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Actors: Jason London, Matthew McConaughey, Wiley Wiggins, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Dazed and Confused |
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This is a hilarious comedy set in the summer of 1976. Junior high schoolers are being hazed by the new senior class. The quarterback of the high school football team is struggling to find himself and the path of life he wishes to take as he is pressured by his coach and peers. He escapes from the pressure of it all by indulging in marijuana. Will he choose his future or living wild with the wrong crowd?
--Batman Fanatic , Resident Scholar
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In the beginning Pink is being cooerced into signing a piece of paper whuch restricts him from doing things like drinking and having sex so that he can play football. This is brought up through the entire movie and in the end he decides that he would rather go get Arrowsmith tickets than listen to his coach bitch about his loser friends. The rest of the movie just makes you want to go out and as the red head said "get drunk or get laid maybe get in a fight!!"
--Krystle, Resident Scholar
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This film covers a broad range of Texan teens breaking up for the summer, as they get together for a party. This features Pink (Jason London), considering his future at high school, and his close friends (Cole Hauser, Ben Affleck...) as they focus on punishing the upcoming freshmans in the traditional manner. It also focuses on a particular freshman, Mitch (Wily Wiggins), who realises he is growing up and meeting new people. However, this is by no means a male-centered film, with some important roles covered by Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey and the under-used Joey Lauren Adams. Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) turns up looking for a good time, reliving his high school days with Slater (Rory Cochrane) giving a great performance as a stoner. There are also important roles for the more intelligent teens who want to learn how to have a good time (Adam Goldberg & Anthony Rapp).
--Adam Gallimore, Resident Scholar
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This movie is set in Texas on the last day of school in 1976. It follows two very distinct, but very similar, young men through this last day and night of the school year.
The first young man is Randall "Pink" Floyd, an incoming senior who is also the quarterback of the school football team. Even though Pink has to follow the guidelines of the school for academic purposes, when the coach of the football team sends around a declaration (a document stating that Pink will not, among other things, drink, do drugs, or have sex after midnight) for Pink to sign, he refuses. He refuses to allow the school to dictate what his actions will be out of the building and off the field.
The second main character is Mitch. He is an incoming Freshman who is the pitcher on the 8th grade baseball team. As a rite of passage, the incoming seniors are allowed (by parents and authority figures alike) to "spank" the incoming freshman with large wooden paddles. Mitch, unfortunately, received the brunt of these "spankings" within the movie. Mitch is still young, but he is already showing signs of being a leader.
There are many allusions made in the film stating that Mitch will probably grow up to be just like Pink. One of the most striking scenes in the movie is when Pink, Mitch, and another character, Wooderson, enter the Emporium (a local hangout). Wooderson is a 28 year old ex-High School football player who doesn't seem to want to leave his past behind him. He's still living in the same town and still hanging out with High Schoolers.
In this particular scene, Wooderson walks into the building first, shooting glances at people and generally looking like he owns the place. Just behind and to the left of him is Pink, looking a little less confident, but still kowing he belongs there. A little further back behind and to the right of Wooderson is Mitch. He looks terrified to be in there and not at all sure what he is supposed to be doing, where he is supposed to be looking. It took me a few viewing but it suddenly dawned on me that we are looking at Past, Present, and Future during this short scene. In my opinion it is the best scene in the entire movie.
--Jamie, Resident Scholar
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Dazed and Confused is a coming-of-age story about a group of small town Texas high school students, the main character being Randy 'Pink' Floyd(played by Jason London),who is pressured by his high school football coach to go against his beliefs and sign a form saying he won't smoke pot during the football season.
After much soul soul searching, terrorizing and eventually befriending soon to be freshmen students, a keg party in the woods, breaking up a fight between Clint, the school bully and Mike, the nerdy but humorously cynical high school newspaper editor, and finally getting caught smoking pot on the fifty yard line of the high school football field, Pink decides that driving to Dallas with his girlfriend and two pothead buddies to get Aerosmith tickets and risking getting kicked off the footbal team is ultimately more important than sacrificing his beliefs and signing the paper. A great film directed by veteran Texas filmmaker Richard Linklater, I highly suggest checking it out.
--Christopher Quick, Resident Scholar
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On the last day of jr. high the freshmen run to save themselves from initiation by the high school seniors. The whole movie takes place in one night full of drinking, parties, chases and other mischief.
--crystal mace, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Dazed and Confused |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1960's-1970's
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Kids:
- boozing
- general coming of age story
Age group
- trouble in high school
Sexing?
- first sexual experience
- girl chasing
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- happy
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- coach/trainer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting
- school
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- very happy
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Classic/oldies rock
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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