It’s the end of the school year. For me, that seems like a perfect time to revisit Richard Linklater’s epic salute to the last day of school, Dazed and Confused. On top of that, Dazed is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Lots of words have been spilled about this true classic coming-of-age-ish tale, about the big splash it made for Linklater, and about the myriad stars whose careers blossomed from it. I don’t know that me doing a review of it would make that big a contribution to that body of reviews. So instead, I’m going to highlight the best part of the movie for me–its panorama of characters portraying and occasionally subverting high-school types–and have some fun revisiting the film by counting down my five favorite characters. I hope you’ll think it’s fun, too!

5. Simone (Joey Lauren Adams): Parker Posey’s Darla is probably the most memorable female character in Dazed, but I just love Adams’s sweetness which hides just the right bit of edge. Best moment: as she’s helping haze the incoming freshmen girls: “You’re doing great. Now, fry like bacon, you freshman piggies! Fry!”

4. O’Bannion (Ben Affleck): The best moment about O’Bannion doesn’t even have Affleck on the screen–its when the freshman boys lament that he flunked his senior year so he could wail on the freshman for a second straight year. Affleck nails the obliviousness of being that one guy that thought he was cool but that everyone pretty much hated because he was such a jerk. Best moment: I love when he tries to talk his way out of trouble when freshman Carl’s (Esteban Powell) mom uses a shotgun to prevent Carl’s whipping, but it’s got to be the unadulterated slow-motion glee during the whipping of Mitch (Wiley Wiggins). Because wanton violence against underclassmen was what our high school years were all about, right?

3. Randy “Pink” Floyd (Jason London): Maybe picking the lead character is a copout, but Randy truly is a great, authentic high school character: the QB of the football team who knows everyone, is liked by everyone, speaks to everyone with respect regardless of their social circle, and is just a really good guy. He also realizes that high school isn’t everything, but is just this moment in time, showing that he does have a good head on his shoulders. I remember that guy from every year of high school, and I was grateful for him. Best moment: getting ready to paddle Mitch, tapping him lightly, and then inviting him to hang out that night. Yep, just a really great guy.

2. Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey): He had to be on here, right? But surprised he not number one, also right? Every moment of Wooderson is hilarious. Even in his breakout role and that ridiculous hair/mustache combo, McConaughey owned the screen as that creepy older guy who has nothing better to do than hang out with high school kids. He’s the guy Randy definitely doesn’t want to become. I remember those guys, too. They were indeed that creepy. But not in the fun Wooderson way. Best moment: Offering Cynthia a ride to a party when she is already in a car…that she is driving. Not missing a beat: “Yeah, well, listen. You ought to ditch the two geeks you’re in the car with now and get in with us. But that’s alright, we’ll worry about that later. I will see you there.”

1. Mike (Adam Goldberg): Mike is my favorite character in Dazed and Confused because Mike is the character most like me. He maintains a cynical approach to high school, fun, and well, almost everything else. He also has one of the few full character arcs in the movie. When a bully (Nicky Katt) embarrasses him at the Party at the Moontower, he works up the nerve to stand up for himself and fight the bully. Goldberg does a fine showing just one part of the growing process–finding out who you can be when you need to. But it s his sardonic comments in the first half of the movie that won me over. Best moment: after admitting to his friends that he no longer wants to go to law school to help the less fortunate because he doesn’t really like the less fortunate, he responds to the question of what he does want to do with the same sarcasm that carries him through the movie: “I wanna dance!”

And that’s the list! Feel free to comment with your favorite character or moment from the quintessential end-of-the-school-year film, or even let me know if there’s another movie that you think captures that feeling even better. And, if you came here for the giveaway of the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of the film, make sure to subscribe to the blog to enter (look for the “Subscribe” box and button on the top left on desktop, at the bottom of the post on your phone). The winner will be announced on here Saturday, June 3!

(Photo credit: Universal)