Aside from a few scenes, I get the impression that none of these actors have ever watched a show or movie from the 8ps let alone done any research. I was in high school in the time this movie was set and I have to say, this movie missed the feel of the 80s by a long way.
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What I like about dazed and confused is that it was taking place in the 70's but they made it seem like it was taking place in the 90's.
shareThe movie is set in August 1980. And it's spot-on in capturing that moment in time. 1980 was nothing like 1982-88. The music was different, the clothes were way different, the slang was way different. Linklater was in college in 1980. This is what he experienced and having lived it myself he got it right.
shareI guess that completely depends on where you lived. This was not even close for me, but then, no one I knew did disco. Rock, the budding metal scene...that's what I remember. From my memories, this movie was much to clean...in every version of the word you can think of.
I was a freshman at SMU in Dallas in 1980, and no one I knew did disco either. I played in a punk band and worked in a record store (Melody Shop at the Northpark Center) and can also attest that very few white dudes bought rap records. Kurtis Blow's single "The Breaks" was a minor hit, but the jock types certainly weren't the ones buying it. Several football players and even an Olympic swimmer lived on my floor, and most were into album rock like Tom Petty (Damn the Torpedoes was a HUGE hit), the Cars, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and maybe the Police. You wouldn't catch any of them at a disco or even a punk club for that matter. I got harassed by jocks for listening to the Damned, the Clash, and Gary Numan.
The Urban Cowboy/Cotton Eyed Joe thing was a big deal then too, especially with jocks. But you'd NEVER see a black guy in a redneck bar or honky tonk. Having come to Texas from California, I was shocked at how openly racist people were there. I really doubt that a bunch of baseball players back then were as tolerant as the movie portrayed them, even if they were in Austin.
I remember there was a lot of great live music in Dallas back then. I saw Ultravox at the Hot Klub with lighting and a sound sytem that filled up half of the club, and it was like having them play in your living room. My band opened for Black Flag - no jocks at that show, although the Ft. Worth nazis were there with fully loaded guns racks in their pickup trucks. I even saw Stevie Ray Vaughan playing at some restaurant on Mockingbird Lane. There was a lot of blues in Texas then (also saw Omar and the Howlers) but it was possibly even more underground than punk back then. No jocks listening to that either.
I did go to the Old Plantation a few times with friends from the record store. Didn't notice it was a gay club - maybe that was more of the crowd there during the 70s. Didn't hear much, if any, disco but instead the DJs played mostly new wave dance rock.
I thought that the movie did a decent job capturing the era, but unfortunately many details of the characters didn't ring true, especially for Texas. The reality is that the baseball team was more likely 75 percent dudes like Beuter.
Most of the critics seem to disagree with you. It captures a moment in an era just as this director did with Dazed and Confused. I too grew up in the 80's. You must remember this is not a defining 1980's film by any means, it's a 1980 film. In fact, it's a 1980 film about college jocks who were all athletic high school stars. If you overlook this, I can see why you'd feel the way you do. This felt like the very early 80's for sure, perhaps you were just too young to witness it in a similar way. Then again, maybe it's just because of where you were as you have also said. The era shown here definitely seems to be very late 70's/ very early 80's. As someone who was alive in that time, there is no doubt in my mind that they did a good job of capturing the feel of that era. Though of course, no one is going to relate to an era in exactly the same way.
My body's a cage, it's been used and abused...and I...LIKE IT!!
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Be more specific.
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