Television Reviews : ‘Finish Line’ Explores Steroid Use, Abuse

“Finish Line,” airing at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. today on cable’s new TNT network, uses the hot issue of steroids to explore the down side of competition and the obsession with being first in sports and all of life.

A formerly brilliant high school sprinter who is driven to excel by his highly competitive architect father, young Glen Shrevelowe is barely surviving on the collegiate level, and is drawn into using body-enhancing steroids--first pills, then injections--with tragic consequences.

Josh Brolin and his real-life father, James Brolin, give affecting performances as the Shrevelowes, and “Finish Line” nicely defines the perils of steroids and the competitive and societal pressures underlying their use. But Glen’s demise is accelerated so dramatically--and with such a heavy hand by writer Norman Morrill and director John Nicolella--that “Finish Line” assumes a somewhat unreal aura that undercuts its effectiveness.