Imbuing a work of art with a deep sense of nostalgia can be a double-edged sword. While it can allow for a liberal depiction of an era gone by, it can just as easily be perceived as disingenuous or a pastiche. The best nostalgic films are able to transport audiences who didn't get to experience said time period the first time around, and do so without being cloying. Richard Linklater already has one classic of reminiscence on his resume with 1993's Dazed and Confused, and his Everybody Wants Some!!, frequently referred to as a "spiritual sequel" to that earlier movie, earns the right to stand proudly beside it. He hits all the right notes in this coming-of-age college comedy set in 1980, which manages to balance the wistful glow of memory with a quick-witted script, a tremendous young cast, and a vibe of effortless cool that has defined his filmmaking career.
Jake (Blake Jenner), a freshman baseball pitcher on scholarship, arrives on campus at Southeast Texas University during the last weekend of summer before classes start. He moves into the baseball team's house, a makeshift frat paid for by the school due to the squad's nationally recognized prowess. Jake quickly becomes acquainted with his new teammates and upperclassmen roommates: pro prospect McReynolds (Tyler Hoechlin), motormouthed philosopher Finnegan (Glen Powell), California stoner Willoughby (Wyatt Russell), and amiable Dale (J. Quinton Johnson), as well as fellow freshmen Plummer (Temple Baker), Billy (Will Brittain), and ultra-aggressive transfer student Jay (Juston Street). The boys waste no time in getting wasted, cavorting across campus looking for coeds, and crashing any party or bar they come across. Amid all the skirt-chasing, nonstop ribbing, and beer pounding, the genial Jake meets a beautiful performing-arts major named Beverly (Zoey Deutch), which turns into the beginning of a real relationship as Monday (and the start of classes) fast approaches.
The aggro-masculinity that Linklater portrays here is endearing and frequently hilarious. Sure, these are mostly dumb, entitled college jocks, but their bright-eyed enthusiasm and nonstop competitiveness are so light and breezy that they're nearly impossible to take umbrage with. The pre-Reagan '80s seem idyllic in a way -- a time when mischievous teenage behavior led to life lessons and future stories, rather than a bum credit score or a permanent record. The boys bounce from disco club to country & western bar to punk show, outfitted in the styles of the day and fueled by a soundtrack that seems to easing them into the present moment from the '70s. Any film can tell you about a time period, but Everybody Wants Some!! lives and breathes its era, complete with tube socks, short-shorts, and tape decks.
Yet these fun times still contain a degree of self-satire. It's unlikely that any of these kids will advance to the level of pro ball, and most of them are keenly aware of that fact. College is their last chance for consequence-free shenanigans, and as the kings of the school, they intend to live it up with a mitt on one hand and a Schlitz in the other. And while life in the house is an endless series of competitions involving proving one's masculinity, these guys realize that the actual stakes of their fleeting college lives are pretty much nonexistent. "Here for a good time, not a long time," quips Willoughby. Linklater fills the film with his undeniable charm and wit -- best represented by his trademark naturalistic dialogue -- and saves the waxing poetic about the future for another time.
It wouldn't come as a surprise if Everybody Wants Some!! launched the careers of a number of young stars, in much the same way that Dazed did for Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, and others. It's one of those films that looks like it was as entertaining for the actors to make as it is for audiences to watch. In particular, Kurt Russell's son Wyatt, the hilarious Powell, and the delightful Deutch seem primed as breakout stars. The young cast flourish in Linklater's easygoing coming-of-age romp, reminding us to let those good times roll before the clock of youth expires. Everybody Wants Some!! feels destined for cult status.