Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
When you mix long, winding takes, lo-fi production, and the some of the most naturalistic, thought-provoking dialogue in contemporary independent cinema, you get a Richard Linklater film. One of his primary outlets for making his sometimes scripted, sometimes improvised dialogue feel even more natural is a moving vehicle. Here, we take a look at all the times we didn’t want the road trips to end from Linklater’s first Sundance darling, Slacker, to his most recent, Boyhood, out in select theaters this Friday.
Slacker (1991)
Linklater himself gives a long, meandering monologue about how his entire life might have turned out differently had he stayed at the bus stop rather than gotten into the cab.
Slacker is available on Netflix
Dazed and Confused (1993)
It’s the last day of high school in 1976 and the senior class made sure to make it count. Rory Cochrane and Matthew McConaughey are one of the many stars in this coming-of-age stoner classic.
Now that we’re thinking of it, almost all of Dazed and Confused was spent in and around cars.
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The senior girls show the newbie the ropes; Deena Martin, Christin Hinojosa, Michelle Burke, and Christine Harnos.
Deena Martin, Christine Harnos, and Michelle Burke of Dazed lean up against their ride.
Dazed and Confused is available for rental on Amazon Instant Video
Before Sunrise (1995)
Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) have a Q&A about their first sexual feelings towards an individual in the back of a bus driving through Vienna.
Before Sunrise is available on Amazon Instant Video
SubUrbia (1996)
Pony (Jayce Bartok) and Erica (Parker Posey) chill on the trunk Dazed and Confused-style inSubUrbia, Linklater’s less popular high school tale.
SubUrbia is available for rental on Amazon Instant Video
The Newton Boys (1998)
Ethan Hawke, Dwight Yoakam, Vincent D’Onofrio, Matthew McConaughey, and Skeet Ulrich are the Newton gang in Linklater’s period piece about the most successful bank robbers in American history.
The Newton Boys is available for rental on Amazon Instant Video
Waking Life (2001)
Linklater’s first crack at animation in this surreal dramedy featuring animated scenes of characters from his previous films.
Waking Life is available for rental on Amazon Instant Video
School of Rock (2003)
Jack Black, in one of his most memorable roles as bum rocker turned teacher Dewey Finn, sneaks the gang away for a field trip at the concert hall.
School of Rock is available for rental on Amazon Instant Video
Before Sunset (2004)
Celine and Jesse finally meet again after nine years apart, this time in Paris, in the Before Sunrise sequel.
Before Sunset is available on Amazon Instant Video
Bad News Bears (2005)
Right through the windshield of Morris Buttermaker’s (Billy Bob Thornton) cherished Cadillac Eldorado in the remake of the 1976 coming-of-age baseball comedy.
Bad News Bears is available for rental on Amazon Instant Video
Fast Food Nation (2006)
It’s getaway time and Raul (Wilmer Valderrama) is in charge in Linklater’s sociopolitical satire about the consequences and power of the fast food industry.
Fast Food Nation is available for rental on Amazon Instant Video
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Keanu Reeves is Bob Arctor in Linklater’s animated crime noir-thriller based on the Philip K. Dick sci-fi novel of the same name. The film frequently pays homage throughout to the motif of vehicles as safe havens and downfalls in noir classics.
Woody Harrelson, Keanu Reeves, and Robert Downey Jr. in A Scanner Darkly.
A Scanner Darkly is available for rental on Amazon Instant Video
Bernie (2011)
Jack Black is Bernie in Linklater’s story of the real-life murderous mortician Bernie Tiede.
Bernie is available on Netflix.
Before Midnight (2013)
We meet Celine and Jesse for the last time in Greece nine years after they rekindle their relationship in Paris.
We watched Julie Delpy’s character of Celine evolve over 11 years through travel. This particular scene lasts several minutes without a single edit.
Before Midnight is available for purchase on Amazon Instant Video
Boyhood (2014)
Linklater literally follows the life Mason (Ellar Coltrane) as he grows in his most recent endeavor, which spanned over 12 years of production with the same actors.
Boyhood is in select theaters this Friday, July 11th.
Photo Credits: Collider, Everett Collection, Jamesrkemp.com, and Warner Bros.
