MovieChat Forums > Over the Edge (1979) Discussion > Dazed and Confused?

Dazed and Confused?

posted 8 years ago by thebigmouth
9 replies | jump to latest

Caught this surprising little gem on cable recently and couldn't help thinking of Dazed and Confused. Anyone know if Linklater cited Over the Edge as inspiration?

Aside from the similar subject matter, the use of popular music on the soundtrack in both films is very effective. In fact, the main criticism I had of Over the Edge was that, in some scenes, they switched to a standard film score, which was very jarring.

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[–] MissAgnes 8 years ago

This movie is way better than Dazed and Confused. For starters most of the kids were actually kids-Dazed and confused used adults in the kids roles. Also, the hazing crap was just that-crap. I went to high school in the 70's and never saw any hazing like this movie wants people to think happened.

[–] MikeNewYork 8 years ago

I totally agree about the hazing. Even if it happened at some schools, its depiction in this movie is neither funny nor entertaining in any way and its role within the plot is much too proiminent.

I also totally disagree about the music. It is used to a great effect in OTE, in just the right scenes. The eerie score in more serious/sad moments fits perfectly. D&C is just one tune after another, totally overloaded with music.

And yes, Linklater was definitely inspired by OTE, as you can read here:
http://www.vice.com/read/over-the-edge-134-v16n9

[–] thebigmouth 8 years ago

I totally agree about the hazing. Even if it happened at some schools, its depiction in this movie is neither funny nor entertaining in any way and its role within the plot is much too proiminent.

As opposed to the riot scene at the climax of Over the Edge? I feel like you're both applying a double standard here.

I also totally disagree about the music. It is used to a great effect in OTE, in just the right scenes. The eerie score in more serious/sad moments fits perfectly. D&C is just one tune after another, totally overloaded with music.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. IMO, the score wasn't eerie, just plain bad, like something from an After School Special. Even if it weren't, I prefer it when a film picks one or the other -- original score or period music -- and sticks with it, like Dazed and Confused or Goodfellas. Just my preference, though.

And yes, Linklater was definitely inspired by OTE, as you can read here:
http://www.vice.com/read/over-the-edge-134-v16n9

Very interesting! Thanks for the link. I've made it clickable for anyone else who's interested.

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[–] MikeNewYork 8 years ago

As opposed to the riot scene at the climax of Over the Edge? I feel like you're both applying a double standard here.

Not really. If you read carefully, the question if it did or did not happen was not my main point.

Very interesting! Thanks for the link. I've made it clickable

So did I, actually. You're welcome, a great read indeed.

[–] thebigmouth 8 years ago

This movie is way better than Dazed and Confused. For starters most of the kids were actually kids-Dazed and confused used adults in the kids roles. Also, the hazing crap was just that-crap. I went to high school in the 70's and never saw any hazing like this movie wants people to think happened.

I strongly disagree. Over the Edge was a great movie and a very pleasant surprise, but Dazed and Confused is a classic by one of the best directors of this generation. No comparison imo.

Yes, the kids were surprisingly good in this film, and their casting enhanced verisimilitude. But the actors in Dazed and Confused were professionals, and the result is a more polished film imo.

I'll have to defer to your experience re hazing in the 1970s. However, I also seriously doubt you ever saw any kids lock their parents in a school auditorium then light their cars on fire.

I think both films trade off realism for dramatic effect. I'm calling that one a draw.

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[–] tallkennj 8 years ago

The hazing is a macguffin. It gives the characters a reason to interact on that day when there is no reason they would do so otherwise.

[–] MikeNewYork 8 years ago

That doesn't make it any better for me. Besides, they do interact for other reasons, too. And there could have been plenty other reasons for them to interact. Whether you'd consider all of them or none of them to be McGuffins is your personal opinion, but it doesn't really change anything in terms of entertainment value.

[–] tallkennj 8 years ago

I had never though of these films as close cousins (distant relations perhaps but nothing more) until reading your post. You might be on to something. Both depict the boredom and ennui of suburban teenage life in the 1970s, and both do so with shocking accuracy in their own way. Obviously, D&C is more of a love letter to the era whereas OTE shows a very dark side. I could definitely see D&C as a response to OTE, another opinion on the era.

[–] dooovall 8 years ago

Within a wonderful piece of journalism over at VICE dot com, you can find Richard Linklater quotations that confirm that Over the Edge caught his attention:

http://www.vice.com/read/over-the-edge-134-v16n9

Specifically, Linklater says that "...Over the Edge influenced Dazed and Confused, especially along the lines of its honest depiction of the teens themselves—flawed, romantic, angry, bored. Over the Edge not only has the courage of its own convictions, but it provides the ultimate in teenage revenge fantasies..."

So to this thread's original poster (whose handle is "thebigmouth"), I say yes: Linklater has cited Over the Edge as an influence.