Review of Varsity Blues (1999) by James B — 13 Apr 2008
The one amazing thing about this movie is how resolutely they all wanted to kill Billy Bob. They let him drink syrup. They engaged him in drinking games. They took him to a strip club and let him get on stage, only to be pulled off by a bouncer. And of course, they let him continue to play football. Van Der Beek probably even gave him back the shotgun after that seen in the film. But really, the greatest crime here is they could make a movie this bad a full six years after Dazed & Confused. In that film, a bunch of teens mill about on the night that school is done, some filled with existential woe because their stuck in a small, Texan town obsessed with football.
Van Der Beek's character here and Pink from Dazed & Confused share similar dilemnas. Neither really cares about football. Whereas Pink's solution is to throw caution to the wind and surrender to youthful escapades, Van Der Beek decides to "play his heart out." I can't remember if that is actually in the movie, but it probably is - it wouldn't be a cliche MTV Movie without it.
This review of Varsity Blues (1999) was written by James B on 13 Apr 2008.
Varsity Blues has generally received positive reviews.
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