Varsity Blues (1999)

A back-up quarterback is chosen to lead a Texas football team to victory after the star quarterback is injured.

Director:

Brian Robbins

Writer:

W. Peter Iliff

Stars:

James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, Paul Walker

2 wins & 5 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
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:

tough girl | scantily clad female | female striptease | topless woman | topless | 

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Taglines:

Make your own rules.

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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:

Varsity Blues

Filming Locations:

380 N. Broad Street, Coupland, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,515,723, 17 January 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$52,885,587, 18 April 1999

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 "New Tweeder Endzone Dance" was derived from the Ickey Shuffle, a touchdown dance innovated by Ickey Woods, running back for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1988-1991.

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Goofs

The lights on Billy Bob's roll bar change from round to square and back again at varius times during the movie.

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Quotes

Sam Moxon: I raised you to be a winner, so dammit boy, win!

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Connections

Referenced in The Big C: Taking Lumps (2010)

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Soundtracks

Thunderstruck
Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young
Performed by AC/DC

User Reviews

A pleasant surprise

Since this is a teen-oriented film, I must confess that I wasn't expecting this to be very entertaining. However, thanks to a generally intelligent script and a great job by Jon Voight, this turned out to be surprisingly good. As you would probably expect in a teen movie, there are some scenes that seem juvenile and pointless, but thankfully, this film manages to limit these needless diversions. The central story, although a familiar one, is well written and rather interesting. Definitely worth checking out.