Writer/director Richard Linklater follows up his ambitious, 12-year project Boyhood with a film that acts as kind of a spiritual sequel to both Boyhood as well as the slacker comedy classic Dazed & Confused.
Despite sharing a similar tone and character archetypes with Dazed and Confused, the story picks up almost exactly where Boyhood leaves off. College freshman Jake (Blake Jenner) arrives on campus and quickly assimilates with his housemates who are all members of the baseball team. The film follows the young men during the first weekend before classes as they troll for girls, booze and a good time.
Everybody Wants Some!! reaffirms Linklater's status as the king of engaging coming-of-age storytelling, even if this time around it doesn't feel as fresh or as funny as it ought to. It's a better movie than Old School but can barely hold a candle to Animal House. Despite a strong cast of young players including Step Up's Ryan Guzman, 22 Jump Street's Wyatt Russell, and Scream Queens' Glen Powell, none of them offer the quiet freneticism of John Belushi.
If nothing else, Linklater's script is well-written, despite literally spelling out its message for us on a blackboard during Jake's first class on Monday.
Fans of Linklater's work should see Everybody Wants Some!! It's a good movie albeit an inessential one.
B-
No comments:
Post a Comment