'Dazed and Confused'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey came here to do only three things: 'kick some ass, and drink some beer' and rewatch the 1993 high school classic 'Dazed and Confused,' starring Milla Jovovich, Adam Goldberg, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Jason London. and many more and directed by Richard Linklater.
Cast
Jason London as Randall 'Pink' Floyd
Wiley Wiggins as Mitch Kramer
Matthew McConaughey as Wooderson
Ben Affleck as Fred O'Banion
Parker Posey as Darla
Adam Goldberg as Mike Newhouse
Cole Hauser as Benny
Joey Lauren Adams as Simone
Rory Cochrane as Ron Slater
Milla Jovovich as Michelle Burroughs
Sasha Jensen as Don Dawson
Anthony Rapp as Tony Olson
Jason O. Smith as Melvin Spivey
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Notes
- The movie had a $7 million budget, and $6 million of it went to music rights. They spent $200,000 on Aerosmith's 'Sweet Emotion' alone.
- Linklater originally wanted to make a 90-minute movie of guys driving around in a car listening to ZZ Top's Fandango album.
- Quentin Tarantino has 'Dazed and Confused' in his 10 best films of all time.
- The beer in the movie was real – they used actual beer during filming.
- The entire cast lived together in a Radisson hotel during the shoot, which helped create their chemistry.
- Matthew McConaughey was only supposed to be in two scenes, but Linklater kept adding him because he was so good. Meanwhile, Shawn Andrews (Pickford) was gradually phased out.
- Made only $8 million on its $7 million budget – considered a bomb at the time. 78% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Categories
Quote from Rog's review:
“Linklater wants to watch these kids, listen to their talk, and get into the rhythm of their lives.”
Ebert gave it 3 stars. He appreciated the slice-of-life quality but wasn't fully won over.
- McConaughey at the Emporium – 'That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.' The scene that launched a career.
- The hazing sequences – both the boys getting paddled and the girls being doused with condiments.
- The cast – it's insane how many future stars are in this movie. McConaughey, Affleck, Parker Posey, Milla Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Renée Zellweger (cut from the film).
- The soundtrack – one of the all-time great movie soundtracks. Aerosmith, Foghat, Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, War, Kiss.
- The hazing – grown men violently paddling 14-year-olds would not fly today.
- Some of the older guys hitting on freshman girls.
- Vince Vaughn was the runner-up for both Ben Affleck's and Cole Hauser's parts.
- Renée Zellweger auditioned for Parker Posey's part as Darla.
- Claire Danes didn't get the Sabrina part.
Parker Posey as Darla – she completely owns every scene she's in. The queen of the hazers. This was her heat check moment before becoming the queen of '90s indie film.
Jason O. Smith as Mel – the townie who hangs around the high school kids. 'George Washington was in a cult, and the cult was into aliens, man.'
Ben Affleck as O'Banion – he is SO into the hazing. The paddling, the rage, the intensity. He plays the bully with such commitment that Linklater had to tell him to dial it back.
The movie is set on the last day of school in 1976, but some of the music is from 1977.
The hosts discuss whether there was really a teacher who threw a party for students at the end of the year like the one in the movie.
- Parker Posey – this launched her entire indie career.
- The 'alright, alright, alright' line – McConaughey's first words on film became his lifelong catchphrase.
Better with beer, weed, and friends – the ultimate hangout movie.
- What would have happened if McConaughey had only been in his original two scenes?
- How is this movie not more respected in the all-time comedy pantheon?
Linklater or McConaughey? Linklater created the whole world and launched a dozen careers. But McConaughey stole the movie with about 10 minutes of screen time and turned it into a career-defining moment.