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‘Dazed and Confused’ 25th Anniversary With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey

October 2, 2018 · Dazed and Confused (1993) · Comedy · 1:15:49

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Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 28:51Listed five scenes: Wooderson pool hall entrance in slow-mo with Hurricane, guys breaking mailboxes, paint dumped on O'Bannon, Adam Goldberg fight, and the ending with four characters in car listening to Slow Ride
Chris Ryan▶ 31:39The Emporium entrance - Wooderson's slow-motion walk into the pool hall

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 37:02Multiple picks: McConaughey and the cast combo, Don always getting into cars (15 times), Tim Lincecum looking like adult Mitch Kramer becoming a running joke in the 2000s, and the President Ford CTE subplot being relevant now

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 38:16Mitch Kramer's performance and casting as the biggest flaw, plus his terrible pitching scenes that required cutaways
Chris Ryan▶ 39:17Defends the casting by pointing out that 1970s baseball players weren't as athletic-looking as modern players
Sean Fennessey▶ 40:35Disagrees that Mitch Kramer aged poorly, arguing his bad acting actually works for the awkward eighth-grade character

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 43:44Cast lived in a Radisson hotel together creating party atmosphere; McConaughey was only supposed to be in two scenes but kept getting more scenes and ended up taking Sean Andrews' final scenes including the football field ending
Chris Ryan▶ 45:03Nicky Katt and McConaughey appeared together in A Time to Kill in 1996; noted that McConaughey stole Sean Andrews' thunder and that Sean Andrews wasn't good in the movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 45:11Most memorable Wooderson scenes were improvised or written on set, including L-I-V-I-N scene and Top Notch invitation scene; Wooderson became second most important character despite not being planned that way

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 47:12Vince Vaughn — Shared casting trivia: Vince Vaughn was runner-up for both Affleck and Hauser parts; Renee Zellweger auditioned for Parker Posey's part; Claire Danes didn't get Sabrina role; Ashley Judd didn't get Jodie part
Sean Fennessey▶ 47:28Cole Hauser — Commented that Cole Hauser wasn't a convincing Texan and noted lack of accent work in the movie besides McConaughey

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 50:15Jason O. Smith — Jason O. Smith (who plays Mel/Melvin Spivey), with Nicky Cat (who plays Clint the Bully) as runner-up
Sean Fennessey▶ 50:37Jason O. Smith — Agrees with Jason O. Smith (Mel), noting he only has two film credits and should have the award named after him

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 55:30Richard Linklater — Zero Apex Mountain people unless Linklater, but second Before Sunrise movie was his peak. Minor actors like Jason O Smith, Michelle Burke, Sean Andrews could qualify but usually reserved for bigger people
Chris Ryan▶ 56:02Matthew McConaughey — Not McConaughey - definitively ruled out

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:07Multiple quotes including 'That's what I love about these high school girls...', 'I only came here to do two things...', 'All right, all right, all right', and others
Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:59Imagine how many people are out there fucking right now
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:05:01Wipe that face off your head, bitch

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:43Lee High School went 9-3, made tournament as upset; Randy Floyd came back and played football; Joey Lauren Adams broke up with Randy over Jodie situation, Randy moved to Jodie; Jason London was a game manager like Ryan Tannehill but movie would be better with Leo DiCaprio as Pink
Chris Ryan▶ 1:05:41Lee High School went 10-3 with occupied coaching staff but not Friday Night Lights level pressure; high school actors don't necessarily translate to adult roles; Jason London was perfect for the role and Leo would have overpowered the ensemble
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:06:47Randy Floyd probably ended up with Joey Lauren Adams at prom but she was very drunk; Jason London didn't have bigger career because he's a cipher; wishes he could know how good the 1976 Aerosmith concert was since it was peak time for the band

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:10:48Richard Linklater — Argues against McConaughey due to his career crater in early 2000s, but strongly supports Linklater as one of the nine most important directors since 1990 and says this launched his 25-year career
Chris Ryan▶ 1:10:52Richard Linklater — Linklater - calls this a masterpiece that made him more than an experimental filmmaker and emerged as a standalone masterpiece with Pulp Fiction
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:12:01Richard Linklater — Linklater - says 'it's probably Linklater' and praises how every movie he makes is always interesting

Movies Referenced (32)

A Time to Kill (1996)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 35:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Halloween (1978)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 0:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Firm (1993)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 36:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky (1976)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

School Ties (1992)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 2:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American Graffiti (1973)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 5:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Boyhood (2014)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 13:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Creed (2015)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Friday Night Lights (2004)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 19:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Into the Woods (2014)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 11:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pulp Fiction (1994)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:12:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Dark Knight (2008)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 49:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (6)

Richard Linklater

25 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Waking Life, Before Midnight▶ 5:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Affleck

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 2:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Annie Hall, Deconstructing Harry▶ 58:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Hughes

6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 12:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ken Loach

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 13:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ray Manzarek

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Strange Days, The X Files▶ 33:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (64)

Matthew McConaughey

52 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, Magic Mike▶ 2:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pink Floyd

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Eternals▶ 8:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Parker Posey

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 2:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cole Hauser

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Dazed and Confused, Good Will Hunting▶ 23:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joey Lauren Adams

9 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Chasing Amy, Dazed and Confused, Big Daddy▶ 15:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michelle Burke

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Dazed and Confused▶ 24:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam Goldberg

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for A Beautiful Mind, Saving Private Ryan, Deja Vu▶ 8:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anthony Rapp

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Rent, Dazed and Confused, A Beautiful Mind▶ 23:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason London

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Dazed and Confused▶ 23:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ted Nugent

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Superbad, The Heat▶ 54:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wiley Wiggins

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Dazed and Confused, Waking Life▶ 31:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harrison Ford

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive▶ 37:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Roger Ebert

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 23:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dan O'Bannon

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Alien, Dark Star, Aliens▶ 29:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Auburn

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Proof, The Lake House▶ 54:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ron Kovic

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Born on the Fourth of July▶ 1:08:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