Everybody Wants Some!!

Studio: Paramount
Directed by Richard Linklater

Apr 01, 2016 By Shawn Hazelett Web Exclusive

A small, Texas college boasts one of the best baseball teams in the country. Their on-field success is not just the result of talent, but due to the naturally competitive atmosphere created by amassing individuals who have spent their lives being the best. This creates inherent jostling to be king of the mountain, displayed in bizarre competitions that rarely have anything to do with baseball: who can take the biggest bong hit, who can survive the longest at bloody knuckles, who can halve a baseball with an axe.

Everybody Wants Some!! (Richard Linklater’s 1980s-set, “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused) by almost any measure should be completely unnecessary. Fortunately, Linklater replicates many of the traits that made its predecessor so lovable, due in no small part to his uncanny knack for dialogue and an outrageous cast. Not so fortunate is the casting of Blake Jenner in the film’s central role, Jake. A spiritual heir to Pink, Jake is a newcomer to the team but knows there’s more to life than baseball. It’s not an easy role, requiring the look of a star pitcher, a balance of coyness and confidence, and a surprising wit. Jenner’s look resembling a broey version of Ellar Coltrane, which might explain Linklater’s attraction in his first post-Boyhood effort. Unfortunately, Jenner’s screentime mostly consists of a lack of spatial awareness and poor, unemotive line readings. To be fair, the performance isn’t exactly keeping the film from being a masterpiece, but, for Linklater, it does little to dispel the feeling that this was a step back.

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