Python Hyena Varsity Blues (1999): Dir: Brian Robbins / Cast: James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, Paul Walker, Ron Lester, Scott Caan: Sports comedy with screwball elements yet takes its theme seriously. It regards a football team that has lost its star quarterback to a leg injury and how James Van Der Beek steps in becoming their star player. His parents jerk him in several directions. His relationship with his girlfriend is in pearl. His best friend's girlfriend presents herself with whipped cream covering her vital areas. Sounds like he has his dating life well in hand. Coach Bud threatens to terminate his scholarship. Despite its familiar grounds this film is a must for football fans. Huge improvement for director Brian Robbins who previously made an embarrassing ham handed mess called Good Burger. Van Der Beek is effective as he attempts to figure out where his life is headed. Jon Voight steal scenes as Bud whom Van Der Beek confronts regarding particular conduct that moves the team ahead. Paul Walker plays the injured quarterback whom Van Der Beek replaces. Ron Lester brings comic relief as Van Der Beek's friend who ended up with more concussions than needed. Another comic performance is from the wild antics of Scott Caan that are this side of breaking the law. Great combination of football action combined with screwball comedy and a strong theme regarding the illegal operations to succeed. Score: 8 / 10

david-sarkies In America we have laws to make this country run, in the town of West Canaan we have a law all of our own. This is how the movie Varsity Blues begins. It instantly lets you know that the town of West Canaan is somewhat different and it runs by a different set of rules. These rules are the rules of footballs and the players in the Coyotes are gods.Varisty Blues shows us a town where football fever has become a religion and the football oval is the temple to their god, but their gods change frequently: for when the star player becomes severely injured, he vanishes to be replaced by another hero, and this time a reluctant one. What we see in Varsity Blues is a religion that exists - but the movie forces it out. Every football season here in Adelaide everybody goes Crow fanatic (the Crows are one of Adelaide's two football teams).The thing with football here is that there is a lot of hypocrisy - when the team is on a loosing streak everybody hates them and have even booed them off of the field, while when they are on a winning streak, everybody dresses up in red, yellow, and blue, and goes hysterical over them. When confronted with this they claim that they followed the Crows through thick and thin - though we know that this is not true. What I don't like about football is that people will literally throw their responsibilities away when a game is on.Back to Varsity Blues - this movie emphasises the hypocrisy that surrounds football. The religious aspect is brought out with Mox's younger brother who is really deeply religious. He creates his own cult and his father's reply is "I don't want to see any more of this - you are going to play football like your brother." Parents fight over who's son is the better football player, and all of them had the same coach - who literally runs the town.Mox is an interesting fellow because he loves football, but detests the way the town idolises it. He states that what he is watching is a corruption of a good thing. He is more interested in a college degree in something that he likes, but his brilliant throw is forcing him to play football and to go down a career path that he does not want to go down. Moreso the coach is forcing the players to play until they are useless. He does not care about his team-member's health: he is more interested in winning. Unfortunately for the players, they are becoming crippled and being placed in very complicated and expensive surgery - and once they are gone then they have fallen from grace: this is clearly seen when Lance destroys his knee and his girlfriend leaves him for Mox.Varsity Blues is a bit of a slutty movie, but it addresses a very important issue in our society - the way we idolise a sport and place mere mortals upon a pedestal, only to throw them away when they are no longer needed. I agree with Mox - sport is fun and enjoyable, but it becomes corrupted when people start treating it like a religion.

g-bodyl Varsity Blues is a very predictable football drama that is very similar in tone and style to 2004's Friday Night Lights. While I like that film better, this is not a bad film at all. I was still able to root for and against some characters. This movie does a good job at holding my attention and bringing back some good high school memories.Brian Robbin's film is about a Texas football team in the town of West Canaan. After the star quarterback is injured, the back up guy, Moxon is forced to deal with his relentless coach Kilmer, his disapproving girlfriend, and his football-loving parents while starting in his new role that is all strange for him.The acting is pretty good. This is the first time I saw James Van Der Beek on film because I refuse to watch Dawson's Creek, but he does a pretty good job. Jon Voight gives a masterful performance as Kilmer and he just made me despise the character. Paul Walker does a good job and he does not even drive any cars! Overall, this may be a clichéd sports film, but there are some subtle differences such as scenes involving whipped cream, religious little brothers, and a health teacher who is much more than that. Despite some flaws, I couldn't help but root for the Moxon kid. I rate this film 9/10.

aheiber22 Until you played a competitive sport in a competitive state, you cannot say that this movie is really all that bad. Granted, the casting is very 2ks... in that I mean that amy smart and paul walker lost their appesl long ago, and especially the acceptance of a very "par like" writing, but the fact that the end of this movie connects on the deepest level with what all of anyones' possible high school aspiractions could ever dream to be is the reason that this movie succeeds on both a personal level as well as a dreamer's (aka all of our) level is the reason this movie should be praised as not a GREAT movie, but a movie we watch with reason for motivation as well as a movie that gives us reason to believe that inside of all of us, there is a Billy Bob or John Nox that can not only succeed but excel...Shame on all that does not believe that this is the earliest instalment of a great Texas high school sports (all high school sports for that reason, especially in our own school's sports), that makes us believe in the greatness we are all capable of...