(Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures)
Saved by the Soundtrack
1/2
“Everybody Wants Some” is the latest project from Richard Linklater about a college baseball team and how they spend the weekend leading up to the first day of class.
Linklater, an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor who is known for humanist films, which mainly revolve around personal relationships, suburban culture, and the effects of the passage of time are all shown in this movie.
Based in 1980, the film opens with college freshman Jake, played by up-and-coming actor Blake Jenner, driving to college in Texas, meeting his teammates and enjoying a weekend full of partying, sex, drugs and a great 1980s soundtrack!
“Everybody Wants Some” is considered the “spiritual sequel” to Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused,” a 1993 American coming-of-age comedy that follows various groups of Texas teenagers during the last day of school in 1976.
Upon his arrival to the designated homes for the baseball team (two run-down homes donated by the city), Jake, a talented pitcher, is greeted by one of his teammates McReynolds, played by American actor Tyler Hoechlin, a heavy hitter who can’t hide his disdain for pitchers, which he shows by hazing the incoming freshmen!
As “Everybody Wants Some” progresses, Jake continues meeting the rest of his teammates as their weekend kicks off with rules of the house by their coach, which they all break as they hit the Texas town, inviting people to their soiree that evening held at their team house.
It’s on this journey when Jake becomes smitten by incoming freshman Beverly who’s a dance/theater major played by Zoey Deutch, even though teammates McReynolds and Jay get shot down by her and her roommate.
After going back and forth with McReynolds and Jay, Beverly spots Jake in the back seat stating, “I like the quiet one.” This pisses off McReynolds and Jay to which they speed off calling the girls “lesbians” to justify being turned down.
“Everybody Wants Some” counts down how many days, hours and minutes are left before the first day of school.
After a lot of partying, drinking, girls, smoking weed and much talk about who does what on the team, the guys finally have a “voluntary” baseball practice.
When practice is over, the freshmen receive their official hazing by being duck taped to the fence with baseballs thrown at them!
Surviving the baseball hazing, Jake decides to move matters along with Beverly.
He writes a poem and sticks it on her door with a bouquet of flowers.
Since he does not know Beverly’s name at this point, he addresses the note to “the girl with the auburn hair.”
Flattered by this gesture, Beverly calls Jake to tell him thank you and she finds out that he is more than just a jock. He’s also smart.
Impressed with his knowledge of poetry and quick wit, she invites him to a party the night before school begins.
Returning to the house, Jake is interrogated by his teammates inquiring details of his impromptu date with Beverly.
Confiding in one teammate about the party, he divulges this information to the rest of the team and the fun begins!
Inviting themselves to the party, they end up having the best night!
Jake and Beverly’s relationship evolves as they spend the night talking and walking to class the next morning.
Once in class, Jake and his teammate Plummer, played by Temple Baker, realize the fun is over and the real work begins as they both fall asleep in class after being out all night.
“Everybody Wants Some” is a coming-of age-movie that seems realistic to how a college freshman tries to navigate through college life on the road to becoming an adult.
I give “Everybody Wants Some” film two and half crowns for the great soundtrack!
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
