A stoner cult classic that never gets old
Two adjectives can be used to encompass the life of a teenager – dazed and confused. Richard Linklater’s 1993 cult classic is a tribute to the clueless carefree days of being young and reckless in a small town with nothing to do. Although it’s set in the suburbs of Austin, Texas in 1976, the circumstances in which the characters find themselves are all too familiar to the modern teenager – except perhaps with a different soundtrack.
The movie opens with a last-day-of-school montage, as all the students plan their explicit activities for the evening. The charismatic crew is introduced, each with their own eccentricities; the friendly neighborhood stoner, the bully, the entertainer, the hippie girlfriend, the unsuccessful ladies’ man, the friendly quarterback – the gang’s all there. The cast showcased a generation of up-and-coming young talent, such as Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, and Jason London. As the seniors take on their task of “hazing” the incoming freshmen, party plans are also being concocted. Pink (Jason London) is confronted by his football coach and asked to sign a form which would prohibit him from using drugs or alcohol over the summer, so as to not jeopardize the outcome of the next championship season. Pink symbolically refuses and continues his night the way he wants to.
Plot lines intertwine when good-guy Pink invites freshman Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins) to the senior party. Meanwhile, at the female freshman hazing, young and innocent Sabrina (Christin Hinojosa) befriends the beautiful and popular Jodi Kramer (Michelle Burke), who invites her to the same party. They soon discover that Pickford’s (Shawn Andrews) end-of-school party has been sabotaged by his parents, and turn to the night for entertainment. They go for a drive and end up at the Emporium, a place of food, friends, pool, and creepy Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson.
The next fifteen or so minutes of the movie consist of various groups of characters in cool cars driving around, eating fast-food, and waiting to hear of something to do. During this time, McConaughey’s famous “Alright, alright, alright…” line was born, in a scene where he woos the unsuspecting, intellectual red head Cynthia (Marissa Ribisi) into going on a date with him.
During the film’s 102 minute run-time, nothing extraordinary happens, but it doesn’t get boring either. The gang ends up at an impromptu keg party in the middle of a forest, where Mitch and Sabrina are given a taste of what high school parties are like. The cult comedy reputation is held up by the painterly eye and writing talent of Linklater, who skews stereotypes and knows how to make a crowd laugh.
There is no imposing plot and no tragic or exciting ending—just some honest moments of truth that portray the theme. It’s a coming of age story about friendship and boredom. The characters are constantly looking for “something else out there”, refusing to settle for the present. Dazed and Confused is, overall, entertaining and a worthy choice if you’re looking for a few laughs and not much to think about. So if you haven’t seen this movie, “it’d be a lot cooler if you did.”