Génération rebelle

Dazed and Confused is a lot like the time in which it takes place. The film doesn't have much of note to say, but you get the sense that it has a good time just being there. By 1976, Vietnam was in the rear-view mirror, as were much of the struggles of the previous decades. It was almost like people were sick and tired of caring about things and just wanted to get wasted. Notice how nobody seemed to care when their teacher was trying to tell them about the 1968 Democratic Convention or our "aristocratic" forefathers. There is a certain innocence about the period that our up-tight and violent world of today could use right now.

Our film shows us the trials and tribulations of kids just looking to get high, drunk, or just save their butts from being paddled on the last day of school. Not much of note happens in this film. We just see kids doing what kids are still doing. They are all just out to have a good time. There are plenty of familiar faces in this cast, but nobody really outshines anyone else. The film is paced in a manner that doesn't let us get to know too much about the characters. We spend a minute or two with one group of friends, then we see what another group is up to. The most memorable scenes in the film are more painful than funny. We see next year's freshman class (girls and guys) get pummeled by the seniors. We see the destruction of property. We see a fight or two break out. Plenty of beer and pot are consumed by all. And there really isn't much else to it.

Linklater films the action from a completely neutral vantage point. There is nothing at all pretentious or preachy about any of the subject matter. We see some cool cars, tight jeans, long hair, and just about anything you would associate with this time frame. The film lacks the humor of Porky's or The Hollywood Knights. It also lacks the tragic desperation of The Last Picture Show. That said, this film is still worth taking a look at. Especially if you were in high school at the time. I was just a toddler in 1976, but I could still relate to these characters, and their need to party.

7 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

When I entered grade 9, I never really got an initiation. Sure the older kids asked me if I was a minor niner, but I said I was in grade 10. They never paddled my ass, drew a penis on my face or made me push a penny on the bus floor with my nose. I got through grade 9 with ease. I also never grew up in the 70's so I thought I might miss the whole generation thing with Dazed and Confused. Even though it was made in the 90's.

Who would think that a film about high school kids beating up younger ones, getting drunk and high and partying all night would make a good film? Well, I did for one.

Dazed and Confused is not the first teen party film I've seen, but it is one of the best, so good that it transcends that genre. Can't Hardly Wait is suppose to be my generation party film, I think, but I feel more connected to Dazed and Confused then any other. Probably because Linklater is dedicated to his craft and isn't looking to cash in on a certain craze. I can honestly say this is his best film.

It boasts an young cast of early talent, like Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Goldberg, Rory Cochrane, Milla Jovovich, and so on. I think it's great to see all of today's actors in a film like this, just having a good time.

The film has a great soundtrack that embodies that time era, as it should. Dazed and Confused is a film that I can enjoy no matter what mood I'm in. So many teen high school films these days are moronic and try way too hard to be funny to immature kids. This is a true high school film that has heart and doesn't need to stoop to that low level, even with it's content being so childish.

Sit back, relax and enjoy Dazed and Confused.

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", which takes place during the 70s, was one of the best movies of the 90s. It really is phenomenal how much talent was in this ensemble; if you want to see Adam Goldberg, Matthew Mcconaughey, Milla Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Parker Posey, or an almost completely unrecognizable Ben Affleck (playing the sort of role he would almost never play again, an a**hole) before they were stars, look no further. And of course this was an early movie for director Richard Linklater, who had made the relatively unknown "Slackers" previously and who would go on to make "School of Rock", which was almost as good as "Dazed and Confused".

Taking place on the last day of school in a small suburban town, "Dazed and Confused" is a brilliant ensemble piece rivaling anything done by Robert Altman that covers the broadest spectrum of teenagers imaginable. We see the nerds, the potheads, the jocks, and the cheerleaders, as well as the incoming freshmen, as they celebrate the beginning of summer. Some celebrate less than others, of course; freshman hazing is a big part of the movie, both male and female. The dialogue is fresh and unexpected; lines about George Washington's proclivity for marijuana, why you just gotta love high school girls ("I get older, they stay the same age", as McConaughey's character says), and the herd mentality when a fight breaks out demonstrate how all-over-the-map the dialogue can be, and it's always affecting and usually quite funny.

