By Tyler Banark

Before this movie, I knew very little about James Van Der Beek and his acting career. All I knew was that he was in a short-lived ABC sitcom called Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23 (anyone?) that I only saw commercials for. Although he was best known for TV, he had a few films to his name, including the high school sports dramedy Varsity Blues. It hits all the notes and cliches of your typical sports movie, which feels less inspiring and hollow. Yet Van Der Beek gives a statement performance that, to me, showcases what kind of actor he was in his prime.

Growing up in the Midwestern US, I looked forward to football season, especially in high school. However, the Friday night lights culture in Nebraska is nothing compared to that in Texas. Between this movie and 2004’s Friday Night Lights, it has been made abundantly clear to me that football is an unofficial religion in the Lone Star State. Varsity Blues captures this motif well and shows both the good and the bad that come with it. The star quarterback is a local celebrity, the head coach is a god, and all anyone on the team talks about is winning. The latter doesn’t mean much to backup quarterback Jonathan Moxon (Van Der Beek), a straight-A student with Ivy League potential that the team’s legendary head coach, Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight), despises. When the team’s star quarterback (Paul Walker) suffers a season-ending injury, Jonathan is put in and looks to prove, along with the rest of his teammates, that there’s more to life than football. 

Van Der Beek captures the mindset of a kid thrust into the spotlight as the new starting quarterback and as an academically inclined student. He is the MVP of the movie, but I wish Walker and other cast members, like Ron Lester and Eliel Swinton, had more screen time and development to make a bigger impact. Voight is the closest person to be on Van Der Beek’s level, as he nails the abusive football coach who’s more invested in his ego than the well-being of his players. Bud Kilmer is a hateful character, and Voight plays the part justly, but he also comes off as one-dimensional. If Kilmer were more developed (i.e., seeing his life outside of football, more development), then he’d be a more respectable villain. The point is that the movie’s biggest weakness is in it’s writing and development, and because of this, many of the actors can’t shine as much as they want.

While Varsity Blues may lack character depth and weigh the movie down because of it, James Van Der Beek still pulls out a performance worth noting when looking back at his career and life. He still breathed life into a somewhat lifeless sports movie here, and it shows because the movie has at least a couple of other respected actors. Regardless, Varsity Blues is a mixed bag of a film and has its ups and downs. However, anyone looking for a good clean sports movie will have no problem getting a touchdown out of Varsity Blues.

3 1/2 stars