Official
Australian release date: 23/6/16. Viewed: 28/6/16.
Director:
Richard Linklater
Actors:
Blake Jenner, Glen Powell, J. Quinton Johnson, Zoey Deutch
Genre:
Comedy
Rating:
MA
Another really enjoyable Linklater film –
very different to ‘Boyhood’ and almost a sequel to the high school-set ‘Dazed
and Confused’ – ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ is the story of college, as seen
through the eyes of baseball pitcher Jake (Jenner). He has it pretty good – an off-campus
dorm (not quite a fraternity) at an unnamed Texas university, where he and his
teammates pretty much have free reign. The film’s set in 1980 and looks the
piece – great cars, crap hair, dodgy fashion, mo’s everywhere. Plus, the music!
The soundtrack is exceptional, and I imagine
if you were of the right age in 1980, it would take you straight back there – The
Knack, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, Parliament, Blondie, Queen, Pink Floyd, Devo and,
of course, Van Halen, with the eponymous song. There’s plenty of fun and plenty
of characters, with the teammates going to three different parties in three
nights before classes commence – but the film’s not all about drugs, sex and
alcohol – although they’re quite prevalent. It’s really about finding out who
you are or want to be as a young adult and along with the quips, jokes and
games, there’s a few nice philosophical moments thrown in – plenty courtesy of
Finnegan (Powell) and Dale (Johnson).
Beverly (Deutch) is a nice love interest
and it’s great to see most of the dozen characters get a decent airing. A few
oddballs for the laughs, but plenty of realistic college-age pastimes too. There’s
no real focus on baseball other than for about 15min, which is good. It’s a
good cross between ‘Bad Neighbours’ and ‘Animal House’, with not as much
outrageousness, but a fair bit of heart. The film’s probably 20min too long,
but it’s still enjoyable with a good ending.
Overall: Fun trip down memory lane.
Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.
