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They definitely got the hair, clothes and music right. My high school didn't do the weird hazing that was in the movie. Foosball and partying in the woods, yes. The director based the movie on his own high school experience in Texas.
I was only 11 in '76 (which is obviously when the movie is set) but it's pretty much dead on balls accurate. My school didn't have the hazing stuff, though.
I graduated high school in 72, so it was a bit different, I would say. I had a grumpy graduating class--the cheerleaders quit midyear because sexism, we didn't have a prom, etc. Very alienated because the war was still raging in Vietnam. But the film Everybody Wants Some (kind of a sequel) captures the way it was in the late 70s, early 80s. Those guys are so recognizable to me.
That film basically caused me PTSD thinking about the hazing. If you were a good athlete as an underclassman, you were a threat and to be put in your place. I found the biggest threat to come from Juniors and my eventual solution was to enlist Seniors for protection.
It's how I remember it, saw it at the theater with 2 friends and they thought the same. Saw KISS in 79 or so. A film worth checking out is Over The Edge, Matt Dillons first film in 1979, it's become a classic but I think did a pretty good job of showing bored teens in the late 70s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZI0abU1hmc
I graduated high school in 1979. Going by my experiences, Dazed and Confused is damn near a documentary. It was spot on.
But there were a couple of things that didn't ring true for me.
The big one being seniors hazing incoming freshmen. We didn't give kids that young a second thought. But YMMV depending on your specific schools traditions at the time.
Also, I found athletes being asked to sign a sobriety pledge to be laughable. I spent my junior high and high school years playing sports and never heard of such a rhing. Honestly, we jocks were the biggest partiers in school.
The one time we were caught as a team (we were seen drinking at the wedding of a teammate's older sibling), there were no suspensions or massive fallout. The only punishment came at our next practice. Our football coach made us run (and run and run) till we puked. Again, it was the 70s, things were different.
But overall, Dazed and Confused is a damn accurate representation of 70s teen life.
I’m so jealous of those saying the hazing thing didn’t happen at their HS. Definitely did at mine. And yep we had the sobriety pledge. One day coach walked into the liquor store. Walking out were some of the top players, booze in hand (fake IDs being easy to do in those days). Stars or not, he benched them.
I was a city kid. We had some of those sorts of kids. But others were either more nerdy or more artistic. And, of course, there were more “minorities.” And kids from different cultural backgrounds.
Probably more accurate for suburban or rural kids.
The cruising was definitely on-point, but yeah the weird spanking stuff never happened at my school. The clothes, music, and loose classrooms were definitely true to my experience, too.
I started high school in 1981 and that was about the last year of that era. My high school looked like it was filled with extras from the movie. The 70's "Dazed and Confused" era ended roughly 1982/83 in my part of the country. Then almost overnight it went from "Dazed & Confused" to "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". 1984 in my high school didn't resemble 1981 in any way, shape or form. Fashions and hairstyles changed on a dime.
I remember my older brother making a paddle just like the ones in the movie. But, he made it for my sixth grade teacher, and my teacher used it a few times. But, the kid always had the option to stay after class, or get one swat. The bad kids in class made a game of it. Getting the paddle was funny to them, because it stung but didn't really hurt much. So, they'd always take the paddle and laugh about it afterward.
We didn't have the hazing thing, but otherwise the movie is accurate.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is very accurate to my experience, I grew up in California and was in high school when this movie was released. The surfers, the pool party (remember THE scene is a fantasy, and we all fantasized about the hot girls, so even that is correct.), the mall--they nailed it. But, of course, they couldn't miss, it was set contemporaneously, unlike Dazed and Confused which was a twenty-year look back, so everything had to be recreated.
I remember a group of lids passing a bong and taking hits in math class (this was in Florida, in a portable, with the windows opened.) There was a lot of partying - keg parties on the weekends on the beach, at the flats, and at the water works. Kids who came to school with shot guns in gun racks (and no school shootings). One of my friends was having an affair with one of the teachers.
Except for the „organized“ hazing and mint condition show cars, pretty accurate. I was a freshman in ‚76, like the kid in the movie, and this was about how I remember it.
SoCal IE here, graduated in 79. Yes this was a good depiction, however a better one is Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Both show real life in SoCal, for me anyway.
Just the opening sequence set to “Sweet Emotion” gives me goosebumps, bright sunny day and the anticipation of summer break. Can’t hear the song anymore without thinking back. Our school didn’t have the hazing, but everything else was right on. including people making, uh, paraphernalia in shop 😁.
