Fellman's Movie Reviews

Dazed and Confused is a 1993 comedy about the last day of school in a small town in east Texas. It follows several different teenagers from different kinds of social groups and shows how their stories intertwine throughout the day. It has an ensemble cast of actors and actresses who hadn’t yet started their careers yet. Some of whom would go on to be huge stars in Hollywood. People like Jason London, Joey Lauren Adams, Milla Jovovich, Shawn Andres, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Sasha Jensen, Marissa Ribisi, Michelle Burke, Cole Hauser, Christine Harnos, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Renee Zellweger, and Matthew McConaughey.  

Ironically enough, this movie wasn’t very successful when it first came out. Which to me, is pretty funny, seeing as I’ve always known about it, and I’ve always thought it was hilarious. And the older I got, the more and more true it became. Except for the whole paddling thing. That never happened to me when I got into high school. Maybe that’s just a Texas thing. I don’t know. But the rest of this movie always seemed like a pretty good reflection of what high school was like. At least, what MY experience of high school was like. That’s probably why it turned into the cult classic that it is today. Because most people had the same experience. Hanging out, doing nothing, doing it again tomorrow.   

And that’s one of the best parts of the movie. It has all the representations of characters. The jocks, the nerds, the stoners, the older guy who’s friends are still in high school, the young kid who’s just getting into high school. Because life isn’t a strict set of rules. It’s a spectrum. And it’s like Wooderson says, “it’s just about livin’”.  

But aside from just getting high and driving around, Dazed and Confused makes you long for something else. I’m old enough to remember when everybody didn’t have a cell phone. When people weren’t all connected to each other all the time. When you could run into somebody and go “hey, do you know where Tommy is?” and they would say “no…” and then you would just go about your business. This movie kind of makes you miss those simpler times. When things were easy, and you didn’t really have that much to care about. When your priorities were just getting Aerosmith tickets.  

Which brings me to the soundtrack of the movie. Just excellent music throughout the entire thing. It’s like a classic rock channel playing throughout the entire film. I love classic rock. I think classic rock now is the rock that I grew up listening to. But classic rock for me is the rock in this movie. Either way, when “Slow Ride” comes on the radio, you’re turning it up and rocking out. 

So, yeah. Go and see Dazed and Confused. It’s a cult hit for a reason. There’s probably somebody in the movie that will remind you of you. That’s kind of what the movie is about. And if there isn’t, maybe you went to a Sottish Nun’s School or something. It’s a thing. Look it up… And as always, keep on watching, with a smile on your face…