American Graffiti | Dazed and Confused
How George Lucas’s time capsule of 1960s teenagerdom influenced Richard Linklater’s love letter to 1970s high school life
Modern Throwback
One film released before 1980.
One film released after 1980.
A deep dive into both films to discover the thematic similarities and cinematic influences between the two.
Upon its release in 1977, Star Wars forever altered the film industry and changed the way films were made in the years to come. Today, it would be difficult to find a stranger on the street who has not at least heard of the franchise, let alone one of the countless iconic characters that have graced the screen. From that point forward, director George Lucas would always be associated with the mega-successful sci-fi franchise and would rarely spend time writing or filming anything else during his career. Due to the massive impact of the Star Wars franchise, it’s easy to forget that Lucas was making films before 1977. Many may be surprised to learn that a mere four years before, he made what is widely considered an American classic about teenage life in 1962. American Graffiti (watch the trailer here), released in 1973, depicts a group of high school graduates cruising around town for one last night of freewheeling before heading off to college. The story is told through a series of vignettes set on one single night in Modesto, California and was inspired by Lucas’s own life growing up there. While the film is well regarded for its spot-on depiction of the rock n’ roll & cruising culture of the early 1960s, it may be better known for launching the careers of multiple notable actors including Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Charles Martin Smith, and Mackenzie Phillips.
The story doesn’t technically have a main protagonist, but many point to the character of Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) as the central soul of the film. Unlike many of his obnoxious and aimless friends, Curt is grounded and introspective about his future. About to head off to college on the East Coast, he treats his final night in Modesto as one to discover who he is meant to be and what he truly wants in this world. Early in the night, he is lovestruck by a beautiful blonde woman driving a white Ford Thunderbird who mouths “I love you” through her car window. Curt spends most of the film trying to track down this woman, who represents one last draw to stay in his hometown, a place that he’d be destined to remain for his adult life if not for his college scholarship. During his quest for the mysterious woman, he even tracks down the famous radio DJ Wolfman Jack in order to broadcast out a plea to make contact — a 60s version of a “missed connection” Craigslist listing (watch the scene here). DJ Wolfman Jack, while legendary to his fans due to the mystery of the man behind the voice, appears as a somewhat depressing sight to Curt. Eating popsicles alone in a sound booth in the dead of night, Curt sees the man behind the curtain and realizes that even the most popular of folks left in Modesto live lives with much to be desired. It may be the final push he needs to get out of dodge and start his collegiate life anew on the East Coast.
Another story vignette that is both amusing and touching is the one involving drag racing greaser John Milner (Paul Le Mat) and Carol (Mackenzie Phillips), a precocious 12-year-old that he inadvertently picks up at a stop light while flirting with her more age appropriate older sister in the car next to him. While he initially feels stuck with an annoying preteen during an intended night of shenanigans, John slowly develops a brotherly tenderness towards Carol and the two develop a rapport throughout the night, which ends in a climatic drag race against the fellow greaser Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford in his first film role). American Graffiti is a love letter to the 1950s & 1960s car-obsessed culture, and the film features many cars that vary in color, style, and model year. John arguably drives the coolest car of the film, a vibrant yellow 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe.
Another memorable vignette features the character of Terry “The Toad” (Charles Martin Smith) attempting to buy booze for the rebellious and seductive Debbie (Candy Clark), an exercise that has become a teen movie rite of passage. The goofy Terry seems to initially succeed with the desirable Debbie because he’s lent a car from his friend Steve (Ron Howard). But Debbie ultimately looks past Terry’s well-meaning fibs and falls for his good nature. Steve, on the other hand, spends the majority of the film dealing with the fallout from suggesting a college open relationship to his girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams), who ends up abandoning him that night after an argument. The multiple story lines end up intersecting at a certain point in the film, and Laurie has a brush with death during Bob’s climatic drag race against John. It’s an eye-opening moment for both Laurie and Steve, who commits to staying in Modesto to keep their relationship alive.
