Movies-TV

One Of My Personal Favourites

Dazed and Confused is one of the best movies of its genre, if not one of the best movies ever created. It features no real storyline; high school kids last day of school for the summer in 1976, the seniors plan to welcome the new freshman to high school with either a good beating or humiliation. However, the actors are superb, ones that particularly stand out are Rory Cochrane and Jason London. It has many great comic moments and memorable quotes and the soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks ever featured in a movie. It is one movie that I can watch over and over and never bore of, the amount of times the word "man" is mentioned is almost uncountable.. but this just adds to the beauty of the movie. I have shown many of my friends this film, and not one of them has not liked it, this is one movie it's hard to hate, and easy to love. A cult classic, and one I will treasure for many years to come.

Great

I loved this movie it was amazing.......it brings back awesome memories that i never had.....it makes me wish we were still in those times....the best part is when they are throwing garbage cans.....and in the beginning when Pickford says " Slater-San " that whole scene is great.....I've watched this movie like 20 times within a month of owning it............ the casting was great there are some people from movies like resident evil....rent.... and that new movie stay alive.. this move never gets old ( it cant )....even though i wasn't born in the 1970's it still is a great movie and i get all the jokes.......THE SUM IT ALL UP IT WAS A KICK ASS MOVIE!!!!!!!

Fun, but pointless.

The year was 1976. Though I was only in Junior High at the time, I knew almost every character in this movie from the popular jock to the stoner. Our main ambition at the time was indeed to rock and roll all night and party every day--or at the very least, every other day.

This film captures the sights , sounds and feelings of that era with an almost eerie realism. Its a real blast from the past for anyone who grew up during the 70's, but that's where it ends. The movie seems to be designed to fill in the spaces between the soundtrack. It has absolutley no plotline whatsoever. If you can get past that little point, you could find worse ways to spend two hours.

I liken this movie to a modern day Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It is full of nobodies, who later became somebodies. Mathew McConaghey, Ben Afflek and Mila Jovovich spring to mind (there are many others), and that is one reason to check this flick out.

I'm torn on this review. I like the movie for a number of reasons but from a technical, or even artistic standpoint, it is not a good movie, nor is it "the funniest movie ever made". Simply stated, it is a piece of nostalgia.
If you have ever encountered an old GI Joe, or some other toy from your youth and have been momentarily transported back to a simpler time, you might just like this one. If however, you have a low tolerance for terrible acting (Wiley Wiggins is truly awful) and a meandering plot that never really takes you anywhere, you might want to skip this one.

Great Two "Buds" up.

Lets get straight to it. Dazed and Confused was the best movie ever made to display the 70's. The realistic replica of everything made it even more better. Now I Know that there were screw ups but still the movie sends out a message of how people have a good time and how people in athority try to control us but in a small way never do. Another thing is that this movie gave you that feeling of an adventure when the only thing that really happened was people riding around and hanging out. Well any way I give this movie 2 thumbs up for its story and well thought out plot line.

greatest movie ever

This movie, in my opinion, counts a s timeless on multiple levels. Regardless of your age when watching this film or whether or not you were alive during 1976 you feel a sense of relationship to the characters. Despite not being born until 7 after this film takes place, I can really connect with its message throughout. There is a lot more to this movie than just drugs and alcohol, its about acceptance and being happy with the person you are and doing what makes you happy. This is a film everybody should watch at least once in their lifetime. The characters in this movie, especially Pink Floyd are not faced merely with battles against society but also against themselves in the sense of finding who they want to be. I think D&C captures an accurate portrait of teenage life and all of the confusion, temptation, fear, and pressure that go right along with it. Linklater really got it right, which is not a surprise, by not just making this strictly a stoner mover but a portrait of Americana. D&C is a lot more than a movie, its a proud statement for being the people we all want to be, not who we are told to be.

