The 90's return with a special edition release of Dazed and Confused, which includes never-before-seen deleted scenes and a couple of not-so-interesting special features. Regardless of whether the movie can really be considered a special edition, Dazed and Confused is still immensely entertaining.

Though I doubt high school life was ever this exciting, the movie looks at several characters on the last day of school in a very believable way. Namely, a couple of new freshman are trying to push themselves into the high school scene, while the seniors are doing their best to make the freshmen's first day of summer a living hell. A group of jocks are running around town beating up freshman with wooden paddles, led by a ferocious bully played by a very young Ben Affleck. Some of the seniors are a little more tolerable, like the quarterback of the football team, played by Jason London, and there are even some older fellows hanging around (Matthew McConaughey). Also keep your eyes peeled for Parker Posey, Joey Lauren Adams and Milla Jovovich.

The movie doesn't have much of a plot. There are no underlying attempts for love or even storylines about kids trying to get laid. There's no nudity, but there's lots of drugs and beer. There aren't even any main characters; there are at least twenty who share screen time together. Dazed and Confused is simply about kids having fun, and the movie succeeds by being simple yet at the same time believable.

The movie is entertaining from beginning to end as the characters get into all kinds of trouble, from destroying mailboxes to initiation rituals to practical jokes. Potheads are also generally funny, and there are a few actors here that play their characters a bit too well.

As for the DVD, it's nothing special. The deleted scenes are okay, but the other features, namely a few cheesy public service announcements and an "institutional filmstrip on the dangers of partying," fail to hit the mark. Thankfully, the movie alone is worth the purchase.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.