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As in the book, the burden on these teenage players is unfair and can only be lifted one way: bringing home a state championship. But as residents of a town with only one thing on its mind, these kids know what's expected of them the moment they don a Permian jersey. The stories of gridiron glory and state championships gone by are the stuff of legend. They've heard the stories. In fact, their spines tingled when they heard them. And it stoked their own fire, their own desire to be on the field when the clock reaches 00:00, the battle is won and the very pinnacle of their brief existence is reached. They're willing to trade what's left of their childhood for the knowledge that long after they're dead, their story will be told.

For some, the burden of living up to a legacy is a difficult one. Don Billingsley (Garrett Hedlund) has no option but to win, lest he face the wrath of his drunken father (well played by country singer Tim McGraw), himself a former state champion. For others, the burden is self-imposed. Quarterback Mike Winchell (Lucas Black, perfectly- cast and very good) is plagued by self-doubt. For still others, the burden is living up to potential. Fullback Boobie Miles (Derek Luke) is as cocky as he is talented. Boobie jukes and struts with the effortless grace of a man marking time until his future begins. He knows where he's going. In his head, he's already spent the money. His locker is filled with brochures for expensive new cars and he treats his fellow teammates as people who'll soon be left behind. Gaines has built the entire Permian offense around Boobie Miles, a decision that will be sorely questioned in the first game of the season. And in Odessa, Texas, every decision Gaines makes is questioned. Driving down the lonely highway, Gaines listens as every aspect of his strategy is dissected on the radio. He is the subject of innumerable newspaper columns. People approach him in parking lots and ask "are we gonna win State?" There can only be one answer.

In his short directing career, Peter Berg had done nothing to prove he could put together a film with this level of confidence and control. Friday Night Lights doesn't feel like other movies. It has its own rhythm. There are no opening credits. Scenes flow into montages, which flow into scenes. Shots are filled with terrific detail. When a Permian player is injured, two opposing players discreetly give each other a high-five, their fingers barely touching. The excellent score, with its jangly guitars, is hypnotic. Yes, there are unavoidable cliches. The film builds to The Big Game, where Gaines gives a stirring locker room speech. But such transgressions are forgivable, if not necessary, to tell this particular story.

Being young is hard enough. Who you are, where you're going, and how you're getting there is enough to occupy the thoughts of any teenager. But in the vicious world of Texas high school football, your worth is measured not in deeds, but in yards.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, Friday Night Lights is a tough film to transfer but Universal has done an outstanding job. If a DVD ever looked desaturated and rich at the same time, it's this one. The color palette is purposely muted, so chroma noise and smearing is never a problem. Vibrant hues only come into play in the bright, red jerseys of a Panther opponent. But don't fear, the jerseys look perfect. Numerous shots of wide-open skies and blown-out backgrounds are clean and betray no print anomalies. The blacks of the Permian jerseys and the nighttime sky are dark and rich. White lights shining in the darkness betray no compression artifacts. Detail is very good: you can read every name on Coach Gaines' magnetic board. Flesh tones are accurate. There is a bit of softness to some of the long shots, but it won't distract. Edge enhancements were non-existent to my eye. In all, this smooth anamorphic transfer is above average.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 transfer is good, but I expected a lot more activity, especially from the surrounds. The film's audio is a heady jumble of dialogue, sound effects, music, and gridiron grunting. So here was an opportunity for a great mix. In football terms though, this mix is like scoring a safety; sure it's worth two points, but a touchdown would have been better. Most important here are the football scenes. Filled with discreet bits of dialogue, grunting and yelling, it's all there, but it's not as immersive as it should have been. The surrounds reinforce what's going on up front, but they stop short of bringing you into the movie. Dynamic range is pretty good, from the low rumble of the players colliding to the high squeal of the electric guitar score. From a dynamics standpoint, dialogue stays in the middle range, but it's very understandable and clear. Serious bass action is not a factor, but what's here is accurately rendered with no distortion. The lefts and rights show a fair amount of dialogue and sound effects activity, but again, more would have been nice. The score benefits most from Universal's effort, sounding clear as a bell. There are no audio anomalies, like pops or hisses. In all, a solid mix, but more punch would have been appreciated.

The DVD includes French, English and Spanish subtitles.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The supplements provided are not as impressive as their numbers suggest. A full-blown look at the real 1988 Permian Panthers would have been the ultimate. Second would be a full-blown look at today's Permian High School and the lives of the students within. We didn't get that either. In the end, here's what we got:

There are 21 minutes of deleted scenes. Most are extensions of existing scenes, including a lengthening of Gaines' pre-season "high expectation" speech and the scene where the players skeet shoot. The completely excised scenes aren't all that necessary, like the brief exchange between Gaines and a high school janitor. While enjoyable to watch, they seem scripted, a vice that the finished film brilliantly avoided. The video is good, although not as good as the final product. Occasional specks on the print and hot video keep it from being perfect.

Next is Peter Berg Discusses a Scene in the Movie. Although blandly titled, it contains a minute of footage of a type I've never encountered. It involves Berg on-set, speaking to camera. He explains that he's about to shoot a new scene at the burger joint, one the studio insisted upon because they felt the first 25 minutes of the film were too hectic. He admits all this to camera, then signs off. He looks like a filmmaker so worn out, so running on fumes that he needed to get that point off his chest.

Player Cam is over four minutes of on-set footage taken by Ryan Jacobs, who played one of the Permian players. We see actors getting their hair shaved off, playing golf and generally fooling around the football field. Video is full screen and digital perfect.

Tim McGraw: Off the Stage is an interview with the country star, who discusses why he decided to do the film. Director Peter Berg and producer Brian Grazer chime in to sing his praises. McGraw says he created his character by taking ten or fifteen people he knew and combining them. I hate country music more than anything, but this six-minute fluff piece was worth a look, mainly because McGraw was very good in the film. There's even a photo of him as a high school wide receiver.

The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers shows us what we really want to see: the real 1988 Permian Panthers as they look today. Fabulous new interviews with the real Boobie Miles, Mike Winchell, Don Billingsley and more make this essential viewing. Archive footage shows Miles and Billingsley scoring TD's back in the day. While this could have been a better, more serious documentary, the new interviews and the archive footage make this a must-watch for anyone who enjoyed the movie. I watched every second of it.

There is also an audio commentary from director Peter Berg and Buzz Bissinger. Bissinger is very good as filling in factual information about the team, while Berg provides the filmic tidbits. There are silent passages that are pretty lengthy, especially considering the wealth of interesting information from which they could draw. Still, it's a solid commentary.

Finally, there are cast and filmmaker bios.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

The DVD does contain DVDROM content that sends you to Universal's homepage. However, since the disc is not in stores yet, the content is not up. But I'm sure whatever the content is, it's probably related in some fashion to the movie. But that's just a wild guess.

Final Thoughts