Dazed And Confused Is All Right, All Right, All Right

I have one friend that is slightly out of touch. He still thinks Poison will return to rule the earth and is convinced that cinema reached its apex with the release of the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic Universal Soldier. Needless to say, I don't put much stock into his recommendations. However, there is that one bright shinning moment in 1994 when he brought over a video to watch. I checked the box for a mention of Bronson or Lundgren. Much to my surprise, there were no mention of them, just names like London, Cochrane and Hauser. Who were these guys and what was this Dazed And Confused?

My friend managed to pick a winner and I couldn't believe it. Dazed And Confused is a little ditty put together by indie director Richard Linklater. I had just begun taking films seriously so I was only familiar with the title of his first film, Slackers. I new it took place in Austin and that it had succeeded based on a huge world of mouth even with its loose plot and meandering stories. Other than that, I new nothing of Dazed And Confused and went into it with a completely closed mind. Luckily, the first riff of Aerosmith as the film opened jarred the clog out of my brain and let me enjoy a wonderfully funny film.

We begin our story on the last day of school in 1976. The juniors are now seniors and the incoming freshmen are due to be hazed. There is also one senior who didn't manage to graduate, so he's back for one more go around and he's a bit too excited. The boys seem eager to inflict physical pain upon the incoming freshman, while the girls are more focused on psychological torture. Man, that's sounds awfully serious. Basically, the boys paddle their victims and the girls douse them with various sticky food products.

While the hazing is a continuous process, the rest of the night focuses on partying. One student is planning on having a big bash at his house, but an early keg delivery concerns his parents so they cancel their trip. The rest of the kids spend the better part of the night driving around, playing some pool, drinking beer, smoking pot and trying to get into trouble. Luckily, one of the former students manages to put a part together at the moon tower and the evening's festivities are finished off.

Now, it may seem like nothing happens in Dazed And Confused and you'd be right. There's not much of a plot and the entire movie hinges on a large group of teenagers frolicking around town. Luckily, the majority of the characters are likable and entertaining. Even the mean kids are funny and enjoyable to watch, especially when they get what's coming to them. Thankfully, director/writer Richard Linklater was at the helm of the film and he manages to intertwine all of the characters and stories into a very entertaining, yet in most cases, uneventful movie.

The first thing that Linklater does is set the mood of the 1970s with its most undeniable characteristic... music. The film begins with Aerosmith and along the way we are treated to plenty of KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath and War. The great thing is that he doesn't just use the music for "noise," but he actually uses it as another character. On the last day of school, what better song to have blaring than Alice Cooper's classic "School's Out?" It's time for a road trip to Houston, so you better turn on the Foghat and crank "Slow Ride." There is tons of great music in the film and that fact alone will entertain the 70s music fan completely.

Not only is Linklater able to weave music perfectly into the film, he's also able to mesh several stories together while getting some good performances out of some young and inexperienced actors. There are plenty of name stars in Dazed And Confused, but at the time, in 1994, they were just starting out. Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck actually put in some of the best performances of their respective careers. McConaughey's Wooderson is a pathetic loser who is still living in the past. However, as sad as he is, he's still funny and just oozes charisma on the screen. Affleck is just as good as another loser, O'Bannion. He's on his victory lap as a 5th year senior and he's more than eager to take it out on all of the incoming freshmen. Like most bullies, he eventually gets what's coming to him, but he's quite entertaining along the way. There are plenty of other current stars that are in the film like, Rory Cochrane (CSI: Miami), Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan), Milla Jovovich (Fifth Element), Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy), Parker Posey (Best In Show) and Nicky Katt (Boiler Room). All have plenty of entertaining moments throughout the film.

Finally, about a month ago, an updated DVD version of Dazed And Confused was released. The previous version was simply the movie with no extras. While acceptable on its own, it's always nice to have those deleted scenes and commentaries to watch. Although as much as I want them, the scenes are usually left on the cutting room floor for a reason and the commentaries offer very little interesting information. Sadly, Dazed And Confused is a prime example of this. The audio has been remastered which is clearly a benefit. Unfortunately, my sound system is not near the top of the line, but I assume with a great system that you'll notice a difference. There are nine deleted scenes that were deleted for a reason. They are neat to see, but aren't noteworthy. There are also two featurettes included that sadly aren't that entertaining: a mockumentary about partying and retro PSAs. These have the same tone has the yearbook that was released as a companion to the film. Some of the information is cool, but overall they are not a reason to purchase the DVD.

It is important to remember that Dazed And Confused is set in 1976 in the world of high schoolers. There is plenty of drug use and underage drinking, so if that offends or worries you, be sure to stay away from the film. Also, if you are looking for a solid plot with lots of action, you'll want to skip it as well. But, if you are wanting to watch a film that is very funny and sometimes poignant, as well as a quality coming of age film filled with the righteous tunes of the 70s, then Dazed And Confused is the picture for you. It's one of my all time favorite films and I never get tired of watching it.