Wyatt Russell

I haven't seen this discussed anywhere else so I thought I would bring it up here. This is just a fun theory, and please feel free to correct me if I've misinterpreted something here.

I just finished watching Richard Linklater's spiritual sequel to 'Dazed and Confused' and I couldn't help but wonder if Linklater wrote himself into the movie as the character Willoughby.

This movie, like 'Dazed,' is largely about nostalgia, which is why both films seem to meander casually through a time and place. There are no big central conflicts or tidy resolutions. Instead, both films exist as trips to the past - specifically the past as it exists in Richard Linklater's memory - and allows him to spend a day or two with old friends.

Toward the end of 'Everybody Wants Some,' the character of Willoughby is casually revealed to have been an imposter - a 30-year-old man who pretends to be college-aged, seemingly so that he may relive his past. All of Willoughby's sage advice is revealed to be the wisdom of a slightly older man being imparted onto his younger selves.

Willoughby is a huge fan of 'The Twilight Zone,' and the character is obviously named after the famous Season 1 episode 'A Stop in Willoughby,' wherein a grown man dreams of an idyllic past that no longer exists.

I wonder, then, if the character of Willoughby was meant to symbolize Richard Linklater himself - a meta-commentary on the Writer/Director's nostalgic trip to the past to visit his old friends.

Think about it. Let's assume that you're Richard Linklater's age. If you could travel back in time and spend 1 or 2 days with your college-age buddies, what would you do? Probably smoke a bong or two, try to impart some wisdom, and then get out before causing too much of a stir, leaving behind only a Pink Floyd album and a freshly-wrapped joint in your wake.