Dazed and Confused

Dazed and Confused is the quintessential high school film. Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Slacker) wrote and directed this 1993 film about a wandering and rambling day and night on the last day of school in 1976. Known for being one of the most famous high school films of all time and often cited as being the starting point for many young careers with its large ensemble cast. Dazed and Confused did not do overly well at the box office when it first opened, but has since achieved cult status and consistently ranks on top lists of high school films. It is my favourite of the high school film genre and captures the impulsive and roving mood of one night in the lives of many like no other film I’ve seen.

The film stars Jason London as Randall “Pink” Floyd, the star football player at Lee High School in Austin, Texas. He’s struggling with signing a contract with his coach that promises to have a drug-free summer. Meanwhile, the seniors of participating in the annual hazing process of the freshmen kids. The seniors run around town terrorizing freshmen throughout the film as a part of one of many overlapping and interacting tales. Floyd and his friends ramble about in the evening after school, driving around in cars with friends, smoking pot, and trying to track down a decent party. The film meanders through the various characters, allowing us to get to know their motivations and interact with their lives as they interact with one another.

The film also stars Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Rory Cochrane, Wiley Wiggins, Michelle Burke, Adam Goldberg, and Matthew McConaughey to name a few. Its large ensemble cast is a big part of the selling feature of Dazed and Confused, as the performers really capture the nature of the roles they play. McConaughey, for example, plays a man who has long since graduated, but still hangs around high schoolers looking for some action. His role is both poignant and creepy, as we aren’t shown much behind Wooderson, his character, but we are shown the heart he has for the high school life and his desire to continue to participate in it.

Dazed and Confused takes on coming of age, authority issues, and angst with a freedom that few other films attempt. The film relies on its dialogue, for the most part, to drive the action and steers clear of hackneyed sexual archetypes with its gleeful energy and self-awareness. The characters are real, rich, and textured. The obnoxiousness of other genre films, like American Pie, is thankfully lacking in Linklater’s film and, instead, these kids are treated with dignity regardless of their role in the film. It is a film that bristles with an energy that many films lack.

Some characters are experiencing anxiety because of the transition from middle school to high school, such as Mitch (Wiggins) and Sabrina (Christin Hinojosa). These characters work with the transition easily, as both make romantic connections with other older characters. Other characters resist peer pressure in certain ways, such as Floyd as he refuses to sign the pledge and go along with the requests of authority. Others have conversations about the direction of their lives or about the changing times, such as a particularly enlightening and compelling conversation about the “every other decade” theory. Other characters reject adult culture at large, such as Wooderson, and instead choose to “live” in their own reality while rejecting the confines of other realities. This freedom is the focal point of Dazed and Confused and represents a bright spirit within that dazzles with its optimism for life. It is a life-affirming film in a neglected genre of insipidness.

The soundtrack is also tremendous, here, with many nostalgic tunes guiding the way. Linklater uses Foghat, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Black Oak Arkansas, Ted Nugent, and other giants of classic rock to propel his characters through the situations. The music helps the film on so many levels, giving it a legitimate energy and giving its characters richness. There are two Dazed and Confused soundtracks, one released in 1993 and one released a year later. Both are anthologies of classic rock and reflections of a more impactful time in music.

Dazed and Confused works on so many levels because of its energy, its heart, and its power. It is a film that feels free, limitless, and exciting. Without the use of standard setups or plot devices, Dazed and Confused is among the best of teen films for a reason. Its spirit, its intelligence, its wit, its focus, and its reality help create a film classic for all generations. It’s a commendable look back and a praiseworthy anthropological vision of better daze.

Trailer: