Dazed and Confused: Difference between revisions

[[File:Dazed_and_Confused_Movie_Poster_5283.jpg|frame]]

 

Basically, it's ''[[American Graffiti]]'' made in the nineties instead of seventies, and set in [[The Seventies]] instead of [[The Fifties]]<ref>technically AG was in the early sixties</ref>.

 

* [[Adults Are Useless]]: All the adults except Carl's mom are cool with the seniors hazing the incoming freshmen. Tony comments on this.

* [[Alpha Bitch]]: Head cheerleader Darla.

* [[Cool Car]]: Pickford's GTO is, in the argot of the period, bitchin'.

** Pickford's car is just one of many examples. Let's just say that if you're a fan of classic American muscle cars, you'll probably like this movie.

* [[Deliberate Values Dissonance]]: Hazing incoming freshmen on the last day of school was frowned upon in 1993 (as it still is today), and the movie seems to toy with the audience's modern day sensibilities whenever it's depicted. But in the film's 1976 setting, it's seen by the characters as just another traditional rite of passage.

{{quote|...and remember to get plenty of calcium. It's important for pregnant women to get plenty of calcium.|Store clerk, to pregnant customer buying liquor and cigarettes.}}

** He later tells her, "See you again tomorrow."

* [[Ephebophile]]: Wooderson, arguably the movie's most famous, or at least most memetic character. Provides the page quote:

* [[Erotic Dream]]: Tony tells Mike about a rather disturbing one.

'''Tony:''' But with the head of [[Abraham Lincoln]]. [[Squick|With the hat and the beard...everything]]. }}

* [[Everything Is Big in Texas]]: Averted. The film takes place in Austin, but the Texas stereotypes are all missing.

** Austin itself is kind of an aversion, actually.

* [[Funny Afro]]: Cynthia's giant red afro.

* [[Improbably Cool Car]]: Many owned by the named characters as well as several appearing in the background.

* [[Jerk Jock]]: O'Bannion.

** All the male hazing seniors are this, except Pink (somewhat). O'Bannion is just the most sadistic.

* [[Never Trust a Trailer]]: All of the ads (trailers, posters, TV spots) promoted it as a [[Stoner Flick]]. There's maybe about one character (a supporting character) who actually is one.

* [[Nostalgia Filter]]: Played around with. Being a warts'n'all depiction of seventies teendom, we see all the things they enjoyed and also all the things they endured. Particular note should be made of the scene where last day of school ends, and "School's Out Forever" playing gloriously on the soundtrack... as children run like their asses are on fire to get away from a gang of bullies.

* [[The Not Love Interest]]: The three friends show no romantic interest in each other, and do not act jealous when they show interest in other people.

* [[Random Events Plot]]: There really isn't a plot per se. Everyone just drives around after school ends until the party starts.

* [[Real Life Writes the Plot]]: Cast in-fighting required the ending to be re-written to prevent fistfights on-set.

* [[Recycled in Space]]: ''[[American Graffiti]]'' in [[The Seventies|THE SEVENTIES!]]

** Except deliberately ''not'' if you listen to the commentary. While American Graffiti had a specific plot and attempted to be "the ultimate 50s movie", this film was about just some night and just some party. If anything, it's more like ''Slacker'' [[The Seventies|IN THE SEVENTIES]].

* [[The Seventies]]

* [[Stoners Are Funny]]: The point of Slater.

* [[Wild Teen Party]]: Subverted, as the keg delivery guy comes early, tipping off Kevin's parents. There is still a [[Wild Teen Party]]; but it happens out in the woods, away from houses and parents.

 

[[Category:The Seventies]]

[[Category:Films of the 1990s]]