Dazed and Confused

There are spoilers in this review...

What a great, great movie. If you want to know what being in High School in the mid 70's was like, rent this film. I grew up in the metro Manhattan area. We didn't have the freshman hazing, and few of us could afford the cars (although we sure knew about them and lusted after them), but the rest of this movie is so dead on about my experience of High School in the 70's that it's scary. Every character in the film corresponds with someone that I knew during that time. Yes, there was a lot of pot smoking, yes, obtaining beer was quite easy for underage kids...I used to buy it in bars when I was 16. We made pipes in shop class. We hung out and had parties at night, drove the streets drinking beers and smoking joints listening to the same music. There were no youth centers though. The girls that I knew were as beautiful, and also struggled to get into their jeans. They used pliers too, but they also put them on while they were wet to further get that skintight look. There was no HIV virus to worry about, Herpes was not a big thing then, the biggest worry was getting pregnant. Everyone was having sex... All of these facts also were no big deal. Most of my peers grew up just fine, and now are upstanding pillars of the community. Many today would like you to believe that this is an example of the road to ruin. It was an incredible great time. The film has interesting character development, with the same types I remember. Philosophers, heads (now called stoners), bullies and waifs. This is my American Graffiti and it is perfect. Waxing nostalgic? Perhaps, but anyone that didn't live through that time will sill love the dialog in this film, as it deals with the universal experience of that point in one's life. This is high school in the 70's. Check it out.

I must concur with the other reviewers who have commented on the eerie accuracy of this film. I too attended high school in Texas in the 1970's, and this film is so flawless in recreating this time and place it lends the impression you were being documented without your knowledge. If you are of an age and background that permits you to relate to Dazed & Confused on this level, it will give you an unusual affinity for the film. This is exactly how we dressed and wore our hair, those are the cars we drove, the music we loved, that looks exactly like my high school (with only slight variations in paint colors), those seemed to be my teachers, and all of these people were the people I knew then. There is no question but that the author of this piece had to have been one of us.

As someone who was there, I hope I can clear up or offer some insight into a few of the points people have raised about the film. The drug use; well, it was the 70's. In my high school, really hardcore drugs such as heroin were virtually unknown, we talked about it but never saw it, but both marijuana and LSD were as common and available as sand in your shoes. My generation had a very permissive attitude toward these substances. My own clique would never have had the brass ones required to actually partake on campus, as getting caught would not have meant a detention but a trip to jail; on the other hand it was not infrequent to find us stoned in class. But we did leave campus to blow a joint, absolutely, (usually in either the home of one of us who lived nearby or a van that belonged to another of our group, parking at the shopping center down the street). In D&C we see Slater and some of his friends smoking weed right in the schoolyard, that didn't happen in my school. There wasn't a single teacher at my high school who would not have immediately recognized the odor of marijuana and sought out the source. With the clarity of thirty years hindsight, I remain of the opinion that we frankly had a healthier attitude on this subject than do so-called role models of today. Bad drug problems are bad drug problems, but the recreational use of marijuana is substantially less detrimental than either alcohol or tobacco, which both get a free pass because they're legal. Marijuana also failed to serve as a "gateway" drug in our clique, none of us were led by it into harsher substances. I'm glad I'm not in high school today.

One point of particular discussion I have noticed here on D&C's IMDb page is the movie's rather brutal depiction of hazing, "busting the freshmen". Several have reported that this did not occur at their school. You were lucky, and be glad of it. I attended high school in Dallas in the 1970's and this absolutely was a part of our life. I, like all girls, was spared the brutal whippings that Mitch and his friends have inflicted upon them by the seniors, but it absolutely happened to incoming freshmen boys and was generally sanctioned, or at least overlooked, by the adults in charge. For the record, YES IT IS ASSUALT AND BATTERY. Dang! What else do you call violently beating someone with a board until they cry? Battery, plain and simple. Outrageous, mean spirited and cruel, and frankly the homoerotic ass-fixated nature of this hazing paints a far more unflattering psychological portrait of those dealing out the punishment than of those receiving it. As girls we were at least not physically assaulted, but we did undergo some nasty initiation rituals, but usually only those of us trying to get into an organized club, not just all of us en masse simply because of our age (this is also depicted quite accurately in the film, what those poor girls endure from that bitch to get on the cheerleading squad, God love 'em). And it is likewise plainly obvious in the film just as it was in real life, the senior boys learned this bizarre monkey-like behavior from those bastions of simian progress, their "coaches", roles universally filled by academic failures who represent the Wooderson's of the future.

