DAZED AND CONFUSED
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
DAZED AND CONFUSED
Rating (Linear 0 to 10): 5.8
Date Released: varies
Running Length: 1:37
Rated: R (Language, drug and alcohol use)
Starring: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Rory Cochrane,
Michelle Burke, Sasha Jenson
Director: Richard Linklater
Producers: James Jacks, Sean Daniel, and Richard Linklater
Screenplay: Richard Linklater
Music: various '70s songs
Released by Gramercy Pictures
At some time or another, every generation has a movie made about it. DAZED AND CONFUSED is for the 70s' crowd: that group of Americans who came of age when bellbottoms, love beads, mantras, and marijuana were the fashion, drinking and driving hadn't become taboo, and safe sex was used to only avoid pregnancy or VD. As the United States reached her bicentennial, Vietnam was over - if the memories still lingered on - and the short-lived disco craze was building to a frenzy that SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER would both exploit and exacerbate.
This movie begins on the last day of the 1975-76 school year, and ends less than twenty-four hours later. For Randy "Pink" Floyd (Jason London) and his friends, it's the end of their tenure as high school juniors, and with the final bell of the last period, they have reached the ultimate goal for teenagers - they are seniors. At the local junior high school, Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins) and his cohorts have a serious problem to consider. They are members of the incoming freshman class and, as part of a time-honored tradition, they are about to be totally and painfully humiliated by the new seniors.
DAZED AND CONFUSED explores the beginning of the 1976 summer from the varying perspectives of an unusual group of characters. Just about every type is represented: the timid nerd looking for a way to break out of his shell, the mindless jock, the overaged twentysomething guy who likes hanging out with teenagers, the blond bombshell, the stoned-out-of-his mind pot addict, and the timid newcomer. In his attempts to avoid making his characters into caricatures, writer/director Richard Linklater is only partially successful. Most of what works with the youthful population of DAZED AND CONFUSED is due more to the performances of a fine cast than the writing.
There isn't much to this picture. The storyline is minimal and the characters' personalities are as hazy as the marijuana-drenched atmosphere. What Linklater does exceptionally well is open the door on an era seventeen years in the past. This is 1976, from the music and cars (which combined cost a huge chunk of the $6 million budget), to the people and their attitudes. You'd have to climb into a time machine to get a better view.
Comparisons with AMERICAN GRAFFITI are warranted, remembering, of course, that this is the next generation. Both have similar aims, but while GRAFFITI's plot may have been no less insignificant than that of DAZED AND CONFUSED, its characters are better defined. At times, Linklater seems too wrapped up in getting everything about the time period right. While the directors of both films care about their characters, George Lucas does a better job of transferring that feeling to the audience.
The two characters that we get the most of - Randy and Mitch - manage to capture our sympathies - at least most of the time. My complaint has nothing to do with them, but with everyone else. Except during an occasional scene or two, I had no feeling one way or another about anybody except those two. Had virtually the entire senior class died in a car wreck, I wouldn't have batted an eyelash.
The cast is one of new or barely-recognizable names and face (Michelle Burke, who went on to do CONEHEADS, is among the few who might tweak the memory), all of whom do excellent jobs. None of the principals can have a clear memory of 1976 (unless they're a lot older than they look), yet they play their roles like they lived through it. Most memorable of all is Wiley Wiggins' Mitch, who performs almost every scene (including one where he buys his first six-pack) with an affecting blend of charm and realism.
Ensemble movies are something of a rarity these days, so it's a bit odd that this is the third one I've seen in a week (the other two being TWENTY BUCKS and SHORT CUTS). If done right, these types of films can be riveting. And, while Linklater doesn't have all the pieces in place for a superlative work, he has chosen a group of young actors capable of doing all - and probably more - that he asks of them.
My impression of DAZED AND CONFUSED is that it's light entertainment suitable for a night out, but nothing more. The comedy isn't as sharply- honed as it might be, but it's effective in this context. This film was made to celebrate a dead culture, and those who were part of, or are merely curious about, will find a path into the past through this motion picture.
DAZED AND CONFUSED is irresponsible and politically incorrect - and almost worth applauding on those grounds alone. Had it possessed a little more substance, I would have heartily championed the film, but as it is, I can give it little more than a lukewarm recommendation. If nothing else, it surely defines the era, and reminds me more of the things I hated than loved about 1976.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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