Synopsis:

This is an extended and also slightly altered edition, offering much more in-depth character and plot development.

Intentions:

To resolve some hanging plot issues and adds character development.

Change List:

- Six scenes that were in the supplements were restored, but content dictated some editing of these scenes. The subplot where Sheryl is picked up by her mom at the beginning of football camp and then dropped off at the end was removed, as Sheryl was the “water girl” mid-way through. The scene where she is picked up is therefore split into two parts, book-ending a sequence where three deleted scenes are inserted side-by-each. Sheryl and Bill Yost have a conversation about Boone being “in way over his head.” Then cut to Sheryl’s mother showing up (unexpectedly in this edit) to give Bill full custody. Then cut to the bit about Boone being unable to smile. Then cut back to the original scene, but Yost is now talking to Julius about how “Friends don’t come easy.” - Additional sequences are restored of the players breaking down the racial boundaries. Then, further along in the movie, the remaining deleted scenes are restored. Most notably, “Sunshine Strikes Back” is restored, as it unquestionably shouldn’t have been deleted in the first place. A final restored scene of Bill and Sheryl attending church with “The Rev” (and Boone’s family) is more important than it seems on the surface. When inserted between his learning of the “fixed” game and the game itself, the original rhythm is broken in favor of showing Yost grappling with his faith and his willingness to step outside of the comforts of his white church — where he sits on the deacon board to boot — to see God from a different point of view. This helps crystallize his “epiphany” on the field in the following scene.

Additional Notes:

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Other Sources:

Special Thanks: