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Everybody Wants Some!! Review

By Matthew Passantino

From Boyhood to Brotherhood

"Everybody Wants Some!!" - the double exclamations are indeed part of the title, borrowed from the Van Halen song - is a cheerful, shaggy celebration of 80s culture in Austin, Texas. In other words, it's something very personal to writer and director Richard Linklater.

Linklater has referred to "Everybody Wants Some!!" as a spiritual sequel to his 1993 film, "Dazed an Confused", which is entirely earned. "Dazed and Confused" and "Everybody Wants Some!!" don't share any characters or plot but have a distinct sense of time and place. Where "Dazed and Confused" found its characters wrapping up high school or junior high, Linklater's latest film follows his characters as they prepare to begin college.

It's the weekend before classes begin and Jake (Blake Jenner) has come to college on a baseball scholarship. He will be joining the team as a pitcher. He becomes acquainted with the team, including Roper (Ryan Guzman), McReynolds (Tyler Hoechlin), Finnegan (Glen Powell) and Wiiloughby (Wyatt Russell), among others. Aside from some minor hazing, Jake is accepted as a part of the baseball family.

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And that's exactly what they are - a family. The team rarely goes anywhere without the rest. Jake becomes interested in Beverly (Zoey Deutch), a theater major who invites him to a party, and the rest of the team are shocked by any implication that Jake might want to go alone. There is a believable sense of camaraderie among these characters and among the actors who portray them.

"Everybody Wants Some!!" doesn't offer much of a traditional plot or story arc. The team practice, chase girls, drink beer and throw parties in their house, despite being instructed not to. It even feels a bit anti-climatic at times. And yet, it works and functions as a fully enjoyable two-hour feature film.

All of Linklater's screenplays have such a signature delicate touch to them. He cares about his characters. Look at the amount of time that passes throughout the "Before" trilogy. He wanted to check in with Jesse and Celine at various stages of their lives. He spent 12 years with his "Boyhood" characters and created a beautiful reflection of time.

"Everybody Wants Some!!" is no different. Linklater knows these characters. Heck, he was even one of them at some point. These are not dumb movie jocks, which they could have easily been dismissed as. They are a group of teammates and brothers, who share a common transition period in life. We sit back as they navigate.

Even at two hours and with no definitive plot, Linklater could have even made the film a little bit longer. We don't get to spend much time with Jake and Beverly in their new relationship, which is a bit of a shame. Jenner and Deutch have such a pleasant chemistry together, it would have been nice to see it evolve a bit more.

As a filmmaker, Linklater has truly been at the height of his creative prowess recently. "Boyhood" is a film I feel will stand the test of time and is undoubtedly one of the best movie experiences of this decade. Linklater created "Boyhood" for us, his audience, and gave us a beautiful time capsule of years gone by. "Boyhood" may have been for us but "Everybody Wants Some!!" seems like one for him. Go ahead, Mr. Linklater, you've earned it.

What did you think?

Movie title Everybody Wants Some!!
Release year 2016
MPAA Rating R
Our rating
Summary This "spiritual sequel" is a cheerful, shaggy celebration of 80s culture in Austin, Texas.
View all articles by Matthew Passantino
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