As disturbing as the hazing is, it belongs in the film because it was there, it was real, it was a part of our lives in that time and place, and I felt a delicious satisfaction when that one kid's mom met O'Bannion at the front porch cocking a shotgun. "I don't think so, creep!" You go girl! As both Mitch and Sabrina deal with the initiation rituals in a manner that is respected by their older peers and grants them access to the cool clique, it is too intrinsic to the storyline to be removed or whitewashed. I might add this is the only movie I have ever seen that captures this.

In summation, this is a movie directed at a rather specific audience. My friends who are of dramatically different age or grew up in a different part of the country do not generally relate to this movie nor enjoy it on the same level, although they often find it entertaining. But if you, like the filmmaker, were a Texas high school student in those amazingly permissive 1970's, and didn't particularly hate your life at the time, I think you'll absolutely love it. Highly recommended.

Dazed and Confused takes its viewers on a nostalgic trip back to the 1970s, delivering an experience that's as groovy as it is hilarious. From start to finish, this film had me grinning ear to ear, yearning to step into the bell-bottomed jeans of its characters and experience the era firsthand. This coming-of-age comedy captures the essence of teenage rebellion and camaraderie with effortless charm.

As a newcomer to the film, I found myself thoroughly enchanted by its whimsical portrayal of high school life in the '70s. The impeccable soundtrack, featuring iconic hits from the era, sets the perfect backdrop for the shenanigans of our teenage protagonists. Whether it's cruising around in vintage cars or engaging in mischievous antics, every scene is infused with a sense of carefree abandon that's simply infectious.

I couldn't help but give Dazed and Confused a solid 8 out of 10. It ticked off all the boxes for what I look for in a comedy, delivering countless laughs. However, while the ensemble cast is undeniably charismatic, I couldn't shake the feeling that the film could have delved deeper into the stories of its main characters. While we get glimpses into their lives, I found myself yearning for a bit more depth and development.

Nevertheless, this minor quibble hardly detracts from the overall enjoyment of the film. Dazed and Confused remains a timeless classic that celebrates the spirit of youth and rebellion. Whether you're a child of the '70s or simply a fan of feel-good comedies, this film is sure to leave you with a smile on your face and a newfound appreciation for the grooviest decade of them all.

The movie and characters feel so lived in. It's as if these characters have always existed and we're just experiencing this last day of school with them. The chemistry and dynamic between characters feels very genuine and natural. Everyone's just so cool and chill with each other - with the exception of a few. It really does feel like you're hanging out with them. It almost makes me nostalgic about high school. There's this feeling that nothing bad can happen and that the world is limitless. On top of all this, it's a very funny movie.

It's a very re-watchable movie. A time capsule of a bygone era - a better era. An iconic movie. The 70's soundtrack definitely helps to create the iconic moments while also complimenting the tone of the movie perfectly. Much like a high schooler, the movie has a rebellious, anti-establishment and anti-authoritarian nature to it. The story is a very simple one, nothing amazing. Rather it's in the way that it's told along with all the moving parts and characters that make the movie more interesting. It's very easy to get invested in the characters and everything that's going on. It's such an entertaining and good time that the movie goes by in the blink of an eye.

If you ever want to have a good time, want to laugh or you ever feel lonely - give this movie a watch, it'll make you feel better. Highly highly recommended. Raw score: 8.6/10.

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Cast: Jason London, Rory Cochrane, Sasha Jenson, Wiley Wiggins, Michelle Burke, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Marissa Ribisi, Shawn Andrews, Cole Hauser, Milla Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason O. Smith, Ben Affleck, Christin Hinjosa, Parker Posey, Nicky Katt.

Directed by Richard Linklater.

"Dazed and Confused" is one of the best teen films ever made, and for many reasons. It stands the test of it's time, along with George Lucas' "American Graffiti" and John Landis' "Animal House". It shows the highs and lows of partying, friendship, and drugs. The plot is about upcoming seniors and freshmen in a Texas town on the full last day of School in 1976. The characters are very likable in this, well, at least most of them. Richard Linklater gives a great independent direction. This isn't a film that encourages kids to do drugs, but it shows a true portrayal of teenagers in a America, in a very fun way. "Dazed and Confused" is one of my all-time favorite films, and one that I can watch over and over again. Well done.

5/5 stars.