American Graffiti was very influential after its release, spawning other similar films and TV shows like Happy Days (also starring Ron Howard). It retains a legacy as one of the greatest coming of age films ever made and is considered one of the most financially profitable films ever released. While the film’s budget was $777,000, to date it has made $115 million worldwide. It was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and went on to inspire a sequel in 1979.
Director Richard Linklater’s films are beloved by cinephiles for many reasons, but perhaps most of all for their ability to capture a sense of time and place. His Before series takes place in real time across various decades in beautiful European settings. His acclaimed film Boyhood was filmed across decades with the same actors so we could witness their real growth through the years. This sense of time and place is expertly portrayed in his 1993 film Dazed and Confused about high school life in 1976 (watch the trailer here). The film has developed a reputation as a mainstay in college dorms and is well known for launching the careers of many actors who went on to great fame. While Matthew McConaughey may be best remembered for his role (“alright, alright, alright…”), there are many small roles memorably played by Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Milla Jovovich, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-her Renee Zellweger.
Dazed and Confused takes place during one night in 1976 in Austin, Texas after the last day of high school. The plot feels aimless just like the characters, and that’s actually quite the compliment. Moving breezily from one scene to the next with a killer soundtrack, it’s easy to get swept up in the care-free vibes of mid-70s youth. The story is told through a series of vignettes with various characters, but the most prominent story lines revolve around the central characters of conflicted football star Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London) and soon-to-be freshman Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins). Pink struggles with his decision to sign a “pledge” to no longer drink or do drugs in anticipation of his upcoming senior year of high school football. Mitch awkwardly tries to transition from junior high school by both avoiding seniors who want to brutally haze him and maturing enough to seamlessly blend into the high school party scene. All of the characters in the film embody a feeling of post 1960s distrust yet represent a happy-go-lucky way of life where the greatest goal is to score Aerosmith tickets.
Linklater’s film portrays a time in American life where the world was gradually changing and a generation of young people were both liberated to take action yet desperately looking for ways to escape the horrors of war and strife. The age group in the film had just gotten past the cultural revolution of the 1960s that included the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and the antiwar and hippie peace movement. Feeling disconnected after such a tumultuous decade, the teenagers just want to live and will rebel against any authority that prevents their easygoing way of life. Wooderson is content to just watch all the high school girls “stay the same age” as he gets older, even if it’s a bit pathetic that he’s a grown man mingling with high school kids. Pink doesn’t quite know if he wants to stay on the authority-heavy football program, and the anti-drug pledge his coaches thrust on him if just another sign of being controlled by “the man.” The only characters that don’t embody this aimlessness are a group of intellectuals who appear periodically throughout the film to amusingly comment on the absurdity of their peers and their generation’s impact on the state of the world (seen here).
Dazed and Confused is a wonderfully nostalgic trip back to the 1970s, complete with an excellent soundtrack of the decade’s greatest hits. But the film also represents a time of innocence, when anything seems possible on a given night. Whether you grew up in that decade or not, it’s easy to insert yourself into any of the characters’ shoes and wonder what life awaits you in the future. This may explain why the film has become a cult classic since its box office failure in 1993. You may not be nostalgic for the era, but you will most definitely be nostalgic for that feeling of youthful nonchalance and aspiration.
Thematic Similarities
Hanging on to the final days of youth
The plots of both American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused could be described as not being about anything at all. But that’s sort of the whole point. High school life revolves so much around trying to conquer the daily boredom by finding things to do that bring meaning to what feels like a meaningless existence. In both films, there is a sense of a “seize the day” mentality among the youthful characters — a feeling that anything could happen that one day if they are just brave enough to take a chance.
In American Graffiti, the story begins with Curt and Steve meeting up at the parking lot of Mel’s Drive-In. It’s the last night of their summer vacation, and they are both due to fly out to the East Coast the next morning to attend college. Curt immediately expresses his hesitation to leave Modesto, claiming he’s still having second thoughts. Steve seems more sure, and to prove it to himself he gives his car to his friend Terry to keep while he’s away. While it may seem like a gesture to prove his willingness to get out of dodge, his decision to entrust the flappable Terry with his car gives him the easy excuse to return home to retrieve his prized possession. He’s ensuring that a part of him will stay in Modesto while he’s gone.
Meanwhile, Curt doubles down on his second thoughts of leaving town by chasing down a mysterious blonde he connects with from afar while cruising around town. Instead of tying up loose ends and giving farewells to old friends, he chooses to spend his last night in Modesto on a wild goose chase for a woman who may not even fit the vision he has of her in his head. To Curt, it’s one final thread of an excuse to stay home and not take the big leap to collegiate life on the East Coast. It’s as if the universe is telling him to stay in his small town forever, and he’s willing to entertain that alternate reality, at least for the night.
In Dazed and Confused, the character that fully clings to high school life is McConaughey’s Wooderson. The man, seemingly in his early 20s, still hangs at the Emporium — the pool hall frequented by high schoolers — and diatribes about the beauty of getting older while witnessing generations of underage girls stay the same age. He represents the creepy townie that so many high school and college-aged young people know so well — that person that just can’t let go. Wooderson even frames his job “working for the city” as just another way to keep change in his pocket in order to fund his freewheeling lifestyle living amongst those younger than him. One could understandably see his desire to run in these circles as creepy, but the character’s behavior is arguably about much more than his womanizing. He can’t move on from high school life because he’s afraid of the failure that will likely await him when he fully enters adulthood, a feeling that many people experience yet nevertheless overcome.
The desire to escape small-town life
A running theme of both American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused is the confining nature of small-town life. The characters in both films embody a sense of frustration at being stuck in a small town with seemingly no escape to a more meaningful existence elsewhere. The teenagers are aimless — they don’t know where their lives are leading and thus feel beholden to the daily monotony. This feeling leads some characters to attempt to leave small-town life behind them.
In American Graffiti, this feeling is encapsulated best by the characters of Curt and Steve — though both young men ultimately take different paths. Curt is the one who initially has second thoughts about leaving home for the East Coast, while Steve is initially ready to move on, going as far to suggest he and his girlfriend see other people while apart to “strengthen” their relationship. Both Curt and Steve are separated for most of the film, and Curt ultimately sees what life could be like if he decides to stay put. This is embodied best by his brief encounter with Wolfman Jack — a radio DJ that seems cool on the surface, but in actuality appears to Curt to be quite lonely in his sound booth. On the other hand, Steve recognizes that his relationship with Laurie may represent the best version of his future life. To preserve their relationship, he decides to stay in Modesto.
At the conclusion of the film (seen here), Curt says one final goodbye to his friends at the airport before heading off to his new life on the East Coast. Among the group is John, who could be viewed as a counterpart to Wooderson from Dazed and Confused. He’s a young man basking in the old glory of his victorious drag racing days, yet he knows that his glory days are behind him. Also among the group is Steve and Laurie, staying behind to seemingly start a life together in their hometown. Terry is also there, his ultimate fate unclear to the viewer and possibly himself. The film ends with a rare fictional epilogue explaining the fate of the main characters. It’s revealed that Steve goes on to become an insurance agent in Modesto and John is killed a mere two years later by a drunk driver. Curt, on the other hand, goes on to a life of success as a writer in Canada.
In Dazed and Confused, the characters’ motivations to leave their Texas lives is less focused on a single character and is more of a general sense of discontent amongst the high schoolers. There’s a scene in the film where Mitch climbs a “moonlight tower” with a few rising Seniors before partaking in the impromptu keg party below. Instead of commenting on the beautiful view once they reach the top, the group is bummed out by how dead the town seems. To them, no one out there is having as much fun as them, suggesting that a life of adulthood in this small Texas town would be a life of boredom.
