Directed by Richard Linklater
Starring Blake Jenner, Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch
The director of Dazed and Confused, takes us on a trip to the decade of Devo and MTV, in Everybody Wants Some.
It is the fall of 1980, and Jake (Blake Jenner) is just about to begin his college year. Moving into housing provided for the college baseball team, he has just three days to acclimatise before the start of classes. Getting used to his strange collection of house-mates means drinking, partying, fooling about and chasing women. As he seeks a relationship with another freshmen, Beverley (Zoey Deutch), Jake realizes that might not be all there is to college life, and his team mates might be more complicated than they first appear.
There is pure nostalgia here, hiding an unfocused plot. Instead Linklater revels in the characters and the ambiance of the period. Through the unguided wanderings of these frat boys we are immersed in the changing fashions of the period as the 70s slowly transitions to the 80s. This film perfectly captures that period of slow change. To the guys it feels like “an identity crisis”, as they move from disco, to western, to punk – all in the search of getting laid.
In many ways it is that sense of uncertainty, that turns this “frat boy sex-comedy” into something more than it’s 80s counterparts. There is a realization of the fragility of theses jock’s position. As they are no longer the top dog at their chosen field, they need to compete for attention and placement. It extends from the baseball field, to the immature games they play in the frat house, to even their sexual conquests. It becomes a Sisyphean task which Jake (in part) breaks by pursuing a deeper connection with Beverly.
An exceptional younger cast really makes this film, with a wealth of characters. Jenner is a quintessential 80s teen protagonist with looks, an easy going manner, and more than a little charm. It is really those aforementioned vulnerabilities that give the character some depth. His team-mates are a collection of eccentrics ably brought to life by the young cast. All have shining moments of comic gold, but the stand-out is Glen Powell’s Finn. The slick Kerouac reading senior is three parts mentor, one part cautionary tale. He seems perfectly adapted for college life, but incapable of moving beyond it.
A riotously funny glance into 80s college film, with a lot more heart than the films it is referencing.
DAVID O’CONNELL
