jabell

My husband, who had not read the book, enjoyed this movie a great deal. I, on the other hand, was horrified with the changes. Where did all the homosexuality come from? As I recall none was even implied in the book? Since when was Mrs. Lorrimer Anne Meredith's mother? And even one of the murder weapons was changed; I found the idea of hat paint intriguing, as it spoke out of a young woman who could not afford to buy a new hat and had to revert to painting an old one--perhaps changing the trim as well. I guess the silver polish brought out the idea of servitude, so it's minor, but still. . .It's hard to conceive of hat paint nowadays--especially because no one wears hats unless they're part of a uniform! One of the things I did really like about this was seeing Alexander Siddig, whom I watched for years playing Dr. Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space 9, as Shaitana. He did very well. Zoe Wanamaker was terrific as Ariadne Oliver.

I just got this movie on Netflix; I found it by looking for Tom Skerritt movies. I feel that he's an actor who should have made it bigger than he did. He did a credible job in the role. Barbara Bosson was fine as his wife, and I liked the pre-Voyager Robert Beltran as his partner (but do detectives dress like that while on duty?). I had recently seen Knight Moves, and Daniel Baldwin was extremely annoying as Skerritt's partner; Beltran's character was much better written. I've been a fan of Barbara Parkins' since Mephisto Waltz, so it was nice to see her again; she's still as gorgeous as ever. Sharon Stone is drop-dead gorgeous here. I can't recommend this movie unless you're a fan of the actors, but, if you have it, it is watchable.

To be honest, I went to this movie primarily to see Christian Kane, but the reviews had been excellent. I expected a cross between All the Right Moves and Remember the Titans, but it was nothing like the second, which was about two coaches forced to make their teams blend into one while avoiding racial problems. There were elements of All the Right Moves, though, as several of the young men expressed their desire to get out of Odessa through football, but the movie focused on several of them rather than just one. Its best companion piece in my opinion is the Texas Cheerleader Murder, which shows the same football madness from the other gender as they will do anything to be cheerleaders!

Billy Bob Thornton was excellent as the coach, facing pressure on all sides to win the state championship. An excellent touch was the large number of for sale signs on his lawn after his team was blown away in the game following Boobie's injury. The community put pressure on the boys as well, everyone who owned a state championship ring from prior years pushing them in the kids' faces. Tim McGraw was a revelation as Brian's abusive father, and the actress who was Mike Winchell's mother gave a brilliant performance.

All of the young actors were excellent, especially Derek Luke as the unfortunate Boobie. He made the audience feel his pain and frustration. Lucas Black, who had done such a marvelous job in American Gothic, has a face that reflects his pain as he faces all of his tribulations, which include the pressure of suddenly becoming the team's best hope when Boobie is out and of having a mother with mental and/or emotional problems. Every one of them is a gem.

The cinematography was outstanding, and the shots of the town and the bleak surroundings certainly demonstrated why the kids wanted to get away. Despair hung in the air, with people clinging to their moments of glory as the only happy days of their entire lives. This was its primary likeness to All the Right Moves, although the hated home town was a Pennsylvania steel town (Johnstown, PA, which I escaped from myself), not a Texas prairie city.

And what made things even more intense was that this was a true story. Showing the boys' fates at the end was an excellent conclusion.

And Christian Kane? I knew he only had a cameo, as he had told Peter Berg that he'd love to be in the movie and would take any part there was. He was the man in the restaurant/bar who asked Mike Winchell if he'd take a picture with him & his kid. He was long-haired, unshaven, and, to be honest, if I'd seen him this way first, I'd never have given him a second look. He did a good job as a "good ole boy," though!