Varsity Blues (1999)

Starring - James Van Der Beek; Jon Voight; Paul Walker; Ron Lester & Scott Caan Director - Brian Robbins MPAA - Rated R for strong language throughout, sexuality and nudity, and some substance abuse. I didn't go into Varsity Blues expecting a whole lot. I'll have to admit that I'm not the biggest football fan in the world, so the whole premise of the movie wasn't at the top of my list as far as appealing story lines go. Having said that, I am a fan of Jon Voight, and I think James Van Der Beek is one of the more talented actors on television on one of the best shows on television (Dawson's Creek). So I wasn't real surprised that I enjoyed the performances of Voight and Van Der Beek, although Van Der Beek could use some serious practice on his southern accent. The part that did surprise me was that I actually enjoyed the rest of the movie. The fact that it included a scene in a strip bar and another scene with a girl wearing nothing other than whip cream probably didn't hurt. But the supporting cast was good, and the story line, while revolving around football, had enough extras to keep even those of us who avoid football telecasts at all costs something to enjoy. The basic premise goes something like this. The movie is set in typical small town Midwest America. The town is crazy over the high school football team, and even crazier over the local coach (Jon Voight), who the townsfolk consider to be a legend, even though he is the meanest S.O.B. to ever put a whistle around his neck. Van Der Beek plays a second string quarterback who never gets playing time and who takes the brunt of the coach's abuse. Like all good formula sports movies, the all-star quarterback suffers a season ending injury and Van Der Beek is called upon to lead the team into the state finals. Coach and new starting quarterback still don't like each other, which is where most of the conflict in this movie arises from. Thrown in for good measure are the teams off the field antics in what comes off as a rip off of Porky's with a higher budget. As I already alluded to, Voight and Van Der Beek do a good job in their roles. Voight is perfectly cast as the coach who only cares about winning no matter what the personal cost to his players. Van Der Beek, aside from the lousy accent, shows that his great performances on Dawson's Creek are not just a result of working with a talented cast and creative genius Kevin Williamson. Van Der Beek really stands out in this movie. It is a credit as much to his performance as to the decent supporting cast surrounding him. If Van Der Beek's performance in this film is any indication, he may be well on his way to a very successful career as a leading man in Hollywood. Let's face it Kevin Costner's missing in action English accent in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves certainly never hurt his career. As long as Van Der Beek can avoid roles in movies involving post-apocalyptic postal carriers, or post-apocalyptic flooded continents, he should do OK. The supporting cast does their job fairly solidly, but none leap out as being overly outstanding. The interaction between Voight and his players and Van Der Beek's rise to become the town VIP and the problems that that cause him more than give the non-sports minded something to latch on to, even with all of the football. Add to that the performances of Van Der Beek and Voight, and you have a fairly entertaining couple of hours. 7/10 Reviewed January 24, 1999 by Joe Chamberlain