Entertainment
The Raunchy, R-Rated 90s Movie That Critics Got Totally Wrong
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Sometimes, there’s nothing like throwing on a movie from the ‘90s and basking in the nostalgic joys of the decade that brought us everything from the Sony PlayStation to the World Wide Web. As it turns out, one of the best films from that decade stars both Dawson’s Creek icon James Van Der Beek and The Fast and the Furious legend Paul Walker. That movie is Varsity Blues (1999), and this perfect sports dramedy is now streaming for free on Tubi and for subscribers on Paramount+.
The Ivy League Quarterback
The premise of Varsity Blues is that in a small town obsessed with football, the local high school’s backup quarterback has dreams of putting the pigskin behind him and attending Brown University. But his Ivy League hopes are put on hold when the team quarterback is injured, and the backup has to fill some very big shoes. On the field and off, he will discover what kind of man he really is, but leading his team to victory may require a confrontation with the most powerful man in town: the corrupt football coach.
On and off the field, Varsity Blues is led by James Van Der Beek (best known for being the title character in Dawson’s Creek) as the killer quarterback with the soul of a scholar. The late, great Paul Walker (best known for The Fast and the Furious) plays the original quarterback, the one Van Der Beek must replace at the request of a domineering coach. That coach is played to slimy perfection by Jon Voight (best known for Midnight Cowboy), someone whose fanatical devotion to football borders on religious zealotry.
No Box Office Blues to Worry About
Varsity Blues was a touchdown with audiences when it premiered, earning $54.3 million against a budget of only $16 million. Notably, the movie topped the box office upon its premiere and maintained its dominance for two consecutive weeks. There were plans for a Varsity Blues TV show that were ultimately scrapped, though fans wanting more of this off-kilter universe might enjoy watching Ron Lester parody his performance in the crass comedy classic Not Another Teen Movie.
When Varsity Blues came out, the critics didn’t waste time throwing flags on the field. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 46 percent, with critics penalizing it for being overly predictable for anyone who has previously watched a sports film. They also felt that the movie fumbled the opportunity to provide the kind of intensity that this crowded genre typically calls for.
A Favorite With General Audiences
It’s worth noting that audiences enjoyed Varsity Blues far, far more than the critics did. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film had an audience score of 76 percent, with moviegoers praising this frenetic sports drama for being surprisingly funny, beginning to end. They also commended the film for capturing the quintessentially quirky vibes of attending high school in the late ‘90s and using football as a shockingly apt metaphor for adolescent coming of age and the poignant pangs of growing up.
Personally, I was still in high school when Varsity Blues came out, and I lived in a tiny southern town not unlike the one portrayed in the film. At the time, I appreciated the film’s almost uncannily accurate portrayal of a place that obsesses over sports so much because there’s literally nothing else to do. Returning to the movie as an adult, I enjoy it even more for being such a vivid snapshot of the ‘90s, warts and all.
Creeks And Beeks
This movie is also worth watching to see the talented James Van Der Beek acting his heart out in ways that he would never get to do on Dawson’s Creek. In many ways, the actor’s career was hamstrung by the success of his famous show because the series made it hard to see him as anyone other than Dawson Leery. In Varsity Blues and the later film Rules of Attraction, the Beek from the Creek proves that he has serious comedic chops hiding beneath his eternally affable personality.
Will you agree that Varsity Blues is a pigskin-passing classic of ‘90s nostalgia, or would you rather get a concussion during the big game than watch it all the way through? The only way to find out is to grab the remote (no need to ask the coach for permission) and stream it for free on Tubi. If nothing else, it’s the one movie where a Fast and the Furious star teaches Dawson a lesson he can take all the way back to the Creek: it’s all about family.