Ohhh, I Must Have Had A "Beautiful" Adolescent

If you don't watch "The Last Picture Show" and see this flick, then you just don't have any real perspective on coming of age. The term "Teenager" barely heard before 1940 Yep this movie does take me back, way back It is sort of odd that he picked the year 1976??? Class of '73 had it all coming down on them hard We went from bobby socks to saddles in one summer Shoot even my school had a smoking area for the students. Yeah, I could have "Punched" this Slide up a bit but what the heck. This circa went on for years till about 1988 Then came "Zero Tolerance" and these kids coming up have no chance to spread their wings now. Enjoy this movie while you can still even remember what did happen. The saying goes "If you remember the 70's, then you weren't really there"

The extra features are extra bad

I am sure if you are reading the reviews for this movie you probably know what it is about, if not there are other reviews that cover the movie itself.


(grab soapbox, put it on the ground, climb on it)

I am here to talk about the ripoff of companies releasing several different versions of DVD's. All of them have a little tiny bit of an interesting extra feature but none of them have enough to justify the extra money charged. This is a blatant attempt to get the consumer to pay a lot of money for very little reason. This DVD has almost nothing to make it worth the extra $15 you have to pay. There are some mildly amusing moments in the extra features but nothing of substance. Stick with your old copy or buy it cheaper if you really must have it.


(get off of soapbox, pick it up, put it away)

Dazed and Confused is a hilarious movie and worth watching every time. The extra features on this DVD are not worth paying extra for.

Where else are you going to hear "Fox on the Run"?

Just finished watching DAZED AND CONFUSED again 10 years after my initial viewing, and it got way better as an encore performance. I didn't have a clue as to who Richard Linklater and all the unknown actors were the first time around, but as many of them have gone on to various levels of stardom since '93, it was fun to see them again "in the beginning". I especially liked seeing Ben Affleck "13th billed", as he plays much better to me as an also-ran after all the tabloid hype he's subjected me to since garnering his GOOD WILL HUNTING oscar.I'm the exact age that "Pink" and his cronies were in May of '76 (just finished up my junior year of high school), and even though I grew up about 1200 miles north of Austin, TX, most of the hijinx portrayed in the film rang true. Save for the hazing, we did it all, driving endlessly around town looking for "a good time". And once the word got out that a kegger was going on, it sure didn't take long for a crowd to form in some "secret spot". Judging from some of the posts about this film, the search for "a good buzz" is still the preferred way to make it through the high school years in 2004.Hats off to Mr. Linklater, his soundtrack, and his film. So grab a "sixer", break out your stash, and check out DAZED AND CONFUSED. It's way closer to the way it was in 1976 than watching a WELCOME BACK KOTTER rerun.

End of the school year

This movie is so realistic of growing up in the mid '70. My teenage days were a lot like that. It is also about questioning authority, becomming part of a group and fitting in. Those were magical times and sometimes I wish I could go back to relive some of them. This film is so much more than a 'Party' film.

An excellent Slice of Life from the 1970's!

Much more than an "American Graffiti" for the '70's, because the characters and scenarios in "Dazed and Confused" are less contrived, and more of an actual "slice of life." I graduated from a suburban San Francisco Bay Area HS in '72, so my experiences were just a bit different, but everything rings true, and the depiction of time, place, and character are dead accurate.

Besides that, "Dazed and Confused" is an extremely well-crafted piece of filmmaking, satirical, funny, with stand-out performances by all. The opening sequence, utilizing Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" to great effect, draws you right into the film completely, and keeps you there until the closing credits finish rolling. This is definitely a good time movie, whether you get dazed and confused yourself or not.

And the companion book is a real hoot, too! So, check 'em out!

Criterion Collection = 5 STARS!

What an absolute perfect release for this movie. After reading all the negative reviews it's obvious most of them are due to the previous inadequate releases. Well, they should all log back in and delete them because this IS the definitive release of one of my all time favorite movies! The '70s-era packaging and a totally awesome selection of bonus features makes this special edition two-disc release of Dazed and Confused one of the very best DVDs of all time!


