Dazed And Confused
" Man, it's the same bullshit they tried to pull in my day. If it ain't that piece of paper, there's some other choice they're gonna try and make for you. You gotta do what Randall Pink Floyd wants to do man. Let me tell you this, the older you do get the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N." -- David Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey)
Texas, May 1976. It's the last day of school, which means the rising high school seniors will be busy hazing the rising freshmen amidst drinking, smoking dope, and trying to get laid. Dazed and Confused, considered by some to be the greatest high school/'70s comedy of all-time, follows the lives of these students during a memorable 24-hour period.
Like many of Richard Linklater's films, Dazed And Confused is an ensemble piece with little plot. But the film's lack of plot actually works to its advantage because it gives the film a more naturalistic feel. Randall "Pink" Floyd (Jason London) is a star football player and rising senior trying to decide whether to play by team rules or rebel -- not to mention wondering where his life fits in the big scheme of things. Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins) is a rising freshman trying to avoid a beatdown from Fred O'Bannion (Ben Affleck) and his cronies, while also finding romance, attempting to buy his first underage beer, and trying to fit in with an older crew.
Dazed is filled with notable cameos and characters, including Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy) and Parker Posey as bitchy rising seniors who delight in hazing the younger women, Adam Goldberg in classic nerd form, Matthew McConaughy as a post-grad pothead, and Rory Cochrane & Sasha Jenson as Pink's jock friends.
Among the talented cast, Wiggins, Affleck and McConaughey stand out. Wiggins feels authentic as the gawky freshman trying to fit in. As the idiotic O'Bannion, Affleck hilariously captures the meathead mentality. But the real star is McConaughey in an uproarious role as smooth stoner David Wooderson. After this breakout flick, McConaughey soon became a Hollywood heartthrob and saw his career regress due to poor role choices and miserable miscasting. Here, though, he exudes charisma and steals scene after scene with lines like, "That's what I like about these high school girls, I keep getting older, they stay the same age."
Dazed and Confused also features one of the greatest drinking lines of all-time, which coincidentally takes place during the year-end keg party that surely ranks as one of the greatest party scenes in cinematic history:
"I only came here to do two things tonight: Drink some beer and kick some ass ... Looks like we're almost outta beer." -- Clint (Nicky Katt, future star of "Boston Public")
Dazed and Confused was writer/director Richard Linklater's second film. His first, the microbudget Slacker, shook up the independent film world. His subsequent offerings have almost all been interesting, culminating with 2001's digitally shot, critically acclaimed animated film Waking Life, which reunited him with Dazed costar Wiggins. In Dazed and Confused, Linklater delivers a superb screenplay filled with memorable dialogue and scenes.
Dazed will undoubtedly have you reminsincing about the glorious high school years. But Linklater also invests the film with some subtle philosophical questions that are surprising to find in a nostalgic comedy like this. After a wild night of partying, Pink remarks to his friends, "All I'm saying is that if I ever start referring to these as the best years of my life -- remind me to kill myself." Interesting food for thought.
For all its strengths, Dazed and Confused may be best known for its soundtrack. It's filled with vintage '70s classic rock by Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynryd, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Kiss and many more, and does a terrific job of capturing the vibe of the era.
Dazed and Confused has gained a well-deserved cult following as one of the greatest party films of all-time. Lack of plot aside, this is a riotously entertaining flick that's guaranteed to generate a ton of laughs and get you into the party spirit.
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Boozing, pot smooking, hooking up, brawling, hazing -- no wonder some call this the greatest party movie ever.
Numerous laughs and a few genuine romantic subplots make this a solid date flick, not to mention pre-stardom eye candy like Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Joey Lauren Adams and Milla Jovovich.
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