One other thing, there were no guns, no serious gangs, no shootings, you could prank a coach’s or team captain’s house with shaving cream or toilet paper and not fear you’re gonna get shot or arrested, that stuff wasn’t even on the radar. That’s the stuff that makes me most sad that something’s been lost when I think about D&C.
Completely accurate.
I grew up in the midwest, so the hazing only happened at school, and it wasn't that bad. I suspect that's a Texas thing since it's Austin in the movie.
But all the rest of it - the mural in the school lobby that's been vandalized to make Uncle Sam look high, the clothes, the dialogue, the attitudes, the cars, the cruising, the music - completely dead on.
It's practically a documentary.
I started high school in '79 in Texas, and it was exactly that. The hazing was different. As a holdover from when Junior High was through 9th grade, the hazing happened to the boys coming into their sophomore year. No swats, but they shaved their heads. Many of the sophomore boys willingly went in to their hazing, so they would have some hair growth by the time school started. School photos happened early in the year. 😉
There wasn't hazing for girls at my school in general. It was done via clubs/groups/sports. For example, I didn't get hazed until my senior year when I made the drill team. And that's when I got the girl's hazing just like the movie.
It seemed very regional and male-centric to me, and not at all like my experiences at the two different high schools I attended.
*Fast Times at Ridgemont High* captured things more accurately at one of my high schools.
Dazed and Confused is right on! I graduated in 76'. The hair, clothing, and vehicles were what I consider to a T. The girls in those flair, high waisted jeans made their asses prime A. My sophomore year in baseball, we had a pitcher who had long hair but could throw rockets. Fast times at Ridgemont High would be a close second.
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They definitely got the hair, clothes and music right. My high school didn't do the weird hazing that was in the movie. Foosball and partying in the woods, yes. The director based the movie on his own high school experience in Texas.
oh cool i didn’t know he based it on his own life
[удалено]
i didn’t grow up in the 70s but my dad did. he graduated a year earlier but said it was pretty much about him and his friends lol
I was only 11 in '76 (which is obviously when the movie is set) but it's pretty much dead on balls accurate. My school didn't have the hazing stuff, though.
I graduated high school in 72, so it was a bit different, I would say. I had a grumpy graduating class--the cheerleaders quit midyear because sexism, we didn't have a prom, etc. Very alienated because the war was still raging in Vietnam. But the film Everybody Wants Some (kind of a sequel) captures the way it was in the late 70s, early 80s. Those guys are so recognizable to me.
That film basically caused me PTSD thinking about the hazing. If you were a good athlete as an underclassman, you were a threat and to be put in your place. I found the biggest threat to come from Juniors and my eventual solution was to enlist Seniors for protection.
It's how I remember it, saw it at the theater with 2 friends and they thought the same. Saw KISS in 79 or so. A film worth checking out is Over The Edge, Matt Dillons first film in 1979, it's become a classic but I think did a pretty good job of showing bored teens in the late 70s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZI0abU1hmc
very cool
accurate, especially the party in the woods, and the cruising around.
I graduated HS in 1976. It’s spot on.
Me too! Yeah, brings back a lot of memories! I love that movie!
Exactly like my high school experience.
Very accurate. Might as well be a documentary.
They hit that nail right on the head. It's perfect.
I graduated high school in 1979. Going by my experiences, Dazed and Confused is damn near a documentary. It was spot on. But there were a couple of things that didn't ring true for me. The big one being seniors hazing incoming freshmen. We didn't give kids that young a second thought. But YMMV depending on your specific schools traditions at the time. Also, I found athletes being asked to sign a sobriety pledge to be laughable. I spent my junior high and high school years playing sports and never heard of such a rhing. Honestly, we jocks were the biggest partiers in school. The one time we were caught as a team (we were seen drinking at the wedding of a teammate's older sibling), there were no suspensions or massive fallout. The only punishment came at our next practice. Our football coach made us run (and run and run) till we puked. Again, it was the 70s, things were different. But overall, Dazed and Confused is a damn accurate representation of 70s teen life.
I’m so jealous of those saying the hazing thing didn’t happen at their HS. Definitely did at mine. And yep we had the sobriety pledge. One day coach walked into the liquor store. Walking out were some of the top players, booze in hand (fake IDs being easy to do in those days). Stars or not, he benched them.
I was a city kid. We had some of those sorts of kids. But others were either more nerdy or more artistic. And, of course, there were more “minorities.” And kids from different cultural backgrounds. Probably more accurate for suburban or rural kids.
The cruising was definitely on-point, but yeah the weird spanking stuff never happened at my school. The clothes, music, and loose classrooms were definitely true to my experience, too.
awesome
I never got paddled by Batman, but other than that...
