MovieChat Forums > Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) Discussion > Why do people compare this to Dazed and ...

Why do people compare this to Dazed and Confused?

posted 8 years ago by harrison-47608
6 replies | jump to latest

I know Linklater directed the movie, but I don't see how either film separates itself. They both tell stories of a younger generation, set around school. Dazed and Confused was basically about the last day of school for the high school students we see on screen. Everybody Wants Some isn't any different. The only difference is that the story is surrounded by a group of ball players, and their last three days before college starts.

I think these films were made to remind us of our younger years. When I watch Dazed and Confused, I think about the same type of excitement that school was over, the crazy parties that soon followed. When I watch Everybody Wants Some, I think about the last week I had with my friends before everyone went their separate ways. We sure had lots of fun.

Lol, maybe people need to stop reading into things that aren't there and just accept the film for what it is-- to entertain us. Neither film has an intricate plot designed to make us think.

[–] cuckookachoo 8 years ago

Because Linklater himself described it as "a spiritual sequel to Dazed And Confused", but it turned out to have none of the charisma, comedy or camaraderie of D&C.

[–] harrison-47608 8 years ago

I don't know about that. I saw all three of those qualities in the film. Some of the guys certainly had charisma: Finn and his smooth talk with the ladies, Mcreynolds and his team first mentality, the rest of the group had their charm, most notably how they tend to go to parties and live together in that house. I found the movie to be generally funny, and the camaraderie, how is there none? These guys *beep* with each other from time to time, only to be friends again. If that isn't a sign of a close group of people, particularly on a sports team, I don't know what is.

As for the, "spiritual sequel" I think Willoughby's personality brought that out with his laid back approach to life, lol, him smoking pot and listening to hippie music. Some of the dialogue in the film touches on that premise: Douglas and his talk about being all alone in college, having to compete with everyone else. Blake questioning his role on the team, if there's anything else the group does besides chasing women. Finn had his little philosophical moments too.

What drives all that together is the quote at the end of the movie, "Frontiers are where you find them." What that means, to me, is this: In order to advance in life, you have to travel far beyond what's unfamiliar to you. Given that the movie is set on a college campus, where you have all of these kids coming from different parts of the country to attend this school, combined with what the movie tries to be, (self discovery and realization) I don't think Linklater is wrong in how he described the movie. And the cinematography, what else can anyone say but: 1980's. It was beautifully filmed, captured every moment of that era, which I guess is his hallmark. I saw that movie Slacker a few years ago-- nothing but 90's nostalgia.

[–] elduderino09 7 years ago

cuckookachoo nailed my perspective. Succinct yet highly accurate. I like nostalgia, but a film that just shows me how things were isn't enough. I want one that tranports me with emotional attachment. Dazed overwhelmingly succeeded, Want Some didn't.

[–] napgar1982 8 years ago

I happen to love both films. I'm rather shocked at the negativity towards this one. I hadn't heard any reviews and I went in and loved it. Dazed and Confused is a better movie, but not by THAT much.

My favorite character was Finnegan - I'd love to hang with him. I identified the most with Willoughby (I was 30 hanging out with 18-23 year olds in college and no one had any clue I wasn't around 21), which is probably not a good thing... but at least I'm honest!

You nailed it. The whole movie is just fun. They could have cut about twenty minutes, but it's just fun hanging out for a couple hours (unless you're a girl). Linklater did a great job. I'm really surprised a bunch of people dislike it.

[–] Hows_yer_arm_john 8 years ago

You answered your own question several times in your post.

[–] sage2112 8 years ago

haha I was about to tell the OP that.