Tagline:
It was the last day of school in 1976, a time they’d never forget… if only they could remember.

Wide Release Date:
September 24, 1993

Directed by:
Richard Linklater
Written by:
Richard Linklater
Produced by:
Richard Linklater, Sean Daniel, James Jacks

Starring:
Jason London
Joey Lauren Adams
Milla Jovovich
Shawn Andrews
Rory Cochrane
Adam Goldberg
Anthony Rapp
Sasha Jenson
Marissa Ribisi
Deena Martin
Michelle Burke
Cole Hauser
Christine Harnos
Wiley Wiggins
Mark Vandermeulen
Esteban Powell
Jeremy Fox
Ben Affleck
Jason O. Smith
Christin Hinojosa
Parker Posey
Matthew McConaughey
Catherine Avril
Nicky Katt

PREGAME THOUGHTS

I adore this movie. I first watched it in college, and I can’t think of another movie I’ve seen more in my adult life other than, perhaps, the equally fantastic Little Miss Sunshine.

I haven’t watched it in about 10 years, though. So let me give it another viewing and I’ll save my myriad thoughts for the discussion section.

THE 200(ish)-WORD SYNOPSIS

It’s the last day of school before summer vacation, 1976. A synopsis of Dazed and Confused is tough to write up since there are so many characters with so many different beats, and they all kind of mingle with each other throughout the movie. Here are the main storylines:

Mitch (Wiley Wiggins) will be a freshman next fall. After being terrorized by O’Bannion (Ben Affleck) and his large spankin’ paddle, Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London) takes Mitch under his wing and treats him with a night on the town.

Go back to your Dungeons and Dragons campaign, Wiley Wiggins.

Pink gets lectured by his football coach about hanging out with pot-smoking “losers” and gets tough on him to straighten up and fly right. By the end of the movie, Pink decides to forgo signing a pledge that states he won’t be doing drugs or any other activities that might jeopardize the efficacy of the following football season.

Cynthia (Marissa Ribisi), Mike (Adam Goldberg), and Tony (Anthony Rapp) cruise around, bored, looking for where the action is and not finding it. Eventually, they’re invited to a party where Mike gets his ass kicked by Clint (Nicky Katt) the greaser after he throws the first punch.

Matthew McConaughey plays Wooderson, the most famous character, a twentysomething who aims to relive the glory days of the best times of his life with the teenagers. All right, all right, all right.

After a bitchin’ party, everyone comes of age and learns a thing or two about themselves the next morning. Summer has begun.

SUMMER! LET’S GET FUCKED UP AND DRIVE OFF A BRIDGE!

TOM’S DISCUSSION CORNER

TOPIC 1 — General Movie Thoughts and High School

I absolutely love Dazed and Confused, and it has nothing to do with relatability. There’s not a single character or experience that mirrors anything I experienced in high school at all. No cool friends, no parties, no extroversion, no hazing, no football, no drinking, no drugs, no rebelliousness, no late-night carousing, no girls, no fun. Maaaybbbeee the small suburban town aspect. For me it was all academics and various band classes. Also, I have no reason to be triggered by ’70s nostalgia. I was in high school in the early ’00s with the internet and Nintendo Gamecube and Futurama DVDs, so my nerdy ass wasn’t starved for entertainment or, you know, meaningful friendship like kids obviously were in 1976. I went to the mall or the movies once in a while with friends, but that was the extent of it. Not sure why I’m admitting all this to the internet. Probably because I have no shame.

So I tried to reason to myself why I like this movie so damn much. Realism? Coming-of-age themes? Living vicariously through characters like Mitch Kramer, Pink, or even Mike Newhouse? All three, man.

Not these douchebags, though.

