20. Luckman, “A Scanner Darkly”
We’ve seen Linklater do the stoner type before, but Woody Harrelson‘s Luckman pushes the druggie stereotype, like so many other elements of this Philip K. Dick adaptation, to comic absurdity. We should all be so ideal when we’re as shaggy and clueless as Luckman.
19. Mike, “Dazed and Confused”
Adam Goldberg is spot-on with the creation of a kid who can’t figure out what he is, much less what he wants to be. Gotta admire his willingness to start a fight he has no hope of winning, even if he doesn’t exactly know how bad the odds really are.
18. Jake, “Everybody Wants Some!!”
Cut straight from the “Linkater lead” mold, Jake (Blake Jenner) is an All-American kid whose quiet adaptability seemingly allows him to fit in anywhere, but his musing in a punk club about his own shifting identity suggests that he realizes just how fleeting his moment of status might be.
17. Slater, “Dazed and Confused”
Rory Cochrane‘s super easygoing weed enthusiast could be the primo cinematic ambassador for getting blazed. He’s on point with his bong tech, too, advising fellow shop students on their gear.
16. Donna, “A Scanner Darkly”
At first glance the low-level dealer played by Winona Ryder appears to be little more than an older version of some of the fringe characters in “Dazed & Confused,” but Donna has secrets that turn the end of this eulogy to drug-culture (and drug war) victims on its head.
15. Cynthia, “Dazed and Confused”
Of all the weirdos, freaks, and struggling young personalities in “Dazed & Confused,” Marissa Ribisi‘s smart and fun-loving Cynthia appears to be the most balanced; she’s probably got a brighter future than anyone else in the film. Hopefully she doesn’t spend too much time with Wooderson — just enough to have fun.
14. Bernie, “Bernie”
One might be tempted to write off this mortician and emotional people person as some bizarre caricature, but Jack Black helps turn him into a tender and tragic romantic figure, even though he’s one who also happens to be a murderer.
13. Jay Niles, “Everybody Wants Some!!”
Decked out in crop tops and big glasses, this self-aggrandizing crank, played by Juston Street, is the biggest riot in Linklater’s ’80s college movie, but his emotional turning point on the baseball field is also among the film’s most effective moments.
12. Darla, “Dazed and Confused”
We don’t even see much of Parker Posey‘s domineering senior, but her gleeful “air raid!” cry is one of several instances of manipulative high school social politics captured in this senior afraid her power is already fading.
11. Fred O’Bannion, “Dazed and Confused”
Oafish and, frankly, dumb, this flunked senior played by Ben Affleck keeps his cool more than most would be able to when confronted by a shotgun-toting mom, but his eventual comeuppance is delicious.
