A coming-of-age sports dramatic comedy with the brand of football popular in the North American countries of the United States and Canada is on our minds this weekend. A high school brand of the sport based in the fictional town of West Canaan, Texas with the Brian Robbins directed Varsity Blues (1999), as written by W. Peter Iliff, brings this to life difficulties of being adolescents, a community passionate about the sport, and a coach with priorities pointed in an overbearing direction.
Jonathan Moxon, as portrayed by James Van Der Beek, serves as the early focus of the Varsity Blues as the backup quarterback of the West Canaan Coyotes. Moxon is shown as to be popular among his classmates and in a committed relationship with girlfriend Julie Harbor, the younger sister of starting quarterback of the Coyotes Lance Harbor. Moxon would rather focus on academics and getting into Brown University rather than play under verbally insulting and abusive coach Bud Kilmer or the expectations of a father trying to live vicariously through his father. Julie Harbor, Lance Harbor, Coach Bud Kilmer and Jonathan’s father, Sam Moxon, were portrayed by Amy Smart, Paul Walker, Jon Voight and Thomas F. Duffy, respectively.
Lance Harbor is shown to be pressured by the team’s coach to take painkilling shots to continue playing. Kilmer pressures offensive lineman Billy Bob, as portrayed by Ron Lester, to continue playing in the face of clear symptoms of concussion. When the effects of the concussion in Billy Bob led to a further knee injury for Lance Harbor, both adolescent and football realities would escalate for Jonathan Moxon as his team’s new starting quarterback and freshly minted team captain, both roles previously filled by Lance, were Jonathan’s for the taking.
A boon of unexpected social opportunity presents itself, first in the form of Darcy Sears as portrayed by Ali Larter. Sears, in aiming for the help of a husband with the wherewithal to leave West Canaan for bigger and better opportunities outside the town, attempts to seduce Jonathan Moxon sexually in a direct manner. Gently redirecting this while selectively rebelling against his father and coach on the football field, Coach Kilmer applies inappropriate threats against Johnathan to get him to cooperate with the on-field directives Kilmer appropriately expects of his second starting quarterback.
Further disregard for the well-being of players continues, specifically with star running back Wendell Brown and previously concussed lineman Billy Bob suffering at the hands of this. A club mutiny led by Jonathan Moxon when Moxon refuses to play if Brown is compelled to take a painkilling shot in order to continue playing as the injured Lance Harbor has earlier. When star receiver Charlie Tweeder declines to take over as quarterback, or play, if Coach Bud Kilmer remains in charge for the game in question, the main drama of the movie reaches its full expression with this moment of choice. Eliel Swinton and Scott Caan portrayed Wendell Brown and Charlie Tweeder, respectively.
It was through much of these and some other events, with football as the vehicle for the storytelling, that we see the dominant story of Jonathan Moxon having come-of-age in Varsity Blues. The storyline along with Moxon’s character remain internally consistent and true through the course of his story, with the internal strength for action in the face of a largely unsupportive system of family, coaches and on-field opponents set against him. One wish I had for the movie was that the defense of what’s right wasn’t so singularly focused on one character until that final moment of decision. I grant the movie Varsity Blues as directed by Brian Robbins 3.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
Matt – Saturday, February 10, 2024
Matt Lynn Digital 