Everybody Wants Some!! - Movie Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

Richard Linklater loosely follows on from two of his most acclaimed films with this lively university comedy set in 1980. It's billed as a "spiritual sequel" to his high school classic Dazed and Confused, which was set in the late 1970s. And it also represents an exploration of the next stage in the life of the central character from Boyhood. But even without those connections, the film is a fresh, funny, involving look at how young people react to that first flush of freedom.

It opens as Jake (Glee's Blake Jenner) arrives at his Texas university three days before classes start. He moves into a house with the rest of the baseball team, who immediately start tormenting him as the newbie. The alpha male is the swaggering star player McReynolds (Tyler Hoechlin), usually accompanied by his good-time sidekick Finn (Glen Powell). Over this raucous weekend, Jake navigates the rules of the house, including pranks, macho posturing, initiation rites, excessive alcohol and even a baseball practice session. There are also, of course, a series of colourful parties. And along the way he makes a connection with sexy theatre student Beverly (Zoey Deutch).

The film is packed with memorable characters, and the charming Jake is a terrific entry point for the audience. Jenner plays him as a smart, nice guy who isn't afraid to stand up to both the chucklehead jocks and the idiotic party boys. All of these guys are hilariously entertaining as they jostle for position in the house. The standout is Powell's talkative Finn, who is smarter than he looks. And Wyatt Russell has terrific presence as a woolly stoner with a secret. It's a lot of fun to watch the interaction between these guys, who are all in their late teens or early 20s, flexing their newfound independence by obsessing about drinking, drugs and sex.

Linklater also has a great time recreating 1980 in all its glory, with an ace collection of songs on the soundtrack and a parade of witty costumes as these guys move between rock n roll, disco and country music-themed parties. There isn't much need of a plot here, aside from Jake's personal journey into this new world and a potential new relationship. But Linklater finds resonance in every scene, revealing truths about how we discover ourselves and others and find our own inner strengths. Cleverly, these themes emerge very subtly. Because above all, this is a comedy. And it's one of the most consistently hilarious movies of the year.

Rich Cline

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Facts and Figures

Year: 2016

Genre: Comedy

Run time: 117 mins

In Theaters: Friday 15th April 2016

Box Office USA: $3.0M

Budget: $10M

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Production compaines: Annapurna Pictures

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 4 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Fresh: 112 Rotten: 17

IMDB: 8.1 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: Richard Linklater

Producer: Megan Ellison, Richard Linklater, Ginger Sledge

Screenwriter: Richard Linklater

Starring: Wyatt Russell as Willoughby, Glen Powell as Finnegan, Zoey Deutch as Beverly, Ryan Guzman as Roper, Tyler Hoechlin as McReynolds, Blake Jenner as Jake, Dora Madison as Val, Jonathan Breck as Coach Gordon, Courtney Tailor as Buxom Coed, Will Brittain as Billy Autrey, Holly Jee as Punk, Jessi Mechler as Young Lady at Oz, Austin Amelio as Nesbit, Sophia Taylor Ali as Bev's Friend, Adriene Mishler as Country Girl, Vanessa Amaya as Sound Machine Patron, Tory Taranova as Debra, Taylor Ashley Murphy as Friend of Buxom Coed, Sadie Brook as Sound Machine Patron, Ernest James as Sound Machine Doorman, Christina Burdette as #1 Cute Coed, Jason Liebrecht as Sound Machine Manager, Juston Street as Jay Niles, Kyla Burke as Two Step Dancer, Paula Marcenaro Solinger as Twister Coed, Angela Simmons-Morgan as Cannibal Club patron, Asjha Cooper as Finn's Girl, Cyndy Powell as Marge, the lunch room lady, Jenna Saab as Mud Wrestlng Champion, Kay Epperson as Grandma Bearcat, Tanner Kalina as Alex Brumley, Stan Taylor as Driver, Zoey Brooks as Cathy, Lizzy Pop as Disco Dancer / Sound machine, Caitlyn Moore as Two-Step Dancer, Bonnie Gayle as College Student, Justin Alexio as Howard, Kaleb King as Queen Of Hearts, Chelsey Gentry as Sound Machine Patron / College Student, Temple Baker as Plummer, Tess Cline as Country Girl #1, Rene Rhi as Cowboy, Devin Bonnée as Mad Hatter, Diane Selken as Parent, Laura Ritz as McReynolds' Girl, Shailaun Manning as Elaine, Alyssa Bryer as Two step dancer, Michael Monsour as Justin, Beau Smith as wholesome DJ, Forrest Vickery as Coma, Cecilia L. Salinas as College Student / Sound Machine Patron, Anna Vanston as Michelle, Alexandria Payne as College Student, J. Quinton Johnson as Dale Douglas, Matt Blackwell as Sound Machine Patron, Julie Cude-Eaton as Townsperson, Deborah Alcorn as Car Driver / Pedestrian, Nicholas Cristian Clark as Oz Party Guest / College Student

Also starring: Richard Linklater