I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this film is one of the best slice of life films ever made. It does for the 1970s what AMERICAN GRAFFITI did for the 1950s. And yet both films seem to be telling the same story. I guess kids of all generations pretty much go through the same sort of stuff.
The story follows various groups of high school students on the last day of school in 1976. Seniors, both girls and boys, look forward to starting the hazing traditions of the new freshmen when the bell rings. If the film really has a main character it's Randall "Pink" Floyd, played by Jason London (THE MAN IN THE MOON), the starting quarterback and Mr. Popular. His couch has given him a "Pledge" form to sign stating that he will not do drugs. It's one of those silly things that schools make kids do to make parents think that the school is actually addressing an issue. It's the kind of thing kids sign, while smoking a joint. Pink out of principle doesn't want to sign the form and debates in his head the purpose of sports, cliques and living by other people's rules.
Another key character is David Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey, FRAILTY), a former student now in his 20s who still hangs out with the high schoolers and tries to hook up with teenage girls. As he says, the best thing about high school girls is that while you get older, they always stay the same age. He is former football star desperately trying to hold onto his youth. He's pathetic, however the film plays him straight. He chooses to live his life his way, which is noble if not diluted as well. Look how Pink thinks about the childish hazing rituals and how some of the other guys get obsessed with it. Pink is the senior who takes freshman Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggens, WAKING LIFE) and tries to teach him the ways of "popular land." Then think of who is the most stable and who won't be calling their time in high school as "the best days of their lives."
There are other high school types that float through the tale, which you'll probably recognize as "I know that guy from high school." Ron Slater (Rory Cochrane, EMPIRE RECORDS) is perpetually stoned. Mike Newhouse (Adam Goldberg, A BEAUTIFUL MIND) is the nerd who's angry at the popular world for his being ostracized. Fred O'Bannion (Ben Affleck, GOOD WILL HUNTING) is the jock bully, who gets sadistic pleasure in torturing younger kids. Jodi Kramer (Michelle Burke, MAJOR LEAGUE II) is Mitch's cool older sister, a female version of Pink.
Filled will ideas and nostalgia, it really puts a smile on my face. The film is a brilliant ode to youthful rebellion – both true and imagined. And because it's played straight each character can be a hero or villain depending on your point of view. That's impressive filmmaking.
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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
