Putting the "high" in high school: "Dazed and Confused"

Here's one of those movies that some people swear by but that has never hit a home run for me. I think I had seen it at least twice before it popped up again a week or so ago. Although there's a decent amount of laughs, neither time left me totally rolling. Still, it's left such an impression on some that I felt compelled to give it another whirl. That, and I'm pretty much always up for juvenile comedy. More wedgies, please!

Released in 1993 -- when I was in college, which explains why I missed it in the theater -- "Dazed and Confused" is the movie that made Richard Linklater (him again) more accessible to general audiences. His previous film, "Slacker," was notable for its stream-of-consciousness plot -- or lack thereof -- and absence of known actors.

Here, we get a lot of then-young talent in a familiar setting: high school -- specifically, the last day of school in 1976. I can only assume the year is special to Linklater because that's when he finished his freshman year. Not sure why else you drag the mid-'70s into the early '90s, but whatever, man.

In any case, the basic story is kids hanging out, with a nominal subplot of seniors beating on freshmen in some kind of initiation, and everyone trying to party. I guess the two main characters are Mitch, the skinny freshman who ends up hanging with seniors, and Randall "Pink" Floyd, the senior quarterback not too thrilled about his coach having players sign a no drugs/booze pledge. Then there are various jocks, stoners, geeks, a$$holes, bitches, etc., played by people who would go on to gain a little more fame: Joey Lauren Adams, Ben Affleck, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich and Parker Posey, among others.

And then there is Wooderson, played by one Mr. Matthew McConaughey.

David Wooderson -- although I don't recall ever hearing his first name mentioned -- is that guy who graduated years ago yet is still hanging around, always willing to party. And why not? As he eloquently puts it -- and altogether now -- "That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age."

That's one of many good lines Matty gets as Wooderson, although it's not just the words. It's how Mr. Laid Back carries himself, be it asking a freshman if he's got a joint or trying to lure an awkward redhead in the other car away from her two nerd pals. In Wooderson's world, there are no real worries. Again to the quote list: "You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N."

Some of the other characters have funny bits, mainly Slater the stoner and Dawson the jock. Goldberg also is amusing as Mike the too-smart-for-his-own-good guy. And on the whole, sure, "Dazed and Confused" is funny. But you know, there's not much to it, even in a "holy sh!t, that was hilarious" way.

I've been meaning to watch "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" again, but I don't need to do that to know it's 10 times funnier, plus more perceptive about high school kids. That remains the gold standard, but other fare -- from the recent "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Superbad" to '80s fun "Better Off Dead" to "Sixteen Candles" -- still ranks higher than this movie for me. Hell, "American Pie" made me laugh more.

D&C fans may argue that there's more to this movie than belly laughs. OK ... what? Looks like a bunch of slackers d!cking around to me. Nothing wrong with that at all, but if that's what it is, it could have been better. In the end, I liked the movie well enough but still don't know what all the fuss is about. I mean, there's not even the obligatory nudity! When is "Porky's" coming on cable again?