Friday Night Lights...real or unreal?

[ktCarl]

I just watched 'Friday Night Lights' and was wondering if any of you Odessa-Permian fans could enlighten me on what was true and what was BS. The film was entertaining and makes the claim that the story is BASED on true events. Were any/all of the players real or fictitious? Was the State Final with Dallas Carter really that brutal? It would be great to hear anyone's opinion on this but would especially like to hear what Permian and Carter fans and players have to say.

[odessapermian.com]

The Permian players were real. The game with Carter was not. It was actually a semifinal matchup in Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin. The game itself was not as cartoonishly brutal as portrayed in the movie but it was brutal nevertheless. It looked like a street brawl at times.

[owlfan 1]

The "state final" really was the state semi's - it was played in Austin, not Houston (in a cold, drizzly rain). The final was 14-9, Carter. The Cowboys went on to defeat Converse Judson in the finals, a title that was later stripped from them for using an ineligible player.

There are a lot of historical inaccuracies in that movie -but I still think it did a good job of telling a story about Texas HS football.

MOJO and Carter (and Marshall) folks can tell you more about what was real and what wasn't.

[NewSherriffInTown]

The Book "Friday Night Lights" is what you need to read. You post as if you've never heard of it before. Read that. It has the whole truth, and more about some crazy stuff. The book basically changed the way life is lived out there supposedly because they could see how ridiculous they sounded.

From what I understand, the movie is pretty accurate except the game footages, and the fact that they played at UT in the semis, not the final in Houston.

The movie doesn't bring much race into the story as the book did except for a line or two during the movie, and the battle between Carter and Permian.

[odessapermian.com]

With all the changes, "artistic license", and flat out mistakes in the movie, it makes you wonder how accurate the book REALLY was. :D

[KT2000]

Legend has it that H.G. Bissinger was forced to do numerous rewrites to parts of the book by the publisher because "it wasn't controversial enough."

[Chief Wahoo]

I just watched 'Friday Night Lights' and was wondering if any of you Odessa-Permian fans could enlighten me on what was true and what was BS. The film was entertaining and makes the claim that the story is BASED on true events. Were any/all of the players real or fictitious? Was the State Final with Dallas Carter really that brutal? It would be great to hear anyone's opinion on this but would especially like to hear what Permian and Carter fans and players have to say.

Although there were many inaccuracies,my favorite one was where Abilene hammered Mojo in the movie (like 47-6 or something like that) but in the real game, they beat us like rented mules... :rolleyes: .

[ktCarl]

Thanks everyone for your input. No, I haven't read the book and may pick it up since my curiosity has been aroused. I figured there might be some Hollywood 'artistic license' involed just because at the beginning of the flick it said "Based on a true story". Hollywood usually takes a true story and changes the facts in order to make it more interesting for the rest of us dummies. I would think the whole, true story of that Permian team might be a lot more interesting than what the movie depicted.

[htownfootball]

watch with the directors commentary and theyll tell you everything on facts and hollywood updates

[supercentex]

The book was great, but some of it was just too over-the-top to a degree that you know some of it was probably true...but he took it way too far out of context.

[NewSherriffInTown]

I don't think he would've been allowed to embellish stuff in the book. It's non-fiction. I think the people of Odessa made such a stink out of it and were so embarrassed that they have brought it up so much that people don't believe him anymore, but I don't think he could legally sensationalize anything in the book. It wasn't based on stuff he saw like the movie was based on his book, but it was what he saw.

[odessapermian.com]

I don't think he would've been allowed to embellish stuff in the book. It's non-fiction. I think the people of Odessa made such a stink out of it and were so embarrassed that they have brought it up so much that people don't believe him anymore, but I don't think he could legally sensationalize anything in the book. It wasn't based on stuff he saw like the movie was based on his book, but it was what he saw.


Authors sensationalize so called "non-fiction" pieces all the time. Not "allowed" to embellish? Who would stop him?

