Classic Movie Picks: ‘Dazed And Confused’ Time Travels Coming-Of-Age Tale To Back To ’70s

This week’s pick takes us back to 1976 to the last day of school for a group of partying, bell bottom-wearing teenagers in Texas. If you’re a movie buff, you might’ve already guessed it. If not, I’ll just tell you. This week’s pick is “Dazed and Confused.”

Do you remember when you were nervous about going to your first party? Or when you got made fun of because you mispronounced the name of a band? If those were the type of things that stressed you out, imagine what the kids in “Dazed and Confused” went through when they realized their end-of-the-year kegger was kiboshed, forcing them to improvise, which is no small task when most of them are under some type of influence. That is pretty much the plot of “Dazed and Confused” — simple but nuanced and with really funny characters.

Jason London plays Randall “Pink” Floyd, a high school football star who refuses to sign his coach’s pledge not to drink or do drugs over the summer as a championship season looms. Floyd is the only player not to sign the pledge feeling it is a violation of his individual rights — to party, of course!

A solid ensemble of up-and-coming actors grace the screen in “Dazed and Confused.” There is Matthew McConaughey in his first feature film role as Wooderson, a guy a few years removed from high school, who exudes small-town charm.

Like Wooderson, many of the characters in this week’s film think they have all the answers, which gives them an innocent energy. Also included in the cast are Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey, Cole Hauser and a young Ben Affleck. 

This is director Richard Linklater’s third feature film and followup to his critically acclaimed “Slacker.” Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Linklater is a self-taught auteur who decided he wanted to be a film director while working on an offshore oil rig after leaving college. He is one of the most critically acclaimed directors of his era due to his unique approach to storytelling. Linklater’s films tell stories of everyday people, and his characters are authentic and relatable, and oftentimes more important to the director than the plot of his films.

He is currently at work on a project that will take 20 years to complete, which will put Linklater in his 80s at the time of the premiere. His masterpiece “Boyhood” took 12 years to complete and was Oscar nominated. 

The stories behind the scenes of the film are almost as interesting as the film itself. Milla Jovovich was just 17 during production and eloped with co-star Sean Andrews. Jovovich’s mother got the marriage annulled immediately.

According to the Internet Movie Database, the word “man” is used 203 times and there are 59 F-bombs in the film.

The film has a fantastic soundtrack, but it was expensive. Almost 20% of the budget went toward music. Every young actor in Hollywood wanted to be part of the cast. Vince Vaughn auditioned but lost out to Ben Affleck. Two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger also auditioned for the film, but didn’t get a part and ended up playing an extra. 

“Dazed and Confused” made money but not right out of the gate. It was considered a box-office flop. The film has its A-list fans. It’s one Quentin Tarantino’s favorites and according to director Kevin Smith, Linklater’s “Slacker” is what made him want to make movies.

And finally not a big surprise, but the film’s title comes from a Led Zeppelin song.

“Dazed and Confused” is this week’s “Classic Movie Pick of the Week.” Have a great summer everyone! 

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6. to 8 p .m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.