Glory Daze

I suppose the low rating this movie is running is due to all the adult votes out there. Any teenager, especially any teenager who understands the references to Camus, should love this movie. Ben Affleck turns in a wonderful performance, as per usual. That boy's delivery is scary good, and the dialogue deserved such panache, if you will. If you happen to listen to punk music, well then, you should adore this movie's soundtrack as well. It is so fitting to every scene (with the exception of the live band.) The movie is worth watching for the cameos alone: Matthew McConaughey, Brendan Fraser, Janeane Garofalo, Matt Damon; all wonderful, but tiny, parts. This is certainly one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Any one who liked Dazed and Confused, to Empire Records, to (aiming a bit higher here,) The Breakfast Club, should love this movie. See it. Now.

For 1995, Glory Daze has a cast of talent equal to other films of its era like Dazed and Confused. However, although it is an amazing cast of actors, the characters of Glory Daze are equally as boring as Hemingway's depiction of the lost generation in the Sun Also Rises. As individual characters, each has a decent story to showcase but when they are put together, it is difficult to see a jell of interest as none of these characters fit the same description. Yes, they are diverse and each different, but they all lack a realistic collection as a single unit. Although the plot does effect each and everyone of the characters, it is not believable that they all share a common friendship and community similar to what Dazed and Confused offer. The plot of Glory Daze is worth it. The writing is somewhat strong but far from poetic. 25 years later, it is a marvel of a movie that was able to draw an amazing cast. Other than than, it falls short from being a timeless tale.

Yes, this movie is about wanting to do nothing and, as such, does just about nothing. The film has some laughs (French Stewart is great), but there's nothing here to make me care about the characters. I felt like I was watching cardboard cutouts skate boarding, drinking, sculpting, partying, and trying to get laid, all covered with a thin veneer of angst. The only thing that kept me awake was recognizing all the locations around Santa Cruz. Go Slugs!!!

Slick like a MTV video, rap pulsating in the background, punky post-grunge set and clothing, Glory Daze amuses, but it's shallow, clichéd amusement. The senior year at college winds down and all the stereo-types jam a run down student's house. The beer flows, the girls hang around for what reason I don't know, and the furniture is smashed. Cool huh? OK, my senior year wasn't much different back in 69, just more drugs, but what did we learn? For most kids, we didn't learn a whole lot. That's why it's tough to make immature personalities come alive in film. It takes a real artist, but what the hell, last chance to make a fool of yourself without consequence, usually.

After graduating from college with a Master's Degree all I wanna do is just sit back and enjoy it for a while. I dont want to work quite yet and I don't want to "do" something with my Degree. The future can wait. This movie is about that. Sit back, relax and enjoy. You will never ever be 22-23 again ! Excellent casting...excellent setting...hilarious characters...great lines !

Remember that one period in your life that you wanted to last forever? Or perhaps that era of your life is now. God, on the outside, "Glory Daze" is a crude, depressing movie. However, it is my all time favorite because it is more than just a mere movie. It is what most movie makers dream of making: something entertaining, yet so substantial that you can't help but say "whoa" as the impact of what happens hits you. "Life is ever-changing," it says to you, "and we all try to stop it from changing at some point, but then we realize that we can't and find it better just to move on and continue to live."

Dear lord, They had the cameras on me the whole time I was in college! Great movie. This is definitely one of the best encapsulations of a guy's life as he flounders through the years in search of becoming edjamacated.