MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #34 - 'Dazed and Confused' (1993)

4/5 Stars

In 1990, writer and director Richard Linklater released “Slacker”, a film about a wide range of people with no clear plot but rather a series of small stories and monologues. The movie went on to become a critical success and it is one of the biggest films that helped pave the way for the independent film movement of the 1990s.

Afterwards, Linklater wanted to direct a teen comedy and producer Jim Jacks secured $6 million for Linklater’s next project titled “Dazed and Confused”. The movie was praised by critics at the time, but audiences initially failed to show up at the box office. On home video, however, the movie went on to become a cult classic and it is another example of the powerful storymaking that indie directors of the ‘90s provided for audiences.

If George Lucas gave us a nostalgic yet honest look at the 1950s with his semi-autobiographical film “American Graffiti”, then Linklater gave us his own nostalgic yet honest look at the ‘70s with his own semi-autobiographical tale. I don’t know how much of an inspiration Lucas’ film had on Linklater, but the two films definitely share the same DNA.

'Dazed and Confused' follows a day in the life of a group of students.

In “Dazed”, the film follows a group of different high school or soon-to-be high school kids on the last day of school before their Summer vacations begin. There is Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins), the incoming freshman who is trying to avoid getting hazed by the outgoing high school seniors, especially the abnormally sadistic Fred O’Bannon, played by Ben Affleck in an early role for the actor.

Then there is Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London), a high school football star who faces having to sign a “clean living pledge” for his coach or risk being cut from the team. We also meet a wide range of colorful characters including stoners Kevin Pickford (Shawn Andrews) and Michelle Burroughs (Milla Jovovich) and Adam Goldberg and Anthony Rapp as nerds Mike Newhouse and Anthony “Tony” Olson.

Of course, the breakout star of the movie ended up being a young and upcoming actor named Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson. He’s a young man who has already graduated from high school but still hangs out with the younger high school students and his signature catchphrase, “Alright, alright, alright,” has gone down in popular culture as one of the biggest movie quotes of all time.

'Dazed and Confused' was a breakout movie for Matthew McConaughey.

A lot like “American Graffiti” before it, “Dazed and Confused” may be set during a certain time and have a unique setting and style, but it talks about universal themes young people go through. The freshmen are genuinely concerned about what will happen when they transition to high school while the seniors are facing their fears of having to enter the real world. It’s a movie that focuses on one generation but speaks to all generations.

Thankfully, the movie is also genuinely funny as we follow these kids through their night out on the town. It’s funny watching Mitch as he tries to escape Fred and his friends but it’s also great when he’s invited to hang out with other seniors and he gets a small sign of what his life may be like once he gets to high school.

The movie is also different from other high school films that have a lot of drama built into them such as a boy trying to get a girl but he has to face the big, bad bully. In the case of this movie, the characters are more concerned with the mundane things that real high school students would be concerned with such as scoring concert tickets or figuring out where the next party is being held.

At the end of the day, Linklater wanted to make a teen comedy that followed a group of different high school students through a day in their lives. He not only succeeded at accomplishing this goal, he ended up creating a film that speaks not just to one but all generations of high school students.