Varsity Blues: 25th Anniversary Edition (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Varsity Blues celebrates it’s 25th anniversary this year. This makes me feel old, to no surprise. I was 13 years old when the movie came out. I remember vividly the constant marketing on MTV, as it was released under Paramount’s MTV Films division. I also remember the cast, a who’s who of “teen” actors of the day. I keep saying remember, but truth be told, I love this movie! Read more of my nostalgic thoughts on Varsity Blues, and don’t forget to click the paid Amazon link inside the article to get your copy in glorious 4K!
Film 
Life in a small town in films is almost always not a great thing for the characters. This take on small town life has some similarities to other (admittedly better) films. The basic story is simple – An underdog second stringer becomes a football star and struggles with the idea that he has a future doing something he’d rather not be involved with. That second stringer is Jonathan “Mox” Moxon (James Van Der Beek), and he has every right to be in the struggle. Mox’s dreams have him leaving little West Canaan, TX and settling down at Brown University. Mox has no desire to be like the 1980 graduate that makes an ass of himself at the team’s victory parties. He has no desire to stay in town like his father did or anyone else that’s been “stuck” in the small town way of life. This is the relative through-line for the movie and we of course root for Mox’s journey to end up in the way he truly wishes.
Along the way, through a football season, we meet his teammates (Scott Caan, Paul Walker, Ron Lester, etc.) and the women who love them (Amy Smart and Ali Larter). We also see their parents, each seemingly stuck where they’ve always been and proud to be there. Jon Voight is the teams “beloved” coach. He’s a total jerk, and somehow this is praised as a demand for respect. Parents love him, even the ones who were unfortunately verbally and mentally abused by him by playing on the very same football team. 25 years removed from my first viewing, Voight’s Coach Kilmer is the epitome of why we have mental health outreach and therapy out in the open so much more these days. He’s a toxic cancer, and one can’t help but be reminded of someone like him in their own lives.
Varsity Blues was a film I remember being better received when I was younger. Looking back, I’m noticing more critical reception to it, and I can see why. The movie is not all that original, and some of the characters have a way that seems far more manufactured than natural. There are also some far-flung ideas that haven’t aged well. I’m looking at the character of Ms. Davis and her moonlighting career and some of the more homophobic moments of the film. This can’t be related just to this title, but the time capsule awareness of these things can be jarring if you haven’t seen this movie in a while.
Something that has aged well in Varsity Blues is its adept way to balance comedy and drama. This is no doubt thanks to Brian Robbins, who got his film directing start with Good Burger (great to 11-year-old me, terrible to me now…) and is now the president of Paramount Pictures. He had a way of capturing the adolescent life in full at the end of the 20th century. The messages are clear even with a few storyline hiccups. He also assembled a great cast of actors. Even in smaller roles there’s depth to the casting and the players all work to keep the movie moving with energy and believability, not wavering when most other “coming-of-age” films might.
Watching this disc for review, I believe was my 25th time seeing it. I am a creature of repetition with media I love, and as a teenager, I was enticed by how I could relate to the struggles of adult AND peer pressure. As a young gay kid, I was also not offended by the sight of Scott Caan on almost full display in nothing but his boots and cowboy hat, but that’s a story for another website. The subgenre of teen comedy or drama has an appeal that goes on long after you’ve left those years, and even if this was a megahit in my younger memories, knowing the cult status Varsity Blues has appropriated over time makes me feel good nostalgia points for knowing I was watching part of a good following. This isn’t a stone-cold classic, but for me, I am comforted by the years I’ve spent revisiting the film and knowing now we have a definitive edition to keep for as long as we can.
Video
Disclaimer: Screen captures used in the review are promotional images, not the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Layers: BD-100
HDR: Dolby Vision
Clarity/Detail: Not shockingly, Varsity Blues arrives on UHD Blu-ray with a very nice upgrade to its vintage Blu-ray release. Clarity makes things less muddy as they were on the BD release, and it’s a pleasure to take in the natural look of the small Texas town and its somewhat drab surroundings. There are moments of softness that keep this from being less than perfect, but nothing to pitch a fit over.
Depth: Depth is overall nice and balanced throughout. Again, there are moments of softness that give way to some noisy grain, but these moments feel like they’re inherent to the source material. There are no moments where the image feels flat, so there’s no complaints in this department.
Black Levels: Black levels are nice and inky. No crush to my eyes and nothing getting lost in the darker parts of the image.
Color Reproduction: Colors are often vibrant and eye-catching. The Coyote uniforms are a very nice blue, and the outdoor scenes often show off very green grass and blue skies. Reds are also popping, and things look rather fetching overall.
Flesh Tones: Flesh tones look even more natural than they’ve ever been, nobody looks overly tan or pasty pale. A great example: In natural light, Jon Voight has a very flattering moment in a diner scene. He practically glows!
Noise/Artifacts: Besides a couple of moments of noisy grain (a scene in the credits when Tweeter backflips into a truck bed is rough looking…) the image is noise free and keeps the grain field organic.
Audio
Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, French
Dynamics: Varsity Blues comes to the new format with a very old TrueHD track. The mix is unadventurous, front heavy and it mostly does the job. Don’t expect to be immersed in the Texas small town life, and you’ll be fine.
Height: N/A
Low Frequency Extension: Bass extension is fair, with some music cues making good use of the lower end of things. You’d expect more during the football sequences, but no such luck.
Surround Sound Presentation: Town radio broadcasts and loud game crowds are the audio moments most using the surrounds. Sometimes music will come into play briefly but not in a prominent way.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is a highlight, and it should be as this film has more dialogue driven moments than it does action or excitement.
Extras
Extras for Varsity Blues are exactly the same as the 2009 BD and the even older DVD before it, with the 480p resolution to prove it. The new disc has a nice glossy slipcover, and the bundled BD is actually that same 2009 disc, right down to the basic grey labeling on it. A digital code is included as well.
Special Features:
– Commentary with Brian Robbins and Producers
– Football is A Way of Life; The Making of Varsity Blues (17:47)
– Two-A-Days: The Ellis Way (7:48)
– QB Game Analysis (15:15)
– Billy Bob with No Bacon (4:38)
– Trailer (2:33, 1080p)
Summary
It’s great to me to see Varsity Blues evolve to the last physical media format for film. It’s not perfect, but it does the job, and the film is a nostalgia trip back to 1999. Performances were always the strong suit of the film, and the eclectic soundtrack is interesting too. It would have been interesting to see something new done for this 25thAnniversary Edition, but at the price point, fans and newcomer alike may want to check this one out. I have a soft spot for the movie, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
Order your copy of Varsity Blues here: https://amzn.to/41MgsbE
