Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Sasha Jenson, Matthew McConaughey
People like to make comparisons between this movie and “The Stoned Age”. There really is no comparison. Dazed is far better than Stoned could ever hope to be.
First, Dazed has a cast of stars before they became famous. Jason London, Ben Affleck, Mila Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Parker Posey, Matthew McConaughey, Renee Zellweger (trust me she’s in there…uncredited). Throw in Adam Goldberg (he’s “that guy” in most everything you’ve ever seen) and Marissa Ribisi (twin sister of Giovani) and you have a cast that works very well for this kind of movie.
The soundtrack for Dazed is phenomenal. Granted, if you’re not big into classic rock (specifically, stuff from the 70’s), you may not like it. But they have a lot of great music in the movie. And all the songs complement the scenes they are in, unlike some movies, where the songs seem to be randomly placed in the movie.
Dazed also provides you with TONS of great quotes and individual scenes. Pretty much anything McConaughey says is gold. “That’s the thing about high school girls. I get older. They stay the same age.” “You got a joint on you? It’s be a lot cooler if you did.” “Alright, alright, alright.” I also love how Wiley Wiggins grabs the bridge of his nose with his fingers every five seconds. Did the director tell him to do that or is that how Wiley interpreted his character?? But my favorite scene by far is the scene towards the end of the party at the moon tower, where Benny is sitting in the back of his truck, stands up out of his chair, almost falls over because he’s so drunk, and sits right back down. When he sits back down, he’s got that look on his face like he’s just done a days worth of manual labor. Priceless.
I get the feeling whenever I watch this movie, that this is how high school was in the mid to late 70’s. And that’s pretty cool. Any movie that can make you feel like you are experiencing real life is a great movie in my book.
So if you are debating between “Dazed and Confused” and “The Stoned Age”, go with Dazed a confused. It’s a MUCH better movie. (Unless you are looking for cheap nudity. Then go with “The Stoned Age”.)
