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Varsity Blues

Varsity Blues

Comedy · Drama · Romance · 1999

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.

Movie details

Varsity Blues

“Make your own rules.”

1999 Comedy · Drama · Romance 1h 46m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community 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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Varsity Blues?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Coyote Ugly

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Leatherheads

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L.A. Without a Map

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Drama · 1999

An aspiring Hollywood actress, on a visit to a charming North England town, has a brief fling with the town undertaker, who also writes obituaries for the local paper. Returning home, where she works as a waitress at a Japanese restaurant, she tells everyone about the handsome "writer" she met on her trip. Unfortunately, he decides to follow her back to Hollywood, setting up the expected light romantic comedy with asides as the newcomer gains experience about the goings on in Hollywood.

A Cinderella Story: Starstruck

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Drive Me Crazy

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Romance · 1999

Nicole and Chase live next door to each other but are worlds apart. However, they plot a scheme to date each other in order to attract the interest and jealousy of their respective romantic prey. But in the mist of planning a gala centennial celebration, Nicole and Chase find that the one they always wanted was closer than they ever thought.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Brian Robbins

Written by

W. Peter Iliff

James Van Der Beek

James Van Der Beek

Jonathan 'Mox' Moxon

Amy Smart

Amy Smart

Jules Harbor

Jon Voight

Jon Voight

Coach Bud Kilmer

Paul Walker

Paul Walker

Lance Harbor

Ron Lester

Ron Lester

Billy Bob

Scott Caan

Scott Caan

Charlie Tweeder

Ali Larter

Ali Larter

Darcy Sears

Court is in session

Put Varsity Blues on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.