A film with almost no plot seems like a bad idea. A film that, for almost two hours, seems to be headed in no particular direction seems like it would be boring and lack any sense of accomplishment. This is not the case with Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused. While the audience is never given a definitive plot, they do get to see a plethora of teenage shenanigans that lead to the development of friendships that appear will last at least throughout the course of high school. This film, while meant to take place in the 1970’s, still has a 90’s feel to it. I think that, while I’m sure this was not the goal of Linklater, having this 90’s feel allowed for people my age to identify with and appreciate the film even more. This film followed the lives of a group of teenagers whose sole purpose over the next twelve hours was to get drunk, get high and get laid. It was enjoyable to watch Wiley Wiggins’ Mitch grow from a scrawny eighth grader to popular high schooler overnight. His character was, in my opinion, the best character in the film. His quick wit and his ability to charm most of the characters in the film with such ease made him an attractive character. The list of actors in this film is absolutely incredible. From huge Hollywood actors such as Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck to small time (yet incredibly talented and recognizable) actors like Cole Hauser, Jason London and Adam Goldberg, this group of actors hit the ball out of the park. I can say, with great confidence, that Don Phillips earned his paycheck while working on this film due to the fact that such a low budget film nowadays would never be able to score the amount of talent that he did for this film. The comedy in the film was stupid and it certainly wasn’t the type of comedy that would make one think; however, it was hilarious. I laughed through the entire film. One of my favorite parts of the film, which seems sad, was when some of the main characters were playing foosball. The camera angles were very cool and actually made foosball look very interesting (it’s not necessarily uninteresting, but it is foosball afterall). From beginning to end I was engaged and enjoyed every moment of the film (I actually didn’t even hate McConaughey’s role in this film). If you’re ever in the mood just to sit back and relax, this film is perfect for you. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106677/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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