Realism will get me every time. I went to a high school full of overachievers and Summa Cum Laude graduates, but I knew my fair share of Slaters and O’Bannions and Darlas. High school wasn’t nearly as eventful or full of out-of-control teenage archetypes, but there’s nothing about Dazed and Confused that seems overly exaggerated or unlikely. People comment on Wiley Wiggins’ acting, but come on. The kid was playing an awkward middle school graduate. Of course he’s going to make weird faces and touch his nose constantly and make cringey small talk with girls and say dumb things to wingman seniors. People comment on the lack of plot, but I couldn’t disagree more with this being a negative criticism. This movie is about the last day of school before summer break. Kids are out having aimless fun, and we get to see snippets of about 25 different kids with different personalities enjoying their night (or not) in different ways. Like little vignettes in real time. A plot would have made it worse, honestly.

Coming-of-age stories will also get me every time. My favorite stories are about kids, or even adults for that matter, entering new stages of life. This theme resonates with me like it would any other individual, and I’m particularly susceptible to nostalgia. And while there’s not a single aspect of the movie that I could say happened to me too, I can at least appreciate these kids trying to make the absolute most out of the last day of school. Some lived it to the fullest. Some drove around aimlessly looking for fun. Some were even in their twenties trying to relive their glory days. All right, all right, all right.

I give mustache rides for free, man.

Living vicariously through the characters? Maybe. My social anxiety is through the roof, so I can’t imagine hopping among social groups and enjoying late night parties with wild teenagers. In fact, the most relatable character to me was the neurotic, hyperactive, annoyingly intelligent Adam Goldberg. And even he didn’t mind trying to go where the action was. Maybe I didn’t want to do any of this stuff in high school, but perhaps I just wanted to want to do it. If that makes sense.

Highlights of the movie were any of Matthew McConaughey’s scenes, obviously. This particular exchange is the funniest in the movie:

“Say, man, you got a joint?”
“No, not on me, man.”
“…be a lot cooler if you diiiiid.”

Second place goes to Slater’s monologue about Martha Washington having a big, fat bowl waiting for George when he got home.

Also, Dazed and Confused has a killer soundtrack. That goes without saying.

Ben Affleck got covered in paint, too, which is always an lol.

TOPIC 2 — Parker Posey Was a Bitch, but She’s Super Hot So I Was Okay with It.

That is all.

IMDb TRIVIA FUNHOUSE!

When the kids are building the paddles, the sleeping teacher in the shop is a real teacher at the school, who still works there.
I like the “who still works there” part. Perhaps this bit of trivia was written in 2001. Maybe he retired in 2006. Maybe he fucking died, dude. How insensitive.

The word “man” is said 203 times in this movie.
Some fervent IMDb Trivia hopeful was like “I GOTTA GET IN ON THIS” and stayed up until 1am with a pad of paper counting all the “mans”. Far out, man.

Although Wooderson is the creepy graduate who still hangs out with high school students, Matthew McConaughey was younger than several of the cast members playing teenagers, including Sasha Jenson, Joey Lauren Adams, and Parker Posey.
LEGITIMATELY INTERESTING! Good stuff, man. Way better than counting all the times the word “man” was said, man. Whoever contributed that one was a massive dingus.

Despite being featured on posters, most of Milla Jovovich’s scenes were cut. She became so upset about this that she decided to take a break from acting and focus on her music career instead.
Yeah, I thought it was weird that Milla Jovovich had such high billing for someone who said MAYBE two words in the entire movie. Also, the very definition of not quitting your day job right here. Milla Jovovich had a music career? What instrument did she play? Her butt?

…I can see all colors at once and all around me and oh god I burned myself.

One of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite movies.
Yeah, why? Because there was, like, one bare foot in it?

The word “fuck” was used 59 times throughout this movie.
Fuck, man. Fuck, man. Fuck. Fuck. Man man man man man man man. Man. Fuck. Fuck, man.

This movie takes place over a period of 24 hours.
Wow, no shit. That’s a lot of the point of the movie. That’s it, trivia’s over. We’re turning the car around.

IS IT WORTH A WATCH?

This movie may not be for you, so your own mileage may vary. I love this movie. A perfect period piece slice of life with no real plot. If you can’t empathize with human teenagers, then go watch Family Guy or something, you piece of shit.