Richard Linklater has had a pretty great decade thus far. He started strong out the gate with Bernie in 2011 and followed that up with the masterful one-two punch of 2013’s Before Midnight and 2014’s Boyhood, the latter earning him his first directing Oscar nod. As many of you are well-aware, Linklater is one of my all-time favorites. It's why, despite lackluster trailers and TV spots, I was keeping my fingers crossed for his latest Everybody Wants Some!!
After getting the chance to see the film this past weekend I’m pleased to say that Linklater’s winning streak presses on untarnished. Billed as a ‘spiritual sequel’ to his much-beloved film Dazed and Confused, Everybody Wants Some!! is every bit the successor the term suggests. From its soundtrack to its leisurely pacing and mood, it recalls many traits of the 1993 cult-classic.
It’s also a much better film.
While Dazed and Confused is occasionally effective as an examination of the ups and downs of high-school life, it can’t help feeling like the work of a filmmaker still discovering his voice. Its dialogue and performances feel stilted and disingenuous at points. (It was only Linklater’s 3rd full-length feature, after all, preceded by the low-budget It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books and his breakout success Slacker) Everybody Wants Some!!, on the other hand, overflows with authenticity. It’s endearingly raunchy and hilarious, filled with heartfelt characters and moments that perfectly capture what it feels like to go off to college and, for the first time, experience a little taste of true freedom and independence.
Jake (Blake Jenner) is the new kid on campus, a college freshman and back-up pitcher for the school’s baseball team. He arrives at school, moving right in with his teammates in an off-campus frat house of sorts. Despite some rocky introductions to a couple of his new roommates, Jake fits in almost immediately, and the film follows the team’s final weekend of freedom before the start of classes.
Anyone familiar with Linklater’s best work won’t be surprised to find that Everybody Wants Some!! is largely plotless - the characters jump from party to party, go disco dancing, pursue the opposite sex and discuss whatever topics come to their inebriated minds. They're all so lovable and feel so genuine that the total lack of a driving story doesn’t even matter. I was totally involved in their exploits from beginning to end and my only complaint is that I wish I could have spent even more time with them.
Linklater has an impeccable knack for assembling memorable ensembles and Everybody Wants Some!! is no exception. Each cast member brings their own unique flavor to the table and, by extension, so do the characters. As McReynolds, the team captain, Tyler Hoechlin is the natural ‘leader of the pack,’ unknowable, but kind-hearted. Wyatt Russell’s Willoughby is the lovable stoner - the scene in which he and the group smoke-up and try to read each other’s minds is one of the film’s many highlights.
Glen Powell’s Finnegan may be the standout in a whole group of standouts. He exudes leading-man charm and, in a way, serves as the group’s conscience. He may party hard the night before, but you can find him chilling on the couch the next day, a copy of Jack Kerouac's 'Desolation Angels' in hand.
Blake Jenner may have had the most difficult job, as Jake is a bit of a blank-slate observer. But Jenner pulls it off, making the character both fun and endearing. And as the only female lead in the entire repertoire, Zoey Deutch makes a lasting impression. It’s impossible not to fall for her. Really, I could go on and on (and I very nearly have); everyone is perfect and their chemistry is exquisite. Even the characters you think you dislike reveal their layers as the film plays out.
And therein lies Linklater’s greatest asset: he really seems to care about people and the connections we make in life that are so essential to our being. To him, nothing in the human experience is more important than communicating and connecting with one another. Everybody Wants Some!! is another natural extension of Linklater’s ideology and stands above the pack as one of this year’s finest. It's an important reminder that few things bring more satisfaction than being there for one another and living each moment to the fullest.
FINAL RATING: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment