Almost 10 years ago, I wrote an Awards Daily piece, for my good friend Sasha Stone, titled “Richard Linklater: 10 Highlights of a Revolutionary Career.” Over time, my view about his best films has changed, the order is now very different.
I believe this is a good time to look back at some of Linklater’s best films since he’s just released another acclaimed effort, “Hit Man,” which is now available to stream on Netflix. Although more slickly made than some of his other films, “Hit Man” still tackles some of Linklater’s most fervent obsessions, including identity and authenticity.
Linklater is up there with the best directors of his era. His filmography is as original and diverse as they come. The authentic feel of his films derives from the fact that Linklater has a poet's ear for the way people communicate with each other, and his camera never feels intrusive. Even in his most commercial films, you get fully fleshed characters with an abundance of humanism.
His obsession with the passing of time, its poetic nature and how it can change people, is another hallmark of his auteur style. His very best efforts are slice-of-life ruminations, avoiding forced drama and instead opting for the beauty of moments. There’s a certain timelessness to Linklater’s cinema, many of his films don’t seem to have aged.
Next month, Linklater turns 64, and he’s already shot another film, but he’s already left a lasting impression with a filmography of 21 movies. Not all were great, he’s had some duds (“The Newton Boys,” “Fast Food Nation”) but it’s quite striking to notice how many worthy films he’s actually made. I narrowed it down to 10, cheating by including the ‘Before’ trilogy as one entity. The order is interchangeable, but here’s how his works stand for me …
1) Dazed and Confused (1993)
2) The “Before” Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013)
3) Waking Life (2001)
4) Boyhood (2014)
5) Everybody Wants Some! (2016)
6) The School of Rock (2003)
7) Apollo 10 1/2 (2022)
8) Bernie (2011)
9) Me, and Orson Welles (2008)
10) Tape (2001)
I don’t think Linklater’s ever topped “Dazed and Confused.” This was his breakthrough. The atmosphere in ‘Dazed’ absolutely enveloped you. The attention to character detail was second to none. Drawn from Linklater’s own memories, you are there in 1976 Texas, on the last day of High School as a mosaic of characters, and different plots strands, collide in this bittersweet memory of teenage-dom. The hang-out comedy to end all other hang out comedies includes Matthew McConaughey’s career-making turn as Wooderson, a shady townie still making the scene. It’s a film that rewards close study with a complex, personal reflection on adolescence. It’s also endlessly rewatchable. Linklater caught lightning in a bottle with this one.
Now, it’s your turn. What’s Linklater’s best film?
While James L. Brooks teased last year that "we'll soon be seeing" Jack Nicholson, 89, act again, and that he was "reading scripts," that idea has now been shut down by his close friend Michael Douglas, 82.