A few days before the start of the semester at a Texas university, an incoming student athlete moves into the house he is to share with several of the other players on the baseball team. He befriends, is taunted by, and otherwise parties and medicates alongside his new teammates in this "spiritual sequel" to Dazed and Confused, set in 1980 and named after a hit Van Halen single from the same year. For around 25 minutes, I feared this would be a rare dud for writer and director Richard Linklater, a titan of American independent cinema whose best films include Before Sunset and Boyhood. It is not very enticing at first, the prospect of spending nearly two hours with these oversexed, incredibly uncouth, and almost too perfectly sculpted bastions of testosterone, particularly compared to to the more diverse band of outsiders and squares found in Dazed and Confused. But the film slowly won me over, subtly deepening certain characters and gesturing toward the transience of their fast and boozy lifestyle without sermonizing. And the comic set pieces sharpen in the second half, including a memorably outlandish visit by the ball-playing bros to a Wonderland-and-Oz-themed party held by performing-arts majors.

B

One area where this falls short compared to other films by Linklater is relatability. It feels so self-contained: this college-baseball-in-1980 sphere populated by these absurdly-attractive-bordering-on-homoerotic studs hazing each other and burning through a roster of gorgeous women. I don't feel it will trigger those, "I recognize this" moments which made films such as Dazed and Confused and the Before trilogy so beloved in certain circles.

After the magnum opus that was Boyhood, Richard Linklater (for the most part) delivers again with Everybody Wants Some!!, a breezily enjoyable and genial look at a particular time in our lives: the ages of 18-22, when we exist inside a bubble of fresh-faced youth and the free-wheeling extracurricular pursuits of life before you have to grow up and become an actual adult. The film's themes feel fairly universal, even if you weren't a baseball player at a Texas college in 1980 the weekend before classes start (which I, needless to say, was not). On the surface, nothing "happens" in this movie, which is of course entirely the point. A strong cast of young actors is a particular asset. Blake Jenner makes a sympathetic audience magnet as good guy Jake, Zoey Deutch is radiant in the film's one significant female role, and Glen Powell stands out as the smoothest guy in the group. This has been billed as a "spiritual successor" to Dazed and Confused, which is about right. I'm not sure this one will have quite the profound cult appeal that that movie does, but it's the closest Linklater has come since to recapturing the nostalgic vibe of our late teens/early 20s. B+



Interesting. I found the movie relatable and the film's embrace of a partying youth lifestyle in college to be on point. It may depend on the social circles and frames of mind you had when you were the age of the characters being portrayed, though.

Can't wait to see this! Anything Linklater does is worth seeing, and this looks like the most 'fun' movie he's made since School of Rock.

It's too long, but I found this highly enjoyable and breezy for the most part. The entire cast is fantastic - I thought Blake Jenner made a really strong impression as a leading man and Zoey Deutch was effortlessly charming as his love interest, and Glen Powell steals every scene he's in and continues displaying impeccable comic timing. Wyatt Russell also delivers a strong supporting performance. I really bought the camaraderie between the characters and the friendships felt very authentic. It definitely has a nice hinge of nostalgia and optimism to it as well. Definitely worth checking out. B+

This surprised me, I enjoyed it a lot. Good ensemble and the runtime breezes by nicely.

Very enjoyable slice of life circa 1980 with a low key sense of humor (so low key that I hear younger moviegoers hating on it). I suspect that Everybody Wants Some will play out as a bit of a sleeper/cult film who's reputation will steadily increase over time. Plus, I always find 'unknown' actors enhance my buy-in to the story. *A*

This was a very fun movie with a lot of great comedy and all the performances felt very natural. Zoey Deutch is perfect here and it is another great film on Linklater's impressive resume. Also smokeshows all around.

That's how I felt too. Also, in the first 20 minutes I was wondering when the gay porno will start.

wondering or hoping?

I enjoyed it but this doesn't even come close to Boyhood which I loved. I like the leads and the smoking pot aspect of it. It starts VERY slow but the second half is funny though predictable. The movie never goes anywhere other than just chilling out which is most likely the point of the movie. Still there is zero emotional connection with the characters and some times I felt the actors were being forced to be funny.

6/10

It's a good movie. It's never hilarious. It's never great. It never hits any huge heights. But it's never bad. It flows well. Glen Powell stole the show. I enjoyed it while it lasted, but that's it.

*** / ***** (C)

I saw this a while ago and was sure I posted a review, but I guess not. Anyways, it's a solid enough bros comedy, but definitely no Dazed and Confused and while I didn't love Boyhood I have to admit it was much better than this.