Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused

Maybe a few behind the scenes pics would have been nice, but overall this is a very detailed account of the story of how the film was made, with insights from virtually all the key people. Highly recommended.

* I want to edit my review because I just saw some really horrible reviews that don't make any sense to me. I would advise you not to purchase this book unless you are a very big fan of the film and want a behind-the-scenes account of the experiences of everyone involved with it. If you aren't looking to experience the minutiae and gossip and technicalities of the entire project and its Legacy, you might hate the book. Buying the book blindly and then reviewing it on the basis that you casually enjoy the film is not fair to the book. And you definitely shouldn't buy this book if you haven't seen the film before.I bought this because this has become my favorite movie. Since the pandemic began I've seen the movie 50 more times. Also,In the pandemic it seems like I haven't been able to enjoy my own life, and watching people in the middle of summer having a stereotypical High School field party has filled in what I've been missing personally.Anyway, I began reading this book a couple of nights ago after purchasing it in November. And I stayed up all night and finished it at about 5 am. I haven't read a book like that in years and years. It just went by. Almost the entire book is written in conversation, hence oral history I guess. And I had a very good time reading the gossip and the technicalities of a movie I really enjoyed. I would recommend it.

I am a huge fan of Dazed and Confused. I have read every book on it, watched every documentary, listened to every podcast. With this book, Melissa Maerz has quite definitively captured everything I had already known about the film, but also added a ton of info I was not aware of.The book's stories are primarily told through quotes attributed to the actors, producers, fans, makers of the movie. It covers everything from getting the movie made, casting, character development, how the set was run, how the marketing was done as well as the dirt from behind the scenes with the actors and hookups etc.She also adds some great perspective on the film from the authors point of view. A favorite quote is "This movie is a period piece, but the period isn't the '70s--its the period in everyone's life between 14 and 17" that really sums up the movies timeless appeal.If you even remotely liked Dazed and Confused or are a fan of movies and moviemaking in general this is a must read. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I bought Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused as a Christmas gift for my son who is a graduate student in film studies at NYU. My son has an extensive library of film related books. For reference, he read 67 books, fiction and non-fiction, in 2020 so he knows a good book when he reads one. He gives Alright, Alright, Alright an unequivocal "Oh Hell Yes!" He said it was well-written, enlightening, in depth, and an absolute page turner. He especially liked and appreciated that the book was not just some lazy nostalgia bait.

I love the "oral history" format and found this book to be compulsively readable. The inside look on how Linkletter got his start, how his movie got green lit, the problems he had with the studio and various individuals, how the movie was released etc was all so interesting. The fact that my husband and I both graduated in '76 (the year the movie is set in), and him in Texas, makes this movie especially compelling for us. We both thought the hazing scenes were made up, but, WAY, they were the director's actual experience.There are A LOT of characters to keep track of, so I had one finger on the page with the cast list with photos the entire time so I could flip back and forth and keep them straight.Highly recommend! (thought I agree with one reviewer that there is no good reason to spell "ALL RIGHT" as "alright"!