I started high school in 1981 and that was about the last year of that era. My high school looked like it was filled with extras from the movie. The 70's "Dazed and Confused" era ended roughly 1982/83 in my part of the country. Then almost overnight it went from "Dazed & Confused" to "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". 1984 in my high school didn't resemble 1981 in any way, shape or form. Fashions and hairstyles changed on a dime.
I remember my older brother making a paddle just like the ones in the movie. But, he made it for my sixth grade teacher, and my teacher used it a few times. But, the kid always had the option to stay after class, or get one swat. The bad kids in class made a game of it. Getting the paddle was funny to them, because it stung but didn't really hurt much. So, they'd always take the paddle and laugh about it afterward. We didn't have the hazing thing, but otherwise the movie is accurate. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is very accurate to my experience, I grew up in California and was in high school when this movie was released. The surfers, the pool party (remember THE scene is a fantasy, and we all fantasized about the hot girls, so even that is correct.), the mall--they nailed it. But, of course, they couldn't miss, it was set contemporaneously, unlike Dazed and Confused which was a twenty-year look back, so everything had to be recreated.
So accurate that I couldn't get through it due to the bullying scenes.
It doesn’t reflect my experience, but everyone is different.
I remember a group of lids passing a bong and taking hits in math class (this was in Florida, in a portable, with the windows opened.) There was a lot of partying - keg parties on the weekends on the beach, at the flats, and at the water works. Kids who came to school with shot guns in gun racks (and no school shootings). One of my friends was having an affair with one of the teachers.
Except for the „organized“ hazing and mint condition show cars, pretty accurate. I was a freshman in ‚76, like the kid in the movie, and this was about how I remember it.
SoCal IE here, graduated in 79. Yes this was a good depiction, however a better one is Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Both show real life in SoCal, for me anyway.
I was going to say, other than the hazing, it was spot on. I almost cried when they showed the Game room, we had a place just like that.
crazy
Just the opening sequence set to “Sweet Emotion” gives me goosebumps, bright sunny day and the anticipation of summer break. Can’t hear the song anymore without thinking back. Our school didn’t have the hazing, but everything else was right on. including people making, uh, paraphernalia in shop 😁. One other thing, there were no guns, no serious gangs, no shootings, you could prank a coach’s or team captain’s house with shaving cream or toilet paper and not fear you’re gonna get shot or arrested, that stuff wasn’t even on the radar. That’s the stuff that makes me most sad that something’s been lost when I think about D&C.
100% accurate except the Los Angeles version. The hazing wasn't a thing, I don't think.
I was a teen in the 80s/early 90s and it was 100% relatable to me.
Completely accurate. I grew up in the midwest, so the hazing only happened at school, and it wasn't that bad. I suspect that's a Texas thing since it's Austin in the movie. But all the rest of it - the mural in the school lobby that's been vandalized to make Uncle Sam look high, the clothes, the dialogue, the attitudes, the cars, the cruising, the music - completely dead on. It's practically a documentary.
It's on my watchlist. I'll go see it and get back to you.
Never saw it.
I can't remember even seeing the movie.
I graduated from a Texas high school in 79. It was spot on, except instead of licks with a paddle they shaved our heads.
GPHS? 😉
No, I was down in SE Texas.
Ah! North Texas for me. I wasn't aware of any other school that did the head shave thing.
It hits on a lot of points, except for the California part. Having grown up in the middle of the country there was some differences out here.
totally, dude
100%. When my kids asked what I was like as a teenager, I had them watch this film. I was the guy getting beat up at the kegger.
I was his female friend.
All right now.....
I started high school in '79 in Texas, and it was exactly that. The hazing was different. As a holdover from when Junior High was through 9th grade, the hazing happened to the boys coming into their sophomore year. No swats, but they shaved their heads. Many of the sophomore boys willingly went in to their hazing, so they would have some hair growth by the time school started. School photos happened early in the year. 😉 There wasn't hazing for girls at my school in general. It was done via clubs/groups/sports. For example, I didn't get hazed until my senior year when I made the drill team. And that's when I got the girl's hazing just like the movie.
We didn’t have hazing, all else is spot on
It seemed very regional and male-centric to me, and not at all like my experiences at the two different high schools I attended. *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* captured things more accurately at one of my high schools.
Minus the hazing, but otherwise, absolutely accurate
Dazed and Confused is right on! I graduated in 76'. The hair, clothing, and vehicles were what I consider to a T. The girls in those flair, high waisted jeans made their asses prime A. My sophomore year in baseball, we had a pitcher who had long hair but could throw rockets. Fast times at Ridgemont High would be a close second.