Cinematic Influences
A sense of time and place
American Graffiti was one of the first films to portray one single day and night in the lives of young people. In many ways, Dazed and Confused could be considered an homage to Lucas’s 1962 time capsule — an American Graffiti for 1976, as Linklater initially pitched. Both films take place in a 24-hour timeframe and feature multiple story lines that run simultaneously throughout the runtime. Each film also ends the morning after the film’s main night of events, with the central characters experiencing catharsis as they decide to take action to become who they believe they’re meant to be. This storytelling format is not uncommon today, but decades ago it was a pretty unique way to tell a story and capture a particular era of time.
Each film can be respectively considered a time capsule of 1962 and 1976, and though the stories are separated by more than a decade, there are many overlapping similarities. Much of each film features teenagers cruising the town in their beloved cars, with the car obsession heightened in American Graffiti, a film known to many as a “car flick.” The characters in each film make pit stops at fast food joints to enjoy greasy burgers and fries in their car via a drive-up intercom. Both films also feature a central hang-out spot for the respective films’ teenagers — Mel’s Drive-In for American Graffiti and the Emporium for Dazed and Confused.
The hang-out spots are places for the groups of teens to make plans for the night ahead or to return to later to reminisce about their various adventures. Speaking of the latter, another similarity of the film is the depiction of the lengths teenagers will go to score some booze. In American Graffiti, Terry waits outside a convenience store for just the right customer he can ask to buy him some liquor (his ID was lost in a flood, you see). He ends up attempting to buy some himself, only to be declined service when claims to the clerk that he forgot his ID in the car (which he coincidently also forgot). Watch the scene here.
In Dazed and Confused, the character of Mitch has more luck when he successfully buys a six-pack of beer at the liquor store across from the Emporium. The clerk here haphazardly asks the barely 14-year-old Mitch, “you’re 18, right?” Mitch obviously confirms and walks back into the Emporium with beer for his new friends, seemingly cooler than when he left it. Watch the scene here. The two scenes of a teenager attempting to buy alcohol are very similarly depicted in each film yet lead to strikingly different results. This simple teenage experience — trying to obtain alcohol — represents the difference that time and place can make. 1962 Modesto? Don’t count your luck. 1962 Austin? No problem.
Soundtracks that represent the era
Both American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused have reputations for their stellar soundtracks that accurately capture the mood of their respective eras. Lucas chose to make the music in American Graffiti diegetic, meaning that both the viewer and characters on screen can hear the music being played. This choice works to great effect since the majority of the characters are driving around in cars for most of the film. A lot of the songs featured capture the rock & roll and doo-wop that was so prevalent in 1962.
The first scene of Dazed and Confused starts off perfectly with “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith playing through the stereo of Pickford’s car as he turns into the high school’s parking lot. The song perfectly sets the mood for the film and accurately displays the teenage obsession with the band at the time, which foreshadows Pink’s desire to score Aerosmith tickets later on in the film. The 70s’ rock serves as a constant backdrop to the characters’ journeys during the film, lending a sense of jubilance to the various vignettes.
Perhaps the greatest contribution from each film’s soundtrack is the sense of nostalgia that arises from hearing that perfect song that encapsulates the innocence of youth or being alive during the 1960s or 1970s. Music is deeply personal, and featuring such iconic songs of the respective decades lends a profound sense of nostalgia on the viewer.
American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused are considered two of the best coming of age films ever made, and rightfully so. They are both authentic time capsules of their respective decade and portray vivid and memorable characters. It’s no coincidence that many of the actors, relatively unknown at the time, went on to great success. They embody their characters fully with their full acting prowess on display. One could argue that Dazed and Confused would never have been made had Lucas not successfully filmed and released American Graffiti. We may never know, but it’s clear that Lucas’s film had a huge impact on the film industry (not to mention it opening the door to Star Wars). Movies, including Linklater’s stellar filmography, would likely be very different today if it were never made.
I hope this entry of Modern Throwback has shown how cinema influences itself throughout time. If we are willing to reflect on the filmmaking process, it becomes clear that filmmaking is a revolving door of ideas and techniques that makes film an overall stronger art form.
