Aside from maaaaaybe The Newton Boys, writer/director Richard Linklater has never given me reason to doubt him. He makes movies I like and some, I genuinely love. Let’s run through some of his hits real quick: Slacker, School of Rock, Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight, Bernie, Boyhood and probably his greatest contribution to film, Dazed and Confused. And those titles I listed are just his more well known ones. The guy is a badass. So why am I doubting him after watching this trailer for Everybody Wants Some?
For starters, the film is a “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused. That’s a check in the plus column. Second, it’s named after a Van Halen song, check in the plus column. It has a cast of unknowns, which is one of Linklaters secret talents, spotting stars of the future, check in the plus column. It also looks fun and represents the era I sadly grew up in. All checks in the plus column.
So put every positive I noted above into one big pot and make a trailer with that info in mind and…I dunno. I’m just not intrigued still. Don’t get me wrong, it’s just a trailer and an early one at that. And I’ll be there opening day. But color me nonplussed so far.
