MOVIE REVIEW: ’21 Years’ Explores The Talent, Influence and Likability of Richard Linklater

Film: 21 Years: Richard Linklater
Directed By: Michael Dunaway, Tara Wood
Starring: Jack Black, Ethan Hawke, Matthew McConaughey

Tales have been told about how natural, free-flowing in thought, philosophical, and radical director Richard Linklater is. His films such as Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, and Before Sunset have gone on to define a generation of film viewers and their lives. In 21 Years: Richard Linklater, the new documentary about Linklater behind and in front of the camera, actors and actresses from a myriad of his directorial efforts come together to give their own personal spin on their experiences with the legendary filmmaker. Instead of going off in tangents about personal experiences, 21 Years details Linklater’s career movie by movie with help from some of his celebrity friends.

Jack Black, Keanu Reeves, Matthew McConaughey, Billy Bob Thornton, Parker Posey, Kevin Smith, Ethan Hawke, and Zac Efron, among others, all contributed to this visual portrait of a man that we don’t hear about much beyond junket interviews. These little interviews with Linklater collaborators served as much more than just sentiment, detailing stories that help paint a portrait of how important this man was to so many. To see famous actors talk so frankly about a person that inspires them is something not caught on film enough and with 21 Years, that’s the crux that it leans on. Luckily, it never fails as newer and newer information about Linklater keeps flying out of the mouths of people we marvel at on screen daily.

Zac Efron described Linklater as someone who “as soon as he knows enough about one thing, he goes on to another.” This simple but earnest statement is indicative about Linklater’s whole career, as is everything said by anyone in 21 Years. Anyone who has seen two films by the director knows that he is a man who dabbles in multiple genres, never locking down under a certain cinematic style. As a man who hates formula, mainstream film, and big blockbusters, this 78-minute visual essay goes on to prove some points about this man that we already know. That isn’t to say that this short little doc isn’t filled with heart and insight, it just doesn’t amount to more than some funny stories about the filmmaker.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Linklater’s work, 21 Years may even appeal to you as an introduction to a man whose work you will want to meet. The doc showcases each of his films by introducing them with a basic animation that leads into a direct quote from Linklater about the particular film. Directorial intent is something not every artist is comfortable with talking about, and here things may be a little different. Linklater never shows up to put his own curve on a story or personal account by others, which helps form the most objective view of the man.

Where 21 Years falters is choosing what to highlight more and what to highlight less. Of course it’s cool to hear people talk about School Of Rock; it’s a great film that deserves to be talked about. Linklater is much more than a filmmaker though, he’s a proprietor of classic film, a movie fanatic, and even the leader of a cause behind saving lost and forgotten film prints. His contributions to the Austin film society are amazing to hear about, as is the relationships he shares with people like Quentin Tarantino. It’s too bad that this earnest message about the good Linklater does for the film community gets shoved in at the end right before the credits rolled. In all seriousness, a documentary mainly focused on his contributions made to film preservation may prove all the more enthralling to interested eyes.

Only in short spats does 21 Years replicate the empowering feeling through cinema that we feel through Linklater’s work. Luckily though, the people behind this documentary never try to force something down the viewer’s throat, letting everything they have captured speak for itself. 21 Years may not provide the best and most insightful representation of one of the greatest filmmakers of our era, but it does more than help to prove how Linklater has and will continue to change people’s lives and personal philosophies through celluloid.

GRADE: B-

Review written by: Sam Cohen

Sam Cohen
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