Opening Statement - Dazed and Confused is an amazing movie

This blog is dedicated to the analysis of and information about my favorite film, Dazed and Confused.  For readers that are unaware of the basic background of this film, it is the second full-length film from acclaimed Director/Writer Richard Linklater.  It was shot over the summer of 1992, in and around Austin, TX, and released September 24, 1993.  It was unfortunately marketed by Universal and their sub-studio Gramercy Pictures as a teen pot comedy.  Linklater's stated goal was that he wanted “to capture the moment-to-moment reality and energy of being a teenager.”  He also wanted to draw from his own life experiences in high school to tell the story.  So Linklater's purpose here was a bit higher level and much more personal than a "teen pot comedy".

The movie's timeline is less than 24 hours over the last day of school.  Specifically, the day is Friday, May 28, 1976.  While there is really no main story line, I suppose most viewers would say that the preeminent story is that of the high school quarterback avoiding the signing of the "team pledge", agreeing to avoid drugs and alcohol for the greater benefit of the team's upcoming season.  But really the movie is about Linklater's goal of capturing the moment-to-moment reality and energy of being a teenager.  He condenses many high school experiences into a short time period, but none of them are much of a story line, which is actually refreshing and makes the film more re-watchable.  You focus on the enjoyment of the journey instead of a big goal.

The movie comes off more like a documentary than anything else, but a documentary that the viewer will likely find to be personally relatable because everyone ran into at least some of these types of characters.  If you've stumbled upon this blog without seeing the movie, please check it out.  I doubt you'll be disappointed.