Everybody Wants Some!!

[StevePulaski]

Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Directed by: Richard Linklater

The rowdy cast of Everybody Wants Some!!.

Rating: ★★★½

A film critic's life and opinions are often filled with contradictions; you just have to dig deep enough to find them. Or maybe they're not contradictions, but incredibly petty specifics that differentiate the good from the bad and the nonfunctional elements of certain films with the functional ones. Not even two weeks ago, I was condemning Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, a new raunchy comedy, for its over-reliance on "bro-centric" archetypes and conventions, and here I am, about to tell you why a film predicated upon the very same thing is not only worth seeing, but the funniest comedy of the year thus far.

Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! comes not even two years after his twelve-year passion-project Boyhood worked to drum up insane buzz and Oscar nominations. I loved that film and awarded it four stars, on top of going back to view it twice since my initial viewing. It's a film of many low-key moments, mannerisms, feelings, and era-specific inclusions that all mesh to create a tender film about growing up. Linklater has been making these kinds of films for many, many years, including the critically renowned Before trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, in addition to others like A Scanner Darkly and Dazed and Confused. Every time I see a Linklater film, I feel like I've seen my favorite film of his.

According to Linklater, Everybody Wants Some!! is the "spiritual sequel" to both Boyhood and Dazed and Confused for the reason that the former ends in a similar vein to where this particular film starts and the latter takes place roughly in the same era/context of this film, as well. Set in Texas in the fall of 1980, the film opens with college freshman Jake (Blake Jenner in a fiercely likable performance) driving to his new home, an old, dilapidated house that he will call home for the next several months as he lives with his teammates on the baseball team. Jake is a new pitcher for the Southeast Texas Cherokees, and upon arriving, quickly meets the misfits living there, including the mellow Plummer (Temple Baker), the smooth-talker Dale (Quinton Johnson), and the goofy and rambunctious duo of Finnegan (Glen Powell) and Roper (Ryan Guzman). The guys spend their couple days of getting acclimated or reacquainted with the college lifestyle by circling the area for bars and women, on top of trying to learn to live under one roof despite all the pent up, boiling testosterone that flows at all times.

For Jake, the biggest struggle amidst all the camaraderie is realizing that he is no longer the best player on his team; unlike high school, no one is willing to rush over by his side to grant him an MVP medal or trophy. He's now in an environment where he must get serious and decide whether or not he wants to continue down this path or back out before he embarrasses himself or lets his team down. However, these realizations aren't as spelled out for audiences in a way a director concerned with communicating the details of his characters probably would, nor is this film the empty, sophomoric nostalgia trip you would think it'd be. A lot of these aforementioned moments, thoughts, and tangents come when Jake is spending time with Beverly (Zoey Deutch), a gorgeous student he meets mere hours after arriving on campus and with whom he enjoys simple conversations on a babbling river in an innertube.

But make no mistake; for the most part, it's all fun and games for these guys, and Linklater makes no mistake in detailing it, particularly the prolific, mini-competitions the men have with one another. According to Dale, everything is a competition with these men to keep their wits and strengths up in the face of the big game. For the most part, Southeast Texas College has had a history of being laughable in many of their major sports, but their baseball team consistently wins games and makes the playoffs. It's to make sure they not only stay sharp, but they never lose that competitive edge that drives their desire to win and remain on top.

Of course, the imminent element of time is a major factor in the story, in that the film constantly reminds us that it's only a matter of a few short days, and eventually hours, before the characters begin or continue their studies in college. Linklater profiles this, per usual, by reminding us of how time is a dwindling and uncontrolled force here it will inevitably damper the characters' unrestricted ability to have fun.

Something I realized while watching Everybody Wants Some!! - again, a film predicated upon moments, hilarious situational comedy, and a great deal of very funny dialog - is how I might've been misjudging Linklater's films all along by making the blanket-claim that they are "realistic." They're not so much realistic in a conventional sense as they are either relatable in a broad sense or a look at, what I call, desired realism. Many of us probably wanted our friends and ourselves in college to be this eloquent, well-dressed, and well-versed in conversations with others rather than being our awkward selves. In that respect, this film is an example of what happens when complete caution is throw into the wind and never blows back in the faces of those who threw it.

Linklater compiles one of the most eloquent and well-written scripts about very little other than carnal satisfaction in a sweet and endearing way and makes it the basis of one of the best films about nothing at all. Of course there are undertones of genius and quiet moments of moving brilliance, per any Linklater film, but for the most part, Everybody Wants Some!! is fun; the kind of film you don't so much watch, but hang out with for two hours as you grow close to its characters.

Starring: Blake Jenner, Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Ryan Guzman, Quinton Johnson, and Temple Baker. Directed by: Richard Linklater.