Review of Dazed and Confused (1993) by James K — 23 May 2013
'Dazed and Confused' has always been a mystery to me. Even now, after multiple viewings and years of reflection, I remain baffled at the near-universal acclaim this film continues to receive. The cast is mostly terrible, the acting--- with few exceptions---wooden and stilted.
The characters themselves are even less enjoyable: an obnoxious group of unlikable jocks, sadistic senior girls, and herd-minded freshmen, nearly all of whom are cruel, vapid bullies. The few that do demonstrate any emotional depth spend most of the movie grappling with shallow, silly problems.
The so-called "killer" soundtrack is, at best, passable and, at worst, gratingly obvious. Most likely, the enduring critical appreciation has more to do with a naïve, rose-tinted nostalgia for lost youth (something often favoured by ageing audiences) than the actual quality of the film itself.
Though, to be fair, a good number of my peers---most born a decade or more after the film takes place---seem to enjoy it. So maybe it's me. Maybe I just can't relate to bunch of popular jerks with stupid problems.
Oh well. I can live with that.
This review of Dazed and Confused (1993) was written by James K on 23 May 2013.
Dazed and Confused has generally received very positive reviews.
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