Some of the best lines ever!

"Let me tell you what Melba Toast is packin' right here, all right. We got 4:11 Positrac outback, 750 double pumper, Edelbrock intake, bored over 30, 11 to 1 pop-up pistons, turbo-jet 390 horsepower. We're talkin' some f'n' muscle." --Wooderson

"That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age." --Wooderson

"Say, man, you got a joint?" --Wooderson
"No, not on me, man. " --Mitch
"It'd be a lot cooler if you diid." --Wooderson

"George Washington was in a cult, and the cult was into aliens, man."

I love this movie. It's one of my favorite teen comedies. It doesn't necessarily have a plot, it's basically about the last day of school at a high school in a small town in Texas in 1976. The soon-to-be seniors are initiating the soon-to-be freshmen, A few friends are trying to get Aerosmith tickets, and everyone is trying to party or get stoned, drunk, or laid. Oh yeah. Dazed and Confused is definitely a cult classic, and a movie I could watch easily over a million times. Even though it's about the END of the school year, it's still fun to watch whenever. Oh, and Slater is my favorite character by far. The soundtrack is AWESOME as well, featuring songs by: Aerosmith, Foghat, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, War, ZZ Top, Peter Frampton, KISS, Steve Miller Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd to name a few bands.


This is, hands down, one of the greatest teen movies ever made. People who grew up in the 70's claim this movie captures the time perfectly (just read some of the reviews here!), and this movie is definitely a must see. It'll make every young viewer wish they were there partying and having a good time, and every adult remember the good times they had during their teenage years. So, if you're looking for an entertaining flick to watch or want a flick that you AND your buddies will enjoy, check out "Dazed and Confused".


- Zack, 16 years old

A MUST SEE!!!

Another winner from Richard Linklater. In my opinion, the greatest American director to emerge from this decade; (Sorry, Tarrantino!)

This time, the director of "Slacker" explores his seventies high-school years. And it's the quintessential movie about high school regardless of what era you are a product of.

This film has been labeled as doing to seventies high school what "American Grafiti" did to sixties high school. Although I don't wish to knock that superb film from George Lucas, "Dazed" goes a lot further than "Grafiti". "Dazed" explores all the bittersweetness of those years. The good as well as the bad.

There is so much truth in the film. For example, the moment in the film where freshman Mitch Kramer realizes the same seniors who gave a brutal initiation ritual are actually a bunch of cool guys once he starts hanging out with them. That's a genuine experience, that anyone who lived in high school can identify with in some way.

This is the ultimate movie about hanging out beacuse it's really the way real people actually hang out. There's no zany slapstick or "Animal House" antics. It's just a bunch of high schoolers, haging out, cruising, drinking, blasting some Ted Nugent on the car radio, maybe toking some weed, and smashing a few mailboxes.

Having said that this is not a zany high-school movie, that does not mean that it does not have some very funny moments. For me, the funniest moment in the movie is when pothead Slater explains to his buddies how George and Martha Washington usd to smoke a lot of weed in their time: "Did you ever look at a dollar bill? There's some spooky stuff going on on a dollar bill, man. You know, and it's green too!"

This is one hulluva movie with a lot of great performances - Matthew McConaughey has never been better. I love the message in this film of individuality and to just keep on living ("L-I-V-I-N!"). The direction by Linklater is perfect. What more can I say? It's the ultimate party movie!

An overrated movie

Most of the reviews here rate this movie with five stars. It must be the same person reviewing this film because this movie is REALLY bad. First off, there is absolutely NO PLOT whatsoever. Ditto. The characters roam aimlessly around a small Texas town getting stoned and acting like complete fools. Where is the redeeming value here? What lesson are the characters taught? The second problem I had with this movie is its lack of a central character. Instead, we are introduced to several SHALLOW teenagers who never seem to get developed to a point where they become likeable. At one point, I thought the story was about a disillusioned high school football quarterback. But half way through the movie he disappears and we then follow some freshman kid attending his first beer party. Okay. Yeah. The characters are as disjointed as the story. For a good 1970's era coming of age movie I would recommend either 'Detroit Rock City' or 'Over the Edge' which was actually filmed in the late 70's.

