In lieu of a strict plot, Dazed and Confused follows a bunch of teenagers on the last day of school. Incoming freshmen are hazed and the seniors get wasted, and in between those moments, some kids find love, pick up fights, talk about each other, and wonder about their imminent futures. All this is scored by an impeccable playlist of ‘70s rock. But despite being a period film, Dazed and Confused feels timeless in its depiction of youth: they’re at once apathetic and ambitious, jaded and hopeful. Most of all, they’re messy, so the film’s meandering pace feels fitting. Vignettes of different students—bullies, nerds, jocks, freshies—paint a familiar picture, and so they feel real and reflective of a certain time in your life, regardless of who you were when you came of age. It’s almost like an artifact in the way it captures the specificity of teenhood, but it’s also just invigorating to see kids enjoy their freedom and feel a mix of emotions, even confusion, for the sprawl of years ahead of them.
"Few of these people are going anywhere, but they are not going anywhere with style and dignity."
— Ben Thompson
"The teenage wasteland, 1976-style, of Dazed and Confused is smack-dab between The Brady Bunch and Children of the Damned , and it's a scary, if sometimes giddily amusing, place to visit."
— Variety Staff
The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.
Austin, Texas, 1976. The students of Lee High School celebrate the last day of school before the summer starts in different ways.
Alright, alright, alright.
From Ben Affleck to Matthew McConaughey, the film's cast is a who’s who of actors before they hit stardom, but everyone’s favorite has to be Parker Posey, right?
