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'Varsity Blues'
By Mike Musgrove
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 15, 1999
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Football player James Van Der Beek is coached by Jon Voight in "Varsity Blues."
(Paramount)
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Director:
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Brian Robbins
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Cast:
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James Van Der Beek;
Scott Caan;
Thomas F. Duffy;
Ali Larter;
Ron Lester;
Joe Pichler;
Amy Smart;
Jon Voight;
Paul Walker;
Eliel Swinton |
Running Time:
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1 hour, 40 minutes
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Some profanity, boozing and a trip to a strip joint
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In the small Texas town of West Canaan, football is all that matters to most folks. Coach Kilmer (Jon Voight) is a nasty high school coach who pushes his kids far past their breaking points, and his star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) ends up in the hospital minus a football career as a result. Enter Jonathan "Mox" Moxon (James Van Der Beek of "Dawson's Creek" fame), a nice guy who has spent most of his senior year warming the bench because the coach doesn't like his attitude. With just five games left in the season, it's finally Mox's turn to shine. And what do you know, it turns out that the kid can play, too.
There are more moral lessons strewn along here than in an afterschool special, but a few variations in the football movie template keep things interesting. "Varsity Blues," however, is ultimately about the same things that football movies are always about: loyalty, friendship, how hard it is to understand chicks sometimes and how fun it is to get the requisite fat guy drunk. The football miracle at the end is pure fantasy but, for that matter, so is a football team that consists entirely of such lovable guys. This flick has modest ambitions, but it delivers the goods in a fresh manner.
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