Varsity Blues (1999)
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A gifted student must navigate the pressures of a football-obsessed community and a tyrannical coach after his best friend is injured.
The story
In the small town of West Canaan, Texas, Jonathan "Mox" Moxon is an academically gifted backup quarterback for the 3A high school Varsity football team, the West Canaan Coyotes. Despite his popularity and a steady relationship with his girlfriend, Mox is dissatisfied with his life and dreams of attending Brown University. He constantly clashes with his football-obsessed father and dreads playing under Coach Bud Kilmer, a domineering and authoritarian leader who believes in winning at all costs. When the team's star quarterback is injured, Mox is thrust into the spotlight, forcing him to confront the intense pressures of his community and the demands of his coach.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In West Canaan, Texas, Mox is a gifted student and backup quarterback who wants to escape his small town for Brown University. After the star quarterback, Lance, is severely injured due to Coach Kilmer's reckless tactics, Mox is named the new starter. Mox begins to rebel against Kilmer's authoritarian rules, even organizing a party at a strip club. When Kilmer tries to blackmail Mox regarding his academic scholarship, Mox stands his ground. During a critical district title game, another player, Wendell, is injured. Mox refuses to let Kilmer force Wendell to play through the pain. This leads to a physical confrontation where Kilmer assaults Mox, causing the team to refuse to play for him. The team eventually wins the game without Kilmer's guidance, with Lance calling plays from the sidelines. In the aftermath, Kilmer leaves town, Lance becomes a coach, Wendell gets a scholarship, and Mox attends Brown.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brian Robbins
- Writers
- W. Peter Iliff · writer
- Cast and characters
- James Van Der Beek · Jonathan "Mox" Moxon; Jon Voight · Coach Bud Kilmer; Paul Walker · Lance Harbor; Ron Lester · Billy Bob; Scott Caan · Charlie Tweeder; Amy Smart · Julie Harbor; Thomas F. Duffy · Sam Moxon; Ali Larter · Darcy Sears
- Genres
- coming-of-age; sports comedy-drama
- Themes
- coming-of-age; pressure of sports; small-town life
- Tone and mood
- comedy-drama
- Setting
- West Canaan, Texas
- Premise and plot tags
- high school; football; small-town
- Content notes
- language: English
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its depiction of small-town communities and criticism for its cliches. It has since become a cult film.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 47% · scale: approval rating · review count: 58; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Choice Movie Breakout · Teen Choice Awards · 1999 · won; Choice Drama Movie · Teen Choice Awards · 1999 · nominated; Best Breakout Performance · MTV Movie Awards · 1999 · won; Best Movie Song · MTV Movie Awards · 1999 · nominated; Best Male Newcomer · Blockbuster Entertainment Awards · 2000 · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was parodied in Not Another Teen Movie.; The film was quoted in Mean Girls as being Regina George's favorite movie.; The ring name of professional wrestler Jon Moxley stems from mishearing the name of the film's protagonist.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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