The Last Game

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Sports documentaries don’t get any better than The Last Game, which seems likely to remain the greatest film ever made about the undiluted thrill of high school football. You couldn’t write a Hollywood script better than this riveting, real-life celebration of Central Bucks West–the reigning champions of Pennsylvania high school football–and the team’s passionate hard-ass coach of 32 years, Mike Pettine Sr. The year is 1999, and as CB West storms its way toward an astonishing, undefeated three-season record of 45-0, we witness the many facets of an unfolding drama: star fullback Dustin Picciotti rises to prominence with an abundance of cocky self-assurance; former CB West player-turned-rival coach Mike Pettine Jr. prepares to battle his father’s team in a crucial game; and Pettine Sr. wrestles with the decision to retire after this, his 33rd season. It all culminates in a final championship contest during which Picciotti and two other valuable players are injured–an escalating sequence of events that’s guaranteed to have you white-knuckled on the edge of your seat. Given the pure, non-professional nature of high school football, the raw energy of this low-budget, shot-on-video production, and the volatile personalities involved, The Last Game reflects the spirit of CB West: It’s just about perfect.