jellopuke It's aimless, meandering, filled with people that are both likeable and unlikeable, and lacks any real plot, but this is still a classic of the high school movie genre. A great soundtrack really helps to capture the time, but I can see people born after a certain time not getting this movie at all, and maybe even being offended by it, but sorry kids, things were different back then, get over it.

Dan1863Sickles I had been hearing good things about this movie for twenty-five years. It seemed like a perfect fit for me, since I grew up in the era and I love the soundtrack songs. (Especially "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent and "Slow Ride" by Foghat.)So when I finally watched the movie last week, I was initially dazed and confused. I was expecting a different movie altogether. DAZED AND CONFUSED isn't sweet, like Pretty in Pink or 16 Candles. It's not poignant, like AMERICAN GRAFFITI, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, or COOLEY HIGH. It's not funny, like PORKY'S or FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH. It's not even tragic or dramatic in the traditional sense, like ALPHA DOG or THE LORDS OF DOGTOWN. There are elements of all these films in the characters and the story line, but they all come together in ways that are strangely unsettling and even thought-provoking at times. The first thing that shocked me was the idea of big kids "paddling" little kids for fun, in broad daylight. I could have understood if it was one bully, and he got punished at the end. Or if there was one kid who got picked on, and he stood up for himself at the end, like THE KARATE KID. But the idea that EVERYONE gets bullied in such a horrible way, and ALL the big kids are in on it, just freaked me out. How could that be true? And what would it prove? It's even weirder when a woman pulls a shotgun to protect her kid. Wouldn't she tell other parents? And the police? Where are the other parents? And the police? The movie doesn't give you any easy answers about what's happening or why. Then there was the whole plot line of the popular jock who refuses to sign a pledge to quit using drugs and drinking alcohol. What's funny is that this guy gets off on hurting smaller boys, beating them a bat, and the whole town knows it. But the coach wants him to stop using alcohol and drugs. The beatings don't matter? Then there's the overly serious way they present the jock's struggle, like he's Paul Scofield playing Sir Thomas More in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. You can't tell if this is meant to be satire or real drama. You have to decide for yourself. And that's what makes this movie so disturbing. The boys have tons of disturbing scenes in this movie, but the girls are just as dark and the sexual encounters are really frightening. During the "initiation" scene a girl about 14 years old has to go up to a senior boy and tell him that she's his and he can do "whatever he wants" to her. And the older girls FORCE her to do this! That's supposed to be funny? But then it's okay, because the boy senior takes her out for the evening and they get along just fine. So it's okay to have girls brutalized and debased by older girls because boys will take care of them? What message is this movie even trying to send?Part of me wants to say the movie is just garbage, yet there's something about the flat, matter of fact way all these horrendous events are portrayed that makes it all seem true to life in a very complicated and disturbing way. There's no easy sentimentality about these characters, and no real "happy endings." At the end of the movie, the star jock doesn't necessarily do the "right" thing, but he does do his "own" thing.And the movie is like that too.

umichjal Captures the 70's classic rock scene. Acting is superb, clothes/hair/stylization is very accurate. If you grew up during this decade, you'll relate to this movie easily.

padawanmovies I've heard about this movie for years; about how awesome it is... Totally MISSED THAT bc it was so bland. What was the purpose of this film? I mean I know drugs, sex, party hunting, driving around, wanting to be an adult is what a majority of teens experience but I wasn't one of them. This film doesn't resonate nor entertain me at all. If this is what a "new classic" is I'll take the "older classics" ANY DAY!!! One more thing: what was going on with the teachers?? I know it was the last day of school but I honestly saw 3 teachers in 2 different schools, where was the rest of the faculty?