Everybody Wants Some!! has been described as the spiritual sequel to Richard Linklater’s 1993 classic Dazed and Confused. And it certainly has the same feel, even if it ends up falling short of Linklater’s earlier work.

Everybody Wants Some!! follows a 1980 college baseball team in the days between arriving at college and the start of lectures. The team drinks, smokes, and sleeps their way through a hardcore first few days. The film tries to have things to say about this, that, and the other, but in reality the film the film is actually a very realistic story. Like much of Linklater’s work the film doesn’t rely too much on cinematic tropes, instead choosing to tell a genuine story.

Featuring a large ensemble cast, who all do a good job and have excellent chemistry, it can be a little difficult to keep all the characters straight in your head. Whilst Dazed and Confused featured every aspect of high school life, there is really only one character here that isn’t a baseball player. But I liked the cast of characters, they felt very much like a genuine college sports team, and reminded me somewhat of the rugby team from my university.

Most importantly however the film is fun and there are some good laughs in there as well. If you can buy into the team spirit between the characters then there is a lot of enjoyment to be had out of the film. I love the way the Linklater manages to remind us of days at college or university, whether we were there in the 80s, or not (as is my case, still being a university).

So the film has a realistic story, a believable group of characters, and more than enough good laughs. Whilst they may have been a little too much philosophising, when you throw in a great soundtrack, as Linklater always does, you’re onto a winner. And Everybody Wants Some!! despite its flaws is a good enough time to be winner.

7/10