Richard Linklater is a director many might not know by name, yet he has directed many memorable and iconic movies. From “Dazed and Confused,” “School of Rock,” “The Before Trilogy,” and most recently the acclaimed Oscar-winning movie “Boyhood.” Linklater has been consistently directing movies since the early 1990s, and his most recent movie “Everybody Wants Some!” is a return to form for the director. The movie is set in the 1980s, making it the spiritual successor to “Dazed and Confused.” The movie takes place over the three days before the beginning of the school year, and follows Jake (Blake Jenner) as he moves into the school’s baseball house as a freshman pitcher on the team. The movie thrives off its strong and realistic characters played by an amazing ensemble of cast members.

This movie, much like “Dazed and Confused” and “Boyhood,” is all about the interactions between strong characters in a small section of their lives. It follows the team over the weekend, covering many minute details about their lives that make it feel lived in and realistic. By the end of the movie you feel like you really know these people. Much like his other movies, the film doesn’t really have any major story points or events. His goal is more about making the movie feel like real life and the time period it is set in. 

The acting in this movie isn’t revolutionary, but the actors do a good job making us believe they’re real people who actually lived during this time period. Linklater does an amazing job making the time period feel as realistic as possible. The outfits used for this movie are also outstanding. They help sell the illusion that this is the 1980s. The way that Linklater makes us truly care about these characters from only spending a weekend with them is a feat upon itself.

This movie is great. It is rated R so it features all the appropriate language and actions used in this time period. I really enjoyed this movie, and it did feel like the spiritual successor to “Dazed and Confused,” but with a much cleaner look to it thanks to the new technology available to creators. I’d definitely recommend this movie to anyone that even remotely enjoyed “Dazed and Confused.”