Critically acclaimed director Richard Linklater offers another dose of nostalgic trip. This time in the decade of the 80’s, in “Everybody Wants Some”. It’s the fall of 1980, as one might conjure up from the sight of a vinyl stash in the backseat of a ’72 Oldsmobile coupe. We are introduced to Jake (Blake Jenner), a promising pitcher starting his freshman year at a fictitious Southeast Texas university. Moving into the run-down house reserved for the baseball team, Jake is greeted with an uneasy mix of camaraderie and hostility by his fellow players. Some of whom hardly bother to hide their scorn for freshmen in general, and pitchers in particular. He befriends a group of rugged, rag-tag stoners (Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechilin, Wyatt Russell) who are only about having a good time. Together with freshman Jake in tow, the group deal with a daily dose of battling boredom with a string of campus-wide chaos that will have them creating memories to last a lifetime. “Everybody Wants Some” is rated R for adult language, sexual content involving nudity, and drug use.
It’s hard to ignore the comparisons to Linklater’s most popular film to date, “Dazed and Confused” in “Everybody Wants Some”. While the film isn’t a sequel to that movie that took place in the 70’s in high school, as opposed to this one being in the 80’s in college, there are more than a few nods to that original script that kind of hinders the growth of Richard’s latest project. That’s not to say that this movie wasn’t good. I found this film funny but very thought provoking, and that’s a Linklater trademark. There’s a lot more beneath the surface of what could be considered a stoner comedy, as the film ponders a lot of questions about how important popularity in sports is once college is over. The film also lays a lot on the idea of settling down after the immaturity is growing repetitive. My problem with this was that the movie took two different directions, blending them, and sometimes it just doesn’t work for the cohesive diagram of the screenplay. The mood changes on more than one occasion late into the second act, and I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or take it seriously. I don’t think a lot of my auditorium audience did either. Linklater films have always been awkward in delivery, but the lack of intriguing characters in “Everybody Wants Some” makes this sit a little tougher to stick out during some scenes that carry on in improv for far too long.
What Linklater does execute perfectly in these kind of nostalgia films is his vast delivery of styles and pop culture that were permanent for the decade that they pay tribute to. This is 1980, so the influence of 1970’s disco music is still very much in the clubs that our protagonists visit. Not only this, but many other musical trends are fighting for supremacy in this film, just like they were during that respective time period. Richard sinks his claws into the older audience by taking them down a musical yearbook of Top 40 favorites, as well as underground tunes that were only known if you dug that kind of genre. In many ways, the film is like listening to a classic radio station, and putting a big smile on your face when your favorite song comes on. In addition to the music, the wardrobe couldn’t be better. From the striped tube socks that are pulled up to the knees, to the shortest of shorts, you simply do not have a soul if these fashion trends aren’t at least bringing a smile to your viewing experience. No decade trend is ever out of place here, as the 70’s fashions were very much the trend at the beginning of a decade that was about to go into a different direction with hair metal coming soon.
The film also has tremendous comedic timing with its material. “Everybody Wants Some” offers so many throwbacks to the awkward period of starting out at a new school that you couldn’t believe that these aren’t actual college kids filming a documentary. There were several times when the reactionary facials from this relatively unknown cast had me clutching my gut in laughter, something that is quite amazing considering the structure of this story is so simple. It proves that our current comedy heavyweights are clearly trying too hard when it comes to making cheeks hurt. What pushes the laughs even further is that Richard knows where to place the camera to get the best reactionary visuals to the buddy humor that is going on right in front of us. It is definitely the second most that I have laughed in theaters this year (Deadpool being first), and the material never let me down in nearly two hours of screen time.
On the subject of the cast, the performances are great for the kind of jock athletes that they are trying to spoof. The problem that I had with them is that there really only is one type of character in this film, so those of us who didn’t come from this shallow gene pool might have trouble relating to the arrogance and mysoginists that stand front and center. What made “Dazed and Confused” great even if people didn’t grow up during that time, was that the movie had a character type for everyone; stoners, jocks, nerds, new kids. Its variety made our investment in the characters that much easier, and that’s something that this film strongly lacks. I’m sure Linklater enthusiasts won’t have a problem with it, but they won’t have a problem admitting how unpleasant they are as well. As for performances, Blake Jenner is perfect for that new kid. He’s very personable and respectable, so it’s pretty clear why his character is welcomed in right away. My favorite character (easily) of the movie was that of Finnegan, played cooly by Glen Powell. The arrogance and God-like philosophies of Finnegan makes him a shoe-in for coolest of the pack, kind of a Van Wilder of the 80’s if you will.
Overall, “Everybody Wants Some” is a tough recommend for everyone. If you enjoyed other Linklater comedies, I would definitely say give it a shot. I think there’s certainly enough positives in a killer toe-tapping soundtrack, unapologetic material, and a nostalgia factor that only the genius behind the camera can offer. Deep beneath the mayhem is a beautifully constructed blanket of realization that “We’re here for a good time, not a long time”.
6/10