Dazed and Confused

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

Paul & Amy party with 1993’s throwback high school ensemble comedy Dazed And Confused! They watch Matthew McConaughey’s dazzling audition tape, learn the studio’s original plan for the soundtrack, and ask if director Richard Linklater prioritizes the male POV in his films. Plus: We try to determine which high school film we’ve covered is most spaceship-worthy.

This is the final episode of our “Back To School” miniseries; next week we kick off a new series about horror films with 1931’s Frankenstein! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf, and apply to be a guest on Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

This wasn't really my cup of tea, though I'm partly thinking that's because I did enjoy all the other school movies so much more. I will give this another shot farther down the road and see if I can get into it.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

I guess no one wanted to talk about this one! I seem to be the only yes vote here, and it's not a strong one -- mostly I went with it because I wanted to support a Linklater (though Before Sunset would really be my first choice of his). I do think this one improves a lot upon multiple viewings. I was surprised at how easily I just slid right back into it when revisiting for the podcast. Started watching it fairly late at night and just never stopped. That's got to count for something. Linklater has some kind of magic going on where he makes these plotless hangout movies super-compelling. I'm not sure what it is.

[hahmstrung 12]

I'm a few months late but I finally got around to this (and finishing the Back to School series). I absolutely loved it! This is what I wanted American Graffiti and Cooley High to be.

Everything about this movie is so pitch-perfect, from the meek freshmen to the weed culture: this is probably the most accurate film about teenagers I can think of. Aside from the paddling, constant sexual harassment and drunk driving, this was my life, only in 2006 instead of 1976. I "knew" all these people.

Everybody is so perfectly cast and does their respective parts so well, and most of the characters are allowed to have some depth, too. Whether it's the freshman who refuses to do the air raid at the party or the bullies who end up befriending and mentoring Mitch, most, at the least, have a mini-arc and shows multiple sides to their personalities. Quite impressive for the size of the cast.

I could go on and on but I'll just briefly say that I thought Linklater's directing was technically impressive but not showy nor did any camera movement distract me from what was happening in the movie. Like a perfect score, you don't even notice it. Speaking of music, the soundtrack was killer and, I sound like a broken record, just perfect. Most likely, you are already intimately familiar with each of these songs but their placement in the film doesn't feel trite or corny, to me, anyway.

Forget the spaceship: this film should replace American Graffiti on the AFI Top 100 list!