Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
In small-town Texas, high school football is a religion, 17-year-old schoolboys carry the hopes of an entire community onto the gridiron every Friday night. When star quarterback Lance Harbor suffers an injury, the Coyotes are forced to regroup under the questionable leadership of John Moxon, a second-string quarterback with a slightly irreverent approach to the game.
Varsity Blues is a competent but formulaic high school sports drama that hits familiar beats: the reluctant hero, the overbearing coach, small-town pressure, and the big game. The plot recycles well-worn Friday Night Lights territory without much originality, and the cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable TV-movie level work. Acting is a genuine bright spot — James Van Der Beek holds the lead well, and Jon Voight delivers a memorably intense turn as Coach Kilmer, elevating the material above its script. The ending delivers the expected crowd-pleasing resolution without subverting expectations. Novelty is low — it's enjoyable genre fare but thoroughly derivative of the high school football drama template.