I'm a fan of "Varsity Blues" but never saw this one. Which one is better? It seems like a lot of people are saying it's better, which means I'll have to see it ASAP.
My 150 (or so) favorite movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070122364/
This one was more believable while Varsity Blues (good teeny flick) was pretty much a loose remake of All the Right Moves.
shareDefinitely Friday Night Lights it's so much more realistic. What makes it work so well there was so much tension between the coach and boosters and the coach wasn't some all powerful person that everyone cowered around.
In varsity blues the coach has a meltdown and the students take over coaching not very realistic.
I am a fan of Varsity Blues as well. I don't think I ever grew to hate a character more watching a movie than Coach Bud Kilmer. I can assure you though that Friday Night Lights is a better movie than Varsity Blues. I hope you've taken the time to watch it during the two months since this post.
shareNo, I haven't, but I will when I get a chance (when I buy the dvd). Thanks for the input.
My 150 (or so) favorite movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070122364/
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You really can't even compare them in my opinion. FNL is a very realistic, gritty movie based on a true story, while Varsity Blues is basically a lighthearted semi-comedy football movie. I think Varsity Blues is a fun watch, but vastly overrated. I can't believe how many people there are out there that take that movie more seriously than it really is and think it's some great movie. It's a fun "popcorn movie" but it can't decide whether it wants to be a comedy or a serious movie taking on issues like racism, inordinate pressures put on high school athletes, etc. FNL is better in every way in my opinion (unless you are looking for comedy).
shareThanks for your feedback on "Friday Night Lights." I can't wait to check it out. And I'll take your word for it that it's useless to try to compare the two movies.
Despite your somewhat mediocre appraisal of "Varsity Blues," I feel it's one of the better sports films. Here's why (cut & pasted from my review):
In the beginning the protagonist, Mox (James Van Der Beek), doesn't take football too seriously because he's consigned to the bench, but when the team's star-quarterback is seriously injured (Paul Walker), Mox rises to the challenge and begins to experience all the perks that come with being the football hero of an East/Central Texas town.
To me, sports film are only interesting when they tap into other genres. "Varsity Blues" does this and is part high school dramedy. The movie features everything you'd want in a film of this ilk -- the sexpot cheerleader (Ali Larter), wild schoolmates (Scott Caan, Ron Lester), the smart girl (Amy Smart, no pun intended), wild parties, miscellaneous coming-of-age antics, a megalomaniac coach (Jon Voight) and everything that goes with intense sports competition. As for the more comedic,lighthearted moments, aren't these an integral part of the school experience, along with the tragedies, shameful experiences and triumphs?
Some people complain that the film's unrealistic because of all the extreme things that occur, but the team in "Varsity Blues" represents the typical champion high school football team and therefore they experience the various crazy things these types of teams encounter in real life. It was the same thing with "Platoon." Veterans of Vietnam say no one platoon would undergo all that this platoon experienced, but the group is sort of a microcosm of all platoons throughout the Vietnam war. Movies like "Varsity Blues" (and "Platoon") might come across as "too much" because filmmakers only have about 2 hours to tell the story and they have to jam a whole year of experiences into that time frame.
I rate "Varsity Blues" as high as I do because it's a stand-out sports film and high school dramedy. No genre is beyond redemption or above contempt.
Agreed, Varsity Blues is frivolous nonsense, FNL is the real deal.
shareLol is this a serious question?
shareFriday Night Lights is way better.
shareVarsity Blues was a good movie, for what it was, I knew I wasn't going to get a gritty realistic approach at high school football, but I did laugh because the movie was a comedy. I enjoyed Friday Night Lights way more because they're was a story, the characters weren't one dimensional,excellent cinematography, excellent editing, excellent camera work, and most of us all that soundtrack being played by Explosions In the Sky. I played high school football, most of that was exactly how it is to the big time schools, Alot of was definitely exaggerated but there was a lot of truth in it though. I played for a school that had 4,500 kids, we were 5A in my state which means we were the big schools, we also had more State championships than anybody in our conference so we were the team that everyone wanted to be, all the games were filled with fans and so was the visitors side. Besides the whole I can relate to it part, as a movie fan, Friday Night Lights is the real deal, I like Varsity Blues but not as much as Friday Night Lights. I actually have FNL as one of my top 50 favorite movies ever. The score is also amazingly done by Explosions In The Sky, you'll get addicted when you hear Your Hand In Mine and especially the riff in First Breath After Coma. Hope you got a chance to see it. Even if you aren't a football fan, I still think Friday Night Lights is an excellent movie to check out if your just a movie fan because I think FNL is criminally underrated, Peter Berg is a great director(he also worked with Explosions In The Sky on the score for the war film The Last Survivor, I think that's what it's called).
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