McConaugheMay Day 12: 21 Years: Richard Linklater

I don't want to speak for founders David McMichael, Jenni Kaye, and Tanner Hadfield as to how much Richard Linklater and the Austin Film Society in general influenced and inspired Hyperreal Film Club, but I know that the reason that I'm writing about film, the reason that I got involved in the Austin film scene, and that I even like movies in a real, sincere way was at least 60% due to AFS existing. That there's a theater showing a wide variety of films of all genres, new, old, obscure, beloved, programmed by brilliant, passionate people, available for less than the cost of any streaming service out there is a huge boon to film discovery and education, not only in Austin.

I used to live in Los Angeles, and you'd maybe think that LA is a movie town, but it's so siloed off to just a couple theaters, just a couple jobs—it's a film community in the same way there's an Amish community, I guess. You know it exists, but if you aren't already a member, it's going to be hard to get in. I didn't really fall in love with movies until I moved to Austin where people cared deeply about them and wanted to share them, cheaply and sincerely. AFS is basically a free film school, on top of the actual film school it runs, offering incredibly cheap equipment and studio space to just about anyone. I think Linklater's prolly up there with Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, and Quentin Tarantino in terms of well-known filmmakers utterly devoted to film education, film production, and distribution. So, all that is to say, if anyone deserves a fairly shallow hagiography praising his work and not delving too deep into any issues, it's Richard Linklater. He's earned the layup.

That doesn’t mean a film based on a great filmmaker will make a great film, though. 21 Years: Richard Linklater is barely a movie, and definitely not all that interested in telling a narrative. Mostly it’s just the actors and admirers of Linklater's films sharing praise interspersed with clips of the films and the worst animated interstitials I have ever seen in this style of documentary in my entire life. Interestingly, Keanu Reeves (who worked with Linklater in Waking Life) almost seems to hold himself back from talking shit (or at least bringing up a negative story he's heard), but he mostly limits himself to generic praise. Ethan Hawke comes off the best—his real life friendship with Linklater and his generally thoughtful attitude toward his work combines to make the best sound bites, and the filmmakers definitely seem to realize it. The focus of Linklater's career is on the greatest hits, Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, the Before trilogy, but weird misfires/deep cuts like The Newton Boys and Bad News Bears are only very, very briefly touched on before it goes back to playing the hits.

As for Matthew McConaughey, he's not in it very much. When he is, he brings up some Dazed and Confused memories, and generally seems grateful to Linklater, which makes sense. I think that's the only director he's worked with multiple times? I'd have to check my notes on that one, but he doesn't usually repeat directors. Interestingly, he mentions that he wanted to go out for the role of Bernie Bernie because he thought he would crush it which strikes this reviewer as absolutely insane. There's simply no way that movie works with him as the center. It needs Jack Black's likability and weakness to underscore why this small town rallied behind a proven murderer. Despite his likability, I don't think McConaughey is capable of playing such an internally repressed man with some sort of undeniably innocent center enough that a whole town would condone murder just because they like him. This brief digression happens right before he mentions that his mom pitched Linklater on a The Graduate remake in which she plays Mrs. Robinson with Matthew as the lead. I am still learning a lot about this man after two years.