Line #45 Creator/RichardLinklater


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rick_linklater.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Rick's feelin' a little ''Film/DazedAndConfused''...]]
3	Richard Stuart "Rick" Linklater (born July 30, 1960) is an American filmmaker based out of Austin, Texas. He is, along with Creator/StevenSoderbergh and Creator/KevinSmith, considered one of the most important figures in the American independent film industry. His career began with ''Film/{{Slacker}}'', a very low-budget ensemble film about twenty-something misfits in Austin. The film was met with critical acclaim, and Creator/KevinSmith says it was what inspired him to make ''Film/{{Clerks}}''. His second film, ''Film/DazedAndConfused'' is a cult classic and equally acclaimed. From there, his career is, to say the least, eclectic. He's done two experimental animated films (''WesternAnimation/WakingLife'' and ''Literature/AScannerDarkly''), studio comedies (''Film/SchoolOfRock'', ''[[Film/TheBadNewsBears Bad News Bears]]''), smaller Indie movies (''Fast Food Nation'', ''Film/BeforeSunrise'' and ''Film/BeforeSunset''), and an ambitious project called ''Film/{{Boyhood}}'', which was filmed over a period of over 10 years, detailing one young man's childhood from elementary school to high school graduation, with each grade's story being written and shot over a few weeks each year until the project was completed. However, present in all his films is an underlying humanist streak done in a simple, yet effective style.
4
5	!!Filmography:
6	[[index]]
7	* ''It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books'' (1988)
8	* ''Film/{{Slacker}}'' (1991)
9	* ''Film/DazedAndConfused'' (1993)
10	* ''Film/BeforeTrilogy''
11	** ''Film/BeforeSunrise'' (1995)
12	** ''Film/BeforeSunset'' (2004)
13	** ''Film/BeforeMidnight'' (2013)
14	* ''subUrbia'' (1996)
15	* ''Film/TheNewtonBoys'' (1998)
16	* ''WesternAnimation/WakingLife'' (2001)
17	* ''Tape'' (2001)
18	* ''Film/SchoolOfRock'' (2003)
19	* ''[[Film/TheBadNewsBears Bad News Bears]]'' (2005)
20	* ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'' (2006)
21	* ''Fast Food Nation'' (2006)
22	* ''Film/MeAndOrsonWelles'' (2009)
23	* ''Film/{{Bernie}}'' (2011)
24	* ''Film/{{Boyhood}}'' (began filming in 2002, completed in 2013, released in 2014)
25	* ''Film/EverybodyWantsSome'' (2016)
26	* ''Film/LastFlagFlying'' (2017)
27	* ''Literature/WheredYouGoBernadette'' (2019)
28	* ''WesternAnimation/ApolloTenAndAHalfASpaceAgeChildhood'' (2022)
29	* ''Untitled Creator/BillHicks Movie'' (TBA)
30	* ''Theatre/MerrilyWeRollAlong'' (began filming in 2019, with plans to film the 20 years covered in the storyline in real time)
31	[[/index]]
32
33	----
34	!!Common tropes:
35
36	* AcclaimedFlop: With the exception of ''School of Rock'' and ''Boyhood'', nearly all his films' financial successes range from mediocre to outright bombs. Despite this, they're almost always praised by critics and audiences.
37	* AuthorAppeal: Linklater derived his style from ''Film/MyDinnerWithAndre'', a film of which he is a major fan.
38	* AuthorTract: One of the complaints he got for ''Fast Food Nation'' was changing the theme of the book from a critique of the fast food industry to one long tract against eating meat.
39	* BenevolentBoss: By all accounts, Rick is an easygoing, relaxed director who works with his actors to better their performances and characters.
40	* BreakthroughHit: For cinephiles, ''Dazed and Confused''. For mainstream audiences, ''School of Rock''.
41	* CareerResurrection: After ''Fast Food Nation'' both bombed and got flak for changing the message of the book, and ''Me and Orson Welles'' was barely released, ''Bernie'' received critical acclaim and ''Before Midnight'' was named the A.V. Club's best film of 2013 and got nominated for an Oscar. Now ''Boyhood'' is being almost universally praised, with some even calling it a modern classic.
42	* CreatorCameo: Appears in a photograph in ''School of Rock'' as the third member of "Maggot Death", the band that Dewey Finn and Ned Schneebly used to be in.
43	* CreatorProvincialism: He's from Texas, and a good chunk of his movies are either set or shot there.
44	* CentralTheme: Passage of Time, the Human Condition, Relationships, Suburban Culture,
45	* EverythingIsBigInTexas: Averted. Since he's born, raised and currently lives in Texas, he presents a very realistic look at the state.
46	* ExtremelyShortTimespan: ''{{Film/Slacker}}'', ''Film/DazedAndConfused'', ''Tape'', ''Film/BeforeSunset'', and ''Film/BeforeSunset''. It's something of a trademark.
47	* TheFilmOfTheBook: ''The Newton Boys'', ''A Scanner Darkly'', ''Fast Food Nation'' and ''Me and Orson Wells''. ''Bernie'' is a subversion as it was based off a series of newspaper columns.
48	* [[GranolaGirl Granola Guy]]: He's vegetarian.
49	* GreyAndGreyMorality: His films often teeter between this and WhiteAndGreyMorality
50	* NiceGuy: Rick is the most easygoing and laid-back director you could ever meet.
51	* TheOner: One of his most notable trademarks as a director.
52	* ProductionPosse: His films usually star Creator/EthanHawke or Creator/MatthewMcConaughey, Sandra Adair will edit and Graham Reynolds will compose.
53	* RandomEventsPlot: Common in many of his films. ''{{Film/Slacker}}'', in particular, is a series of vignettes with the camera wandering to a new passer-by for each one.
54	* {{Rotoscoping}}: ''Waking Life'' , ''A Scanner Darkly'', and the upcoming "Apollo 10 and a half" use this.
55	* RousseauWasRight: Antagonists in his films, if any, are not really evil or even that mean, they just seem that way the most to the main characters.
56	* SceneryPorn: His films usually have lots of pretty scenery and nice cinematography.
57	* SignatureStyle: Characters having [[SeinfeldianConversation Seinfeldian Conversations]] and movies with timeframes that usually span about 24 hours.
58	** Averted big time with ''Film/{{Boyhood}}'', which takes place (and was filmed) over 12 years. Similarly averted with ''Theatre/MerrilyWeRollAlong'', which takes place (and will be filmed) over 20 years.
59	** His films are also known for combining realistic characters and natural dialogue to make the characters seem alive and people you know.
60	* SeinfeldianConversation: A lot of Rick's films have them.
61	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: Rick's films can differentiate from the idealistic ''Film/SchoolOfRock'' to the more cynical ''{{Film/Bernie}}''. However many films have a sentimental sense of realism and many can end on a realistic HopeSpot.
62	* SlidingScaleOfRealisticVersusFantastic: Extremely Realistic. Linklater's films are known for blending the humanist art film genre with a lot of natural dialogue and realistic characters. The tone of his films itself has a sentimental realism.
63	* SlidingScaleOfPlotVersusCharacters: HEAVILY on the character side. Linklater's films have very loose plots and let the actions and conversations of the characters sink in.
64	* TaughtByExperience: He never went to film school. He taught himself how to make movies by simply making them.

Context Creator / RichardLinklater