I want to go to school in the seventies!!!!

If this is a decent portrayal of life at a high school in the 70's then I am sorry I was not there. The film is fun all the way through with laughs, a little drama and a great cast, furthermore the soundtrack is amazing full of absolute gems, and why are the london brothers not used so much more because Dazed and Confused and Mallrats get in my top ten watched films of all time because they are just so sharp.......

Slater-san!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This movie ROCKS! I still remember the first time I saw it, a full house cinema on a Friday night. Phenommenal night! What "Dazed" shows are teenagers being teenagers. It could be any time, anywhere. Besides, it is still painfully funny. If you ever get the chance, play the "Dazed & Confused" drinking/smoking game. The rules are simple; match all cast members drink for drink and smoke for smoke. I think I passed out about three quarters of the way through when I did it. Another thing. Next time you see "Dazed", listen to some of the background dialogue. The film was right, you can't handle one hour drum solos on strong acid, man!Check you later!!!! (In the immortal words of one Mr Slater)

It WILL hit close to home

"Dazed and Confused" represents one of the better entries in the film genre fans affectionately refer to as the stoner picture. After viewing this movie, I started thinking about this much maligned cinematic rubric. How many films, I wondered, fall within this category? Well, there are the Cheech and Chong movies that emerged in the 1970s, a series of films that really deserve their own special niche. What else? "The Stoned Age" came out one year after "Dazed and Confused" arrived on the scene. There are probably many more that I could not recall, but the mother of all stoner films has to be the amazing "Over the Edge," a movie notable for showcasing Matt Dillon in his first film roll, but also because of its gritty '70s feel and its wonderful fusion of youthful alienation with suburban sprawl. "Over the Edge," sadly unavailable on DVD as of this date, should serve as the standard by which viewers should measure all other stoner films. In that respect, "Dazed and Confused," while suffering a few problems, does a nice job of keeping the tradition alive.

Set in a small Texas town in the 1970s, "Dazed and Confused" follows the various misadventures of a group of high school students on the last day of school, covering a period of mere hours from the end of the school day to the obligatory beer bash held that evening. The cast of characters here is huge, ranging from a small band of junior high students about to become freshman to high school juniors about to become seniors. There's Randall "Pink" Floyd (Jason London), the high school football star who is having some doubts about signing a team pledge to refrain from drugs and alcohol during his senior year. Several of his buddies, including Fred O'Bannion (Ben Affleck) and the team coach, give him grief about his hesitancy to give in to this blatant attempt at control. In the meantime, the gang of jocks and their female counterparts take great joy in engaging in the time-honored ritual of hazing the incoming freshman class. This activity involves chasing the hapless kiddies around town in automobiles in order to administer a rather vicious beating with a stout wooden paddle. One of these new freshmen, Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins) attempts to avoid the inevitable until some seniors catch him after one of his baseball games. Floating on the periphery of these scenes is a trio of eggheads (played by Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, and Marissa Ribisi) and an aging stoner, David Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey), who cannot let go of his high school years.

The scenes in "Dazed and Confused" unfold in a chaotic manner, perhaps in an effort to mirror the randomness of American youth during the 1970s. A planned party at the house of a kid whose parents are going on vacation comes to naught when a delivery truck attempts to deliver a keg as the shocked adults look on. With this party effectively put on ice, the search is on for a new place to toss back a few cold ones. Most of the kids spend a lot of time driving around town, always on the lookout for some action. After receiving his beating, Mitch Kramer discovers a newfound friendship with Randall Floyd, who invites the diminutive frosh to accompany him on an excursion to the local hangout. Meanwhile, the three brainiacs cruise around town throwing out the most hilarious observations about their future and the state of the country (my favorite line equates Gerald Ford's football injuries with the state of the economy). The kegger contains the things those who went to these atrocities in high school would expect: someone gets in a fight, new relationships form and dissolve, and the stoner archetype goes off on a rant about drugs. The movie ends with no concrete answers about where these kids will go or what the future holds for them.

