Just in time for the release of its "spiritual sequel" Everybody Wants Some, here are my thoughts on Dazed and Confused!


Dazed and Confused (1993)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Starring Wiley Wiggins, Jason London, Matthew McConaughey, and many more

Dazed and Confused tells the story of a group of students on the last day of high school in 1976. The movie takes place in under 24 hours, starting from just before school finishes, following the student's all-nighter shenanigans and ending at sunrise. It doesn't really have a lead character, or even really a defined plot, but it still manages to make a great movie out of this. It's fun, nostalgic and very realistic.

A lot of the realism comes from Richard Linklater's great script. All of the dialogue feels very natural. You could really believe that these people existed and would say these things in the way they do. Movies tend to romanticise teenagers and high school life but this movie portrays very realistic characters who pretty much just do the natural thing a person like that would do in each situation, instead of being characters trying to entertain the audience by doing something ridiculous.

The soundtrack is of course a highlight, filled with Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, KISS and more classics that really set the tone for the movie and reflect the ideals of the teenagers in that time period. It's consistently great and never feels out of place with what's happening in the movie, though strangely the titular song never actually appears in the movie.

The setting of the 70s honestly is both the most important thing to the movie and not really important at all at the same time. I can't say whether it's a realistic portrayal of the 70s personally because I wasn't alive then, but this movie makes me nostalgic all the same. The characters really cover all generations, even if their clothes and music and cars have changed. It can still be relatable for anyone who watches it and for me it's the quintessential teenage movie.

I think Dazed and Confused is a classic and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a fun and well-written movie to watch, no matter if you're a teenager now or was in the 70s. It's all about having a good time and you will while watching this!

4.75/5 stars

Thanks for reading :)