Varsity Blues (1999)

In small-town Texas, high school football is a religion. The head coach is deified, as long as the team is winning and 17-year-old schoolboys carry the hopes of an entire community onto the... See full summary »

Director:

Brian Robbins

Writer:

W. Peter Iliff

Stars:

James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, Paul Walker

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Van Der Beek	...	Mox
Jon Voight	...	Coach Kilmer
Paul Walker	...	Lance Harbor
Ron Lester	...	Billy Bob
Scott Caan	...	Tweeter
Richard Lineback	...	Joe Harbor
Tiffany C. Love	...	Collette Harbor
Amy Smart	...	Julie Harbor
Eliel Swinton	...	Wendell Brown
Thomas F. Duffy	...	Sam Moxon (as Thomas Duffy)
Jill Parker-Jones	...	Mo Moxon (as Jill Parker Jones)
Joe Pichler	...	Kyle Moxon
Mark Walters	...	Chet McNurty
Brady Coleman	...	Sheriff Bigelow
James N. Harrell	...	Murray (as James Harrell)

Storyline

In small-town Texas, high school football is a religion. The head coach is deified, as long as the team is winning and 17-year-old schoolboys carry the hopes of an entire community onto the gridiron every Friday night. In his 35th year as head coach, Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) is trying to lead his West Canaan Coyotes to their 23rd division title. When star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) suffers an injury, the Coyotes are forced to regroup under the questionable leadership of John Moxon (James Van Der Beek), a second-string quarterback with a slightly irreverent approach to the game. "Varsity Blues" explores our obsession with sports and how teenage athletes respond to the extraordinary pressures places on them.

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Plot Keywords:

quarterback | coach | texas | coyote | small town | 

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Taglines:

In a town where winning is everything, these guys have nothing to lose.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language throughout, sexuality and nudity, and some substance abuse

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Boys

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£139,211 (UK) (10 September 1999)

Gross:

ESP 8,749,775 (Spain) (13 July 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MTV Films, Marquee Tollin/Robins, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The book Mox is reading on the sidelines, hidden inside the team play-book, is "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr..

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Goofs

In the cookout scene, Lance switches between seats at the table. He is one seat away from Mox, the camera cuts away, then he is next to him, then one seat away again when Mox gets up to throw the football at the beer can on his dad's head.

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Quotes

Bud Kilmer: It makes me wonder if you know the different between a sneeze and a wet fart!

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Connections

Referenced in The Big C: Taking Lumps (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Every Little Thing Counts"
Written by Graham Butt, Andrew Pinching
Performed by Janus Stark

User Reviews

Excellent high school melodrama

Good kids vs evil football coach. The only thing that can make such a movie watchable is memorable characters created by good actors, and here is where Varsity Blues succeeds. I love it when I go into a movie expecting to hate it and then end up enjoying it. Give this one a try.