Everybody Wants Some!! (June 2016)

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.