MTV movies had been having some problems... I mean how many of you really saw either Joe's Apartment or Dead Man on Campus, hold on while I count the hands... so they did a couple of things to make there latest movie, Varsity Blues, better then the other two and make it something American movie goers would want to see. First off they joined forces with Paramount, an established production company, to show them the ropes and they got some recognizable stars (James Van Der Beek and Jon Voight) to draw the fans to the box office. Lucky for them, it worked.
James Van Der Beek as Mox
As the sun sets over a small Texas town we hear the voice of Johnny Moxon (James Van Der Beek, Dawson's Creek), known to his friends as Mox, telling us all what life is like in West Canaan, TX, where football is more then a game, it is even more then a way of life, it is a religion. Since Mox and his friends were kids, it was beaten into there heads that winning at football is the only way to go for the West Canaan Coyotes, anyhing less would be criminal. And the head of this Coyote dynasty is Coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight, Enemy of the State, Midnight Cowboy) who is revered by everyone in West Canaan for his 22 Division Titles and Two State Championships, that is by everyone but his players. What most of the popultions doesn't know is that Kilmer would do anything to win, including giving the star quarterback, Lance Harbor (Paul Walker, Pleasantville, She's All That), some kind of pain killer injection so he won't feel the pain of his serious knee injury and will be able to continue throwing TD passes. Kilmer is also the kind of coach that loves you when you are a starter and doing well, but hates you even if you are an excellent backup, like Mox. Just ask Billy Bob (Ron Lester,Good Burger), who was the coaches favorite offensive lineman until an injury causes his performance to falter, which allows an opponent to finally give Lances knee its last beating. Suddenly, Mox is thrown into the spotlight as the starting QB in the Coyote football machine. As Kilmer makes his obsessive drive to a 23rd Division Title, Mox and the other players try and rebell for various reasons. Mox because he just wants to get out of West Canaan by getting into Brown University, Billy Bob because he is tired of being treated like a big fat lineman (even though that is what he is), the wide receiver Tweedle (Scott Caan, Enemy of the State) because he just likes to rebell (actually he just likes to party), Lance because Kilmer's antics ruined his future career, and the running back Wendell (Eliel Swinton, in his debut) who is sick of Kilmer's redneck tendencies. All this leads to the game that will decide the Division Title, and a showdown between Kilmer and Mox for the loyalty of the team.
The boys get ready for a game
Varsity Blues takes a good look at the corruption of sports in general in American society, even at the high school level. However, that is not the strength of this movie. What really made this movie enjoyable to watch is its comedy... this was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. The dialogue was filled with great one liners, and an overall hilarious movie. The actors also made there characters great comedic ones, except for Jon Voight whose character was supposed to be an asshole. My favorite was Billy Bob, who is a huge man who eats pancakes by dipping them in peanut butter, taking a bite and then drinking the syrup... he also has a pet pig named bacon, if that isn't comedy, what is? If you are looking for a good laugh, and then about five hundred really good laughs, check out Varsity Blues.