[I heard that]

Good movie overall but there were somethings that pissed me off... all the advertisment of new gear and uniforms....looked way to modern and new. Also the cars setting of the movie didnt look like the 80's at all....more like what it does today.... but hey i thought it was good, i paid for the whole seat but i only needed the edge!

[JC73]

Good movie, but it was just that, a movie. I had to keep reminding myself that so I could just simply sit back and enjoy it. I don't like how every hit or tackle in football movies are those that would make highlight reels. But I guess it's all for effect.

[CoppellCowboy57]

I finally had the time to read the book, its alot diffrent from the movie. But none the less it gives people an idea how we play high school football in Texas

[lonny23]

The movie was decent if you want a good story to watch for a while. The non-fiction statistical type in me hated how much they had to change. The least they could've done was have Mojo lose the right games.

Marshall lost in the movie, but won a huge game with a lot of Russian scientists in attendance in real life. Marshall had the game played on a saturday afternoon. It was Midland game footage representing Marshall.

All the players names were accurate. Boobie Miles got hurt in a scrimmage and not the first game. The playoff brackets in the movie were almost completely bogus. The brackets had teams who are perrenial losers, teams that aren't even in 5A, only 32 teams, and in the case of Dallas Jesuit a team Permian played in the movie who didn't compete against UIL teams in the playoffs until 2004.

They did use pictures of Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, I think they used Shotwell in Abilene, and they did meet at a truck stop for the coin toss, but the wrong teams were involved. Midland lost the coin toss to Lee and Permian, not Abilene.

And last, but most definitely not least, I have t-shirts, sweatshirts, and bumper stickers that prove the 1988 state champs aren't mentioned in the book or movie. I know it's true, because the 1988 championship trophy is sitting behind the glass in the Converse Judson Field House.

[sltnusmc]

I grew up in Lubbock and now live in Abilene, and have seen them just about black out half of Jones stadium in playoff games. Now every other year they come to Abilene with a huge crowd screaming MOJO MOJO MOJO. Trust me they take their football to heart!

[Lp78]

Not only did Marshall beat O.P. but Carter was getting beat by Marshall untill the last play of the game. Jessie Armsted caught the winning TD with seconds left in the game. My question, in real life was the RBs dad really that big of an @..??

[odessapermian.com]

Not only did Marshall beat O.P. but Carter was getting beat by Marshall untill the last play of the game. Jessie Armsted caught the winning TD with seconds left in the game. My question, in real life was the RBs dad really that big of an @..??

No, he was nothing like the character Tim McGraw played. They had the usual head-butting sessions like any other father-son do, but they otherwise got along pretty well.

[Lp78]

I didn't think he was. Most fathers have a few head-butting sessions with their teen age son(s).

[NewSherriffInTown]

The book mentions alot of the characteristics that Tim McGraw played.

[Lufkin_Class_Of_08]

The playoff brackets in the movie were almost completely bogus. The brackets had teams who are perrenial losers, teams that aren't even in 5A, only 32 teams, and in the case of Dallas Jesuit a team Permian played in the movie who didn't compete against UIL teams in the playoffs until 2004.

another thing they got wrong is the lufkin helmets on the bracket...we didnot have a scripted "pack" on there till 98...and we did not play carter in teh first round we played Waco and won 21-6 although we did play carter but that was the 3rd round...i know that was off topic but i had to point that out

[odessapermian.com]

The book mentions alot of the characteristics that Tim McGraw played.


Which page in the book does it talk about Charlie going out on the field and knocking his son on his butt?

[NewSherriffInTown]

Well now you forced me to go read the book again, and I'll get back to you on exactly what the book says here.

[odessapermian.com]

Well now you forced me to go read the book again, and I'll get back to you on exactly what the book says here.

Don't worry, you won't find it. Unless you just like to read the book like I do. ;)

My understanding is they had a relationship more resembling older/younger brother than dad/son.