The movie is notable not for its party hard theme, although that certainly plays a big role here, but for its introspective mood. Director Richard Linklater punches up the film with plenty of humor, such as Affleck's over the top role as the school jerk, but he also shows many of these characters worrying and wondering about the future and what it holds for them. Some of these scenes will break your heart. For example, David Wooderson tells his high school buddies about how the real world is a drag because of its rules and how he just does what he wants no matter what the cost. Everyone knew this guy, and also saw him fail in life. Randall Floyd muses about his high school career, stating that "if these are the best years of my life, remind me to kill myself." The last scene of the film, with that open road stretching into the distance--and into the uncertain future, for that matter--really sums up the what this movie is about.

I think the viewer who will understand this movie the best will be the person who went to high school and has been out of that place for a period of years. That way you can appreciate the humorousness of the various characters while understanding the implications of their actions. The people who were not caught up in high school because they understood that four years is only a small part of the grand sweep of life were the ones who generally succeeded after leaving the hallowed halls. "Dazed and Confused" makes you realize this fact. Although the film is a little too fractured, resulting in several undeveloped characters, it really is an honest look at a painful time in our lives. I highly recommend it, but prepare yourself for nostalgia pangs and a heavy dose of even more painful '70's atmosphere along the way.

The Seventh Seal of high school movies

This movie, like a considerable portion of Richard Linklater's other movies, has almost no plot. We see a bunch of teenagers running around on the last day of school in 1974 in I believe Austin, Texas. They skip class, beat each other up, and smoke a very large amount of pot. This movie functions on several levels. It is a nostalgia piece, a lowbrow comedy, and a meditation of existence. Similar to Larry Clark's Kids, the teenagers in this movie do things which would make parents shudder. Unlike Kids, the teenagers ultimately have to surrender to their parents. On the highest level, these teenagers are a metaphor for the human race. They go to school and party and prepare for a future that seems as though it will never come. Anything they do doesn't seem to have consequences. They, like every teenager ever, seem to know everything.
Watching this movie you become absorbed and feel as though you are actually in it. This movie takes you on a journey through a june night in the south.
You can't really say too much about this movie.

Too focused on the guys

I was attracted to this DVD because of its sparkly psychadelic cover, which shows you should never judge a DVD by its cover, cos this DVD was pointless. It's hardly qualifies for a special edition, as there's barely an extras, and to think there are films out there crying out for a special edition but aren't entertained - Titanic for example. There's lot of alcohol & drug (ab)use in this, although the ill-effects are never really shown. The film is more focused on the guys experiences, rather than the girls, and actresses like Milla Jovovich have virtually no lines to say, and just act stoned all the time.


There's some great actors in this, in the time when some of them were virtual unknowns and the rest were unknowns. These include: Jason London, Adam Goldberg (Eddie from Friends), Matthew McConaughey (really unrecognisable), Marissa Ribisi (Giovanni's twin, who's also in Friends), Joey Lauren Adams, Ben Affleck and Parker Posey. Apparently, Renee Zellweger also appears in this, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-her-role (I blinked), but she's not listed in the cast list.

I wasn't impressed with this movie, just the sparkly cover. Sorry.

(I've also done this review three times, and it's getting shorter & shorter each time, cos I'm having to retype it!)

PERFECT

A perfect time capsule of high school in 1976. This movie has it all: Rock music; Muscle cars; Drugs. The opening scene with Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion playing while an orange GTO cruises through the high-school parking lot can't be beat.

Furthermore, there's a gold mine of talent here. It's a real stoner comedy, as opposed to that politically correct piece of trash Dude Where's My Car.