Of course, it's the acting and the characters that really steal the movie, and it really is amazing how many people in this movie went on to bigger things. As I said before, Affleck was the most surprising, but Mcconaughey had the most memorable role as an older dude who can't seem to let go of his youth, a slick slimeball who chases after under-age jail bait. And he has never been funnier or better than he was in this. Eventually, his character will wake up and the kids aren't going to want to hang out with him and the girls aren't going to want to sleep with him anymore, and he's going to have a rude awakening. But for the time being, he's all macho cool swagger, and Mcconaughey pulled off the part perfectly. Parker Posey is also excellent, playing a senior bitch (but only because she's "supposed" to be) unleashing a humiliating hazing on the incoming freshman girls.

You have to give props to the writing. It's not a long movie, but it covers so much ground that it feels big. At one point, a character says that the 70s obviously suck. That may have been, but it's never looked cooler than it did in "Dazed and Confused". And the soundtrack must be mentioned too. The 70s was a decade full of musical highs and lows, and thankfully the soundtrack highlights the highs while ignoring the lows, and we have songs by Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Dr. John, War, and other seminal 70s rock figures (curiously missing: "Dazed and Confused" by Led Zeppelin, but that's forgivable). Brilliant; there's not a single clunker, and it adds to the free, easygoing atmosphere of the movie. "Dazed and Confused" is quite possibly the best "teen movie" ever made, and, from the point of view of someone who grew up in the 80s anyway, the best movie about the 70s ever made.

In the Austin, Texas, area, several youths complete their last day at school and celebrate through the night.

"Dazed and Confused" failed at the box office in 1993-94, but has gone on to achieve a deserved cult status. It's one of the best high school comedy-dramas, along with "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982). The difference between these two is that "Fast Times" contains more goofy antics whereas "Dazed" is more of a docudrama with amusing flashes. In other words, although "Fast Times is generally realistic, excepting the over-the-top parts with Spicoli, "Dazed and Confused" is more like a slice from real life.

What makes "Dazed" work so well is that it gets the LOOK of the mid-to-late 70s just right, particularly the hair & clothing styles, although Slater (Rory Cochrane) seems like a nod to 90's grunge.

Secondly, the actors pull off the material. A large part of the film's success is the excellent casting choices. You get a few up-and-comers here: Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich and Ben Affleck, along with one or two of lesser note (in regards to future success), e.g. Jason London and Parker Posey.

All the standard school archetypes are present: the jock who parties on the side, the bullies, the hot sister and her little long-haired brother, the black dude, the sexy Lib teacher, the streetfighter, the cool guys, the geekier crowd, the babes, the guy who graduated years ago but still hangs around, the mentors & mentees, etc.

Then you have the standard school experiences like setting up parties at a friend's houses when the parents are away, keg parties, running from bullies, dealing with coaches & teachers, flirting, the possibility of sex, hanging out, meaningless conversations, fights, smoking pot at school or in your friend's bedroom, etc.

Like "Fast Times," "Dazed and Confused" is a joy to watch because it successfully takes you back to the high school years with all its joys & agonies.

Some don't like it because it's more of a slice-of-life than a plot-driven, contrived story. The plot here is simple: It's the last day of school and the youths want to celebrate. If they can't do it at their friend's house they'll find a place at a park or local hangout, but they WILL party. The rest of the film involves their interactions within this context.

I've heard some complain that the movie conveys a terrible message. What message? There is no message. The message is that school's out and it's time to celebrate! Besides, there are a few positive points that can be mined from the proceedings: the arrogant bully gets what's coming, make a stand and fight when you have to (even if you get beat up), ultra-tight pants must be put on with pliers, be true to yourself, etc. But, really, this isn't a flick to look for deep messages, its simple purpose is to take you back to the school years (in this case, 1976) and all the fun & pain thereof.

Aside from those already mentioned, Michelle Burke stands out on the female front as Jodi, along with Joey Lauren Adams as Simone (she has such a beautiful, soothing voice). Then there's redhead Marissa Ribisi as Cynthia.

No review of "Dazed and Confused" would be complete without noting the excellent soundtrack. You get some great rock/metal of the 70s like "Sweet Emotion," "School's Out," "Stranglehold," "Do You Feel Like We Do," "Love Hurts," "Paranoid," "Rock & Roll Hootchie Coo," "Rock & Roll All Nite," "Slow Ride," "Cherry Bomb," "Tuesday's Gone" and many more.

The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and was shot in the Austin, Texas, area.

GRADE: A-