The Last Game

Although the box art USA Today blurb--comparing Patrick Murray and Alex Weinress's football-themed The Last Game to Steve James' brilliant, basketball-themed Hoop Dreams--turns out to be vastly overstated (on both narrative and filmmaking levels), the former is a nevertheless engaging, almost Hollywood-high-concept level story. To wit: Doylestown, Pennsylvania high school coach Mike Pettine, Sr.--an irascible but beloved, tough-as-nails overachiever--is entering the 1999 season with a 30-game winning streak and back-to-back State Championships for his Central Bucks West team, and hoping for an unprecedented three-peat on the fabled "road to Hershey" and the playoff finals. One of the chief obstacles in CBW's path, however, is neighboring North Penn, the #2 ranked team in the state, coached by Pettine's son Mike Jr. The low-budget-looking film interweaves fly-on-the-locker-room-wall, practice, and game footage, with interviews of father and son (and mother and wife), star CBW player Dustin Picciotti (then considered the best fullback in the nation), and others, while chronicling the season up to the CBW-North Penn face-off (which drew national attention from ESPN and others) and the aftermath. Although rather disjointed at times, The Last Game does effectively capture the love-hate relationship between the elder Pettine and his players, while also suggesting that Pettine's coaching methods sometimes border on abuse. In any case, there's no denying the fact that Coach Pettine (Sr.) pulled off an extraordinary three-season run, and viewers cannot help but be caught up in the excitement. DVD extras include a pair of commentaries (one by the directors, the other by the coaches), as well as 10 deleted scenes, and a stills gallery. Sure to be appreciated by fans of Friday Night Lights, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)