Dazed And Confused MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -3 1/2

In 1976 when school lets out for the summer at Lee High School, the pot-smoking student body goes on a rampage. After throwing papers and books all over the halls, the seniors proceed to haze the freshmen. The freshmen girls are doused with ketchup, mustard and flour, and the boys are painfully paddled by the senior boys. The football jocks, headed by Randy Floyd (Jason London) along with other guys, cruise around town drinking beer and flirting with the girls. One group takes great delight in destroying curbside mail boxes, smashing auto windshields and stealing from a convenience store. Freshman Mitchell Kramer (Wiley Wiggins) is taken in by some seniors and gets an introduction to beer, drugs and vandalism. Finally, the teenagers all converge on "Moon Hill" in a wooded area where the beer flows freely and pot smoking abounds. All this is supposed to be amusing, but to many it will be disturbing and depressing to watch misguided youth preoccupied with drugs and sex.

This film has already been criticized in the media for its blatant portrayal of heavy drug use by youth. It's all depicted as humorous and loads of fun with no painful consequences. The destruction of property and theft are also portrayed as exciting and funny, although in one scene an irate homeowner threatens some boys with a gun. The teenagers spew out non stop crudities, obscenities and profanities and some would be unable to talk without using f- and s-words. Crude sexual remarks are commonplace, including some from the young freshman boys. Some relief is provided by one couple who genuinely like and respect each other, and refuse to become involved in the mayhem around them. Some students express their anxieties and confusion, and it is clear that very few have any spiritual or moral training to guide them. Filmmakers will justify this portrayal of youthful indiscretion as "realism," but it will likely encourage youthful viewers to emulate the degenerate behavior of those on the screen.

Preview Reviewer: John Evans
Distributor: Gramercy Pictures, 9247 Alden Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210