"Everybody" Can Enjoy Linklater's Latest

There's a common thread in writer/director Richard Linklater's work: knowing yourself. His filmography moves effortlessly from the realistic poignancy of "Boyhood" and his "Before" trilogy ("Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight") to experimental titles like "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly." Meanwhile, his well-developed characters share unique insights about life, regardless of genre -- dramatic, fantastic, or anything in between.

His latest movie, "Everybody Wants Some!!" (yes, with two exclamation points) is no exception. Revisiting the tone and themes of his defining early works -- 1991's "Slacker" and 1993's "Dazed And Confused" -- Linklater imbues "Everybody" with the same spirit and wisdom without copying them. Instead, it's a wholly original and equally significant contribution to his cinematic output. Don't let the dumb-jock, easy-joke vibe of the trailer fool you; the marketing belies the movie's emotional and interpersonal intelligence. Linklater takes an overdone premise (1980s college athletes on the weekend before school starts) and gives us something brawny with brains to match.

Sure, there's a dumb jock or two, but these characters are game to prove their mettle off the field as much as on it -- so much so that they don't even play baseball until an hour into the movie. "Everybody" uses the competitive nature of social lives, a shared house, and sports as a lens on the timeless masculinity crisis. These guys aren't just coming of age; they're coming to an understanding of how to be men by integrity, not by gender. The fact that Linklater can wring hearty laughs and sharp observations from those concepts proves his skill in painting vivid, slice-of-life portraits.

The talented young cast gives their all, priming them for bigger things. Watch for Blake Jenner, Glen Powell, and Zoey Deutch in the future. Based on Linklater's past collaborations, he knows up-and-coming stars when he sees them, and his movies are perfect skies for them to shine.