What it’s about
In August 1980, Jake (Jenner) rolls up to a Texas university in his ’72 Oldsmobile and moves into a house reserved for the baseball team. Jake is a promising freshman pitcher and first attracts the scorn of varsity hitter McReynolds (Hoechlin). Despite house rules of no booze and no girls, Jake and his new teammates spend the weekend partying and cruising round town, even as Jake is drawn to attractive theater major Beverly (Deutch).
Why we love it
With a carefree looseness that belies its artful structure, Linklater extends his tales of young men negotiating life’s hurdles after “Dazed and Confused” and “Boyhood”. Calling this a “spiritual sequel” to those films, the Texas-born director continues in the same stylistic vein, blending killer music tracks with flawed yet highly appealing characters. Mining male urges and proclivities to proffer universal truths about growing up, Linklater magically brings back what we all miss: the wild possibilities of college days.