"Based on Actual Events"
Friday Nights Lights (2004): Drama: 1. Truth: 0
Friday Night Lights is a 2004 sports drama film. It is not a Best Picture winner of any kind, despite receiving high praise from many publications. It is not listed as a "history" film. But it does have the tag "Based on a True Story."
A brief summary of the plot before we continue... "Based on H.G. Bissinger's book, which profiled the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas and their heroic high school football team, The Permian High Panthers." (Source) What is important to note about Friday Night Lights is its sly attempt to be bracketed under "Based on a True Story." This is not entirely the case, and thus, the section of Fiction vs. Fact is removed. Instead I will explain why Friday Night Lights is actually "Based on Actual Events" and not as the trailer suggests, "A True Story" |
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Why Friday Night Lights is "Based on Actual Events"
The film of Friday Night Lights is based on H.G. Bissinger's book, Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team and A Dream. Bissinger's novel is a nonfiction account of Permian High School in the city of Odessa, Texas. Bissinger, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, was not involved with the screenplay of the film. This may account for some significant changes to the history of the 1982 Permian High Panthers' football team.
To go over every detail will fill more than half this page, but luckily, this is already covered on the main Wikipedia page for the film; however a few major aspects will be looked at that clearly removes the genre of "Based on a True Story" from Friday Night Lights. |
Warning! Spoilers!
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Bottom Line
Unlike our other examples of Argo and the King's Speech, Friday Night Lights has a long list of changes between history and film, two of them being significant changes in history. What is concerning about this film is that it is advertised as "Based on a True Story," and while this holds up for a good portion of the film, there are plenty of significant changes for drama and plot that leaves the audience with a muddled history lesson.
But what does it matter if the Panthers did not make the finals?
Why this matters is that it is a misuse of our definition: "Based on a True Story." This movie is advertised as "based on a true story," is even based on a nonfiction novel, and thus, implies a historical chronological plot. It even ends with a follow up of what happened to each of the players, the coach and the outcome of the following season (all accurate facts). But it's plot is not true. While Argo did have a change to its climax, it did not change the overall outcome of the plot.
Friday Night Lights is instead "Based on Actual Events" - which as you will remember means a true story, with an embellished plot.
But what does it matter if the Panthers did not make the finals?
Why this matters is that it is a misuse of our definition: "Based on a True Story." This movie is advertised as "based on a true story," is even based on a nonfiction novel, and thus, implies a historical chronological plot. It even ends with a follow up of what happened to each of the players, the coach and the outcome of the following season (all accurate facts). But it's plot is not true. While Argo did have a change to its climax, it did not change the overall outcome of the plot.
Friday Night Lights is instead "Based on Actual Events" - which as you will remember means a true story, with an embellished plot.