When Ben Affleck stepped into the Criterion Collection Closet and pulled Dazed and Confused off the shelf, it wasn’t just nostalgia- it was a nod to one of Texas’ most iconic cinematic time capsules. Directed by native Texan Richard Linklater and filmed entirely in and around Austin, the 1993 cult classic is a hazy, hilarious love letter to 1970s Texas teen life.

What is the Criterion Closet?

The Criterion Collection Closet is a popular video series produced by The Criterion Collection, a company known for distributing important classic and contemporary films with high-quality editions and supplemental materials. It’s literally just a closet filled with shelves of DVDs and Blu-rays from Criterion's catalog.

Filmmakers, actors, and other notable guests are invited into the closet and allowed to pick out any titles they want to take home. While doing this, they’re filmed talking about their favorite movies, sharing personal stories, inspirations, or memories connected to the films they find. Ben Affleck recently stepped into the Criterion Closet, and briefly talked about one of his favorite movies, that was kind of his breakout role as well, and is a big Texas classic: Dazed and Confused.

So many people have mentioned how great it is to work with Texas-native filmmaker Richard Linklater, so I love how he mentions how great the experience of making this film was- especially because it's such a good movie!

In Dazed and Confused, Ben Affleck plays Fred O’Bannion, the paddle-happy senior. Though from Massachusetts, his character is pure Texas high school stereotype- loud, aggressive, and obsessed with hazing rituals that were (and still are) talked about across Texas towns.

Over the years, the film has become kind of a rite of passage for high school and college students in Texas. And it's extremely quotable; lines like “Alright, alright, alright” (coined by fellow Texan Matthew McConaughey) have entered Texas pop culture permanently. And for Texas audiences, it’s a reminder that some stories- and some careers- start right in our own backyard!