each had their own way of getting there. I wanted each one of these kids to succeed, and I wanted them to succeed together.

So what strikes me as funny is I tried to rebel against these stereotypes in high school. But I watched a movie last night where I really related to how these kids felt. But when it comes down to it, I am a 23 year old who spent my Friday night watching high school football.