Everybody Wants Some is an interesting film. What we have here is about 2 hours of a comedy with barely any story, no real stakes, very little emotion or drama, little in the way of actually likeable characters, and some scenes that aren't even particularly funny. It is funny in parts, of course, but a good deal of this movie is really just 'being' with a host of over the top, sometimes very grating characters as they slack off, party, act like jerks, and have fun. If you're not in the mood for that kind of movie, I could see this being an absolutely infuriating experience. I'll admit, I've seen this twice now, and at points in both those instances, I wanted to slap some sense into some characters because of how frustratingly pretentious, rude, and jerk-ish they sometimes acted. BUT: there were times I didn't feel this way. There were times in which I found myself having a good deal of fun and feeling relaxed because of how laidback and stakes-free the movie is. Sometimes the characters weren't annoying and were actually pretty funny.
That's likely the point. Everybody Wants Some humanises its characters and really just presents them for what they are, with little in the way of commentary or critique on their behaviour. I get the sense Linklater is saying: 'hey, here's what we did in our spare time, and during the summer, back in college during the early 80s. Watch it or don't.' It's both admirable and frustrating because of this overall attitude. Admirable because the movie is surprisingly watchable for most of its runtime, but frustrating because it could have been perhaps better if it had done a little more in the way of critiquing or satirising the behaviour of its characters.
It's a lazy movie in terms of feel, but the fact that it is sometimes very fun makes me hesitant to call it a lazy movie in terms of its structure and craft. I'm guessing Linklater actually put a tremendous amount of effort into giving it this sort of feel and have it be bearable at the same time. If you can get on its level, and work yourself into the sort of mood it wants you to feel, then Everybody Wants Some is a movie that you can get a great deal of enjoyment out of watching.
Still, it is a somewhat perplexing movie to think about. There's little else like it, in terms of being such an unashamedly direct 'hang out' movie and little else. I don't love it but I don't hate it. I think it's solidly made but wish it truly excelled when it came to its direction, writing, or acting (I feel like all were done a little better in Linklater's previous Dazed & Confused. That one just evokes a time and a place much more compellingly too, and the fact that so many of the characters are young and naïve makes them more likeable and less frustrating than the college-age characters here).
Or perhaps I'm just overthinking it. Give your brain a rest, hang out with some idiots, and enjoy an admittedly really good soundtrack. Everybody wants some time to relax every now and then, so Everybody Wants Some may be a perfect opportunity to do just that. Linklater has made bolder, better movies, but I can't fault this one for doing exactly what I think it wants to do, and above all else, it's mostly entertaining. Give it a shot, even though I can't see it being for everyone (and like mentioned before: it's certainly not a film made for every mood).
That's likely the point. Everybody Wants Some humanises its characters and really just presents them for what they are, with little in the way of commentary or critique on their behaviour. I get the sense Linklater is saying: 'hey, here's what we did in our spare time, and during the summer, back in college during the early 80s. Watch it or don't.' It's both admirable and frustrating because of this overall attitude. Admirable because the movie is surprisingly watchable for most of its runtime, but frustrating because it could have been perhaps better if it had done a little more in the way of critiquing or satirising the behaviour of its characters.
It's a lazy movie in terms of feel, but the fact that it is sometimes very fun makes me hesitant to call it a lazy movie in terms of its structure and craft. I'm guessing Linklater actually put a tremendous amount of effort into giving it this sort of feel and have it be bearable at the same time. If you can get on its level, and work yourself into the sort of mood it wants you to feel, then Everybody Wants Some is a movie that you can get a great deal of enjoyment out of watching.
Still, it is a somewhat perplexing movie to think about. There's little else like it, in terms of being such an unashamedly direct 'hang out' movie and little else. I don't love it but I don't hate it. I think it's solidly made but wish it truly excelled when it came to its direction, writing, or acting (I feel like all were done a little better in Linklater's previous Dazed & Confused. That one just evokes a time and a place much more compellingly too, and the fact that so many of the characters are young and naïve makes them more likeable and less frustrating than the college-age characters here).
Or perhaps I'm just overthinking it. Give your brain a rest, hang out with some idiots, and enjoy an admittedly really good soundtrack. Everybody wants some time to relax every now and then, so Everybody Wants Some may be a perfect opportunity to do just that. Linklater has made bolder, better movies, but I can't fault this one for doing exactly what I think it wants to do, and above all else, it's mostly entertaining. Give it a shot, even though I can't see it being for everyone (and like mentioned before: it's certainly not a film made for every mood).