Dazed and Confused
not to mention appalled.
I was cruising the channels over the w/e and caught the end of a this movie by Richard Linklater. I pressed the “info” button and the description said, Coming to age movie filmed in Austin TX. I scanned through the guide and set-up to record a later showing on HBO.
Seeing “The Unforseen” gave me a great insight into some old Austin politics, places and history. Dazed and Confused, with a long list of todays movie stars including Matthew McConaughey, Jason London, Ben Affleck and an uncredited part by Renée Zellweger, did none of that. There were a few glimpses of the Austin of what was 1993 when the film was made, rather than 1976, when the film was set, but nothing much.
I’d like to hear from folks. Was there any approximation to reality in that film? Did American teenagers really act anything like that in the 1970’s or worse still today? Were any of you extras in the film??
Don’t get me wrong, I’m no prude, I’ve even got the pictures to prove it. Back in the UK I’d gone through the skinhead phase, the Bowie phase and was into disco by 1976 and sure there were some less than shining nights out now I look back. But the hazing stuff, the beatings, the humilation of the girls? Really, in the 1970’s – Wow. No wonder the rasied the drinking age to 21 in the US.
As for the claim in this trailer, the film featured the best music of the 1970’s, actually I’d say the music was mostly offset by 2-4 years before the film was set.
Or was this film about as close to reality as Friday 13th?? Discuss.
As a teenager of the early-mid 90’s, not the 70’s, I can’t speak of what life was like in the 70’s, but I don’t think it was supposed to be an accurate portrayal of teenagers in any decade. I saw that movie a million times because I was a teenager when it came out, and when I got to UT, the dorm channel re-played it my freshman year about a hundred times.
I think the movie was made for someone my age who didn’t know enough to know that the music wasn’t accurate, but I could be wrong. I’ve always thought of it more as a stoner movie than a nostalgia movie.
I haven’t seen Dazed in years, but I wonder how well it holds up after all this time. I think it might be one of those ones you have to see at certain time or else it seems dated and weird.