Another entry in the Field of Screens After Dark sub-pod, this one goes off the rails pretty quickly, only because Varsity Blues rocks so hard that we barely have anything to critique.

A movie that left an indelible mark on pop culture, not just in its own right but also through the parody of Not Another Teen Movie.

Phil had never seen this one before despite being entrenched in its pop-cultural footprint in the late 90s as an MTV Films-head, and was somewhat bowled over by the charm, craft, and depth of the story, even as it plays to melodrama and low-hanging fruit.

Coach Bud Kilmer is easily one of the great cinematic villains of the 90s. The actor who plays him slides into the skin of this psycoh far, far too easily, but we do benefit as the audience.

Van Der Beek successfully anchors this movie as its lead, although it is as much an ensemble piece as any of its contemporaries like American Pie or Road Trip.

That being said, Varsity Blues cuts deeper. The “I don’t want your life” trailer moment we have seen hundreds of times still managed to hit harder in the context of alcoholic has-been or never-was parental units who are desperately clinging to their disappointing past.

Which brings us to Ali Larter and Amy Smart, two of the most reliably solid and incredibly likeable actresses of their cohort. I am please to report, they are real-life friends, a bond I imagine was formed during this movie.

Larter specifically plays a surprisingly complex identity crisis of her own with incredibly brief screen time and material. The whipped cream scene is an afterthought, not the main attraction.

Smart, similarly, takes a fairly lean role and completely fleshes it out in her behavior and dialogue. Her dressing-down of Mox at work is simple, straightforward, honest acting of a caliber that is not commonly associated with this type of movie or the people in it. And that’s a shame.

I encourage everyone to revisit this one or watch it for the first time like I did. There is a lot to like and only a couple dated F-bombs that they get out of the way pretty early.

So, throw on your baggy jeans and a Unionbay sweatshirt, and hop up into Billy Bob’s truck with us and Bacon. We’re blasting Foo Fighters and crushing road beers.

Here is a link to the Spotify episode.

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