# Varsity Blues (1999)

### reviewed by
DeWyNGaLe

    VARSITY BLUES by DeWyNGaLe    Rating: B

Varsity Blues is just another high school sports movie. Most of them aren't very good, but Varsity Blues is different. The key in Varsity Blues was casting. James Van Der Beek and Jon Voight lead the cast of Varsity Blues. The two play enemies- James Van Der Beek plays Jonathan Moxon, second string football player, and Jon Voight plays the extremely mean football coach at Canaan High School, Bud Kilmer. Bud has coached football there for a number of years. He has mis treated many his players every year. He doesn't care about them at all, he just wants the championship. He makes them play in sickness, pain, or sadness. He always takes his team to the championship, and he expects to do it again this year.

He relies on star quarterback Lance Harbor, played by Paul Walker. Lance is the typical movie sports star. He is the best on the team, and he is always the hero during the games. The talent isn't all natural for Lance though, considering that he takes steroids. Jonathan, or Mox, (his nickname) discovers that the coach is doing this. This is your typical sports movie- the star of the team is pet to the coach and the man who is better than the star is absolutely hated by the coach. Although it is unoriginal, Varsity Blues is still a winner. There are a lot of funny sequences, and there are well played out dramatic sequences as well. When Lance is sustains an injury that may put him out of football for life, Mox is the teams only hope. Coach Kilmer is reluctant to play Mox, but has no choice. Mox goes out there and shows coach how it is done. The football sequences that were filmed were done very nicely. They looked very realistic, and were put together very well. It looked like the cast was actually playing the game, and it wasn't coordinated.

Mox continues to win game after game for the Coyotes. He likes being a star now, but is very upset with the way Coach Kilmer treats the team. His dad (Thomas Duffy) is very proud of him. He was a star in high school football as well, and wants his two sons to do the same. When Mox gets an academic scholarship to Brown University, his dad is very upset. He wants Mox to play football all of his life. Mox doesn't want to take after his dad, he wants to live his own life. James Van Der Beek gives an impressive acting performance in these arguments with his father. He made you believe the tough position that Mox was in at that moment.

Mox's girlfriend, Julie, played by Amy Smart, isn't in to the whole football craze. She doesn't care about who wins or who loses or anything like that. Since Mox has become a football star, she has noticed a huge change in him. He is thinking more about himself than anyone else. Amy Smart has not done many movies, but in her role in Varsity Blues, she does a great job of dramatic acting. While all this drama is going on, Mox continues to win many games for the Coyotes. Coach Kilmer is very proud when Mox takes the team all the way to the championship game. During the game, Mox is very reluctant to play. He doesn't want to play for his dad and Kilmer. He is sick of being controlled by others. The entire team agrees with what Mox is saying to them about Kilmer.

Varsity Blues is a teenager movie. Most adults will probably dislike this movie. Laughs mixed with sad moments in Varsity Blues make it score big with the teen audience. Jon Voight gives a wonderful performance as Coach Kilmer. He did a great job of seeming evil, not caring about anyone but himself. James Van Der Beek tells us with Varsity Blues that he can handle the lead in a movie as well as the lead on a hit television show. Some of Varsity Blues wasn't all that great, and that's the reason that adults won't like it. It may not be the type of movie that will win awards or anything close to it, but it was certainly enjoyable, and that's enough for me.

The Bottom Line- The typical sports movie with some changes makes for a fun time.

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