Based on the perennial nonfiction bestseller by H.G. Bissinger; Friday Night Lights looks at high school football in the harsh light of reality; finding heart and hardness while stirring our emotions. Actor-director Peter Berg (Very Bad Things; The Rundown) is Bissinger's cousin; he knows the material well; and understands how an obsession with winning turns high school kids into somber; over-pressured gladiators--expendable soldiers in a community war against shame and obscurity. The fact-based story focuses on the 1988 football season of Odessa-Permian high school in West Texas; and as a fast-paced sports movie; Berg delivers the goods with a rousing; frenetically styled crowd-pleaser. But there's darkness in this tale of weary underdogs; including an abusive father (well-played by country music star Tim McGraw); threatening townsfolk; an injured star running back (Derek Luke); a tormented quarterback (Lucas Black); and the melancholy coach (Billy Bob Thornton) who takes his team to the finals. Berg's film could use less flashy cutting and more drama to support its gridiron intensity; but Friday Night Lights offers a refreshing alternative to the conventional sports movie; and makes a perfect triple-feature with the equally exciting documentaries Go Tigers! and The Last Game. --Jeff Shannon