On March 24, the TIFF Bell Lightbox held an advance screening of Richard Linklater’s newest film, entitled Everybody Wants Some. Linklater was present for a discussion on his career before introducing the film, and I was lucky enough to be in attendance.
Set in 1980, Everybody Wants Some follows baseball player Jake Bradford (Blake Jenner) during his first weekend as a freshman at a Texas college. Upon arriving at school, Jake meets his fellow teammates, who are also the people he will be rooming with for the duration of his college career.
The film was presented by Linklater as a “cousin” to his 2014 film Boyhood, and a “sequel” to his 1993 film Dazed and Confused, but this is difficult to discern within the first 45 minutes of the film. During this portion, the film mainly focuses on the group of guys as they attend discos and attempt to impress the women they meet. This part is tiresome and, frankly, disappointing for a film written and directed by Richard Linklater. Anyone who is familiar with his work knows that he is the most skilled at depicting small moments between characters, making them seem highly human. This is lacking within these first 45 minutes of Everybody Wants Some, and the expected mix of relatable characters are replaced with a group of guys who play baseball and objectify women. Practically every woman who appears onscreen simply exists to be sexualised by the male characters. Dazed and Confused featured similarly chauvinistic males, except that film had a balanced ensemble cast of both men and women—women who were more than bodies. It’s important to note that Everybody Wants Some is based off of Linklater’s own experiences as a baseball player in college, so its perspective is authentic, but it’s still missing a balance of diverse characters.
As the film progresses, however, the group of characters become just as likeable as those in Linklater’s past films. On the surface, the group of college baseball players in Everybody Wants Some are nearly interchangeable with the “frat boy” characters of any mainstream film, but below this, they are true Linklater characters. They have depth, and seem less like stereotypes and more like real people. The characters articulate worries that are relatable to any young person entering adulthood. This became increasingly noticeable during the second half of the film, especially through the relationships that developed within the group. With a larger amount of scenes that only show a few characters speaking together, rather than the entire group in a party setting, Linklater provides the viewer with a deeper understanding of each character. This allows for the absence of specific characters to matter, and actually be noticed. Furthermore, the relationship that develops between Jake and Beverly (Zoey Deutch), a theatre major who lives on campus, reflects exchanges similar to those between Jesse and Céline in Linklater’s Before trilogy, and makes up for the poor representation of women in the earlier portion of the film. Everybody Wants Some, much like Linklater’s other films, does not follow a formulaic structure. His films are sustained by genuine representations of relationships, and it was a relief to see this come through by the film’s conclusion.
Everybody Wants Some definitely does not pass the Bechdel Test, but it is still a highly enjoyable film—particularly if you are a fan of Richard Linklater’s previous work.
