It’s surprising that Richard Linklater doesn’t come up more often in conversations about the greatest directors ever. Some of his movies are duds, but his best projects are straight-up masterpieces, from the rotoscoped philosophy of Waking Life to the epic, decade-spanning Boyhood.
His movies tend to be funny and heartfelt, with realistic characters and complex themes. His Before trilogy alone contains more food for thought than most filmmakers’ entire filmographies. These are Linklater’s finest movies, according to the users of IMDb.
10 ‘A Scanner Darkly’ (2006)
IMDb: 7.0/10
A Scanner Darkly is something of an outlier in Linklater’s body of work in that it’s a sci-fi thriller. It’s set in the near future, where the government wages a relentless war on drugs, using sophisticated technology to monitor its citizens 24/7.
In this dystopia, undercover detective Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) becomes addicted to Substance D, a hallucinogenic drug that erodes his identity and blurs the lines between reality and illusion. It’s an intriguing adaptation of Philip K. Dick‘s famous novel, and many of the ideas it explores are still relevant today.
9 ‘Tape’ (2001)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Tape might be Linklater’s smallest project. It takes place entirely in a motel room and revolves around just three characters. The volatile Vince (Ethan Hawke) invites his old high school friend Jon (Robert Sean Leonard), a successful filmmaker, to the motel room for a reunion.
Unbeknownst to Jon, Vince harbors a deep resentment towards him over an incident involving Amy (Uma Thurman), a former girlfriend they both knew in high school. It’s a very intimate, realistic movie, which succeeds thanks to the authentic performances from the leads. Tape breezes by at just 86 minutes long but contains a lot of interesting ideas and rich subtext.
8 ‘Apollo 10 1⁄2’ (2022)
IMDb: 7.2/10
In 1960s Houston, Stanley (Milo Coy) is a boy who is fascinated by astronauts and space travel. He avidly follows the Apollo moon mission then underway. In his imagination, Stanley becomes a space explorer too, training for a secret lunar mission.
Apollo 10 1⁄2 is based on Linklater’s own childhood, and he does an excellent job of recreating the feeling of being a kid, where everything seems more vivid and intense. This is complemented by the animation style, which is unique and gorgeous.
7 ‘School of Rock’ (2003)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Dewey Finn (Jack Black) is a down-on-his-luck musician who masquerades as a substitute teacher at an uptight private school. Unconventional and rebellious, Dewey recognizes the musical talent hidden within his young students and forms a rock band with them, defying the strict educational system.
School of Rock is Linklater’s most purely entertaining movie. It’s delightful, heartwarming, and frequently hilarious. Jack Black was born to play the lead role. It ranks among his very best performances. The young cast also shines, especially then-10-year-old Miranda Cosgrove.
6 ‘Dazed and Confused’ (1993)
IMDb: 7.6/10
Dazed and Confused follows a diverse ensemble of characters on the last day of high school in 1976. Each of them has their own issues to deal with and priorities to pursue. It really captures the spirit of the ’70s, exploring themes of rebellion, freedom, and the transition to adulthood.
The performances are amazing across the board. Matthew McConaughey is especially praiseworthy. (This movie was actually the origin of his catchphrase “Alright, alright, alright”. Not for nothing, Quentin TarantinocalledDazed and Confusedhis “favorite movie of the 90s”. “[It’s] maybe the only movie that three different generations of college students have seen multiple times,” he said.
5 ‘Waking Life’ (2001)
IMDb: 7.7/10
An unnamed protagonist (Wiley Wiggins) drifts through a seemingly endless dream where he engages in thought-provoking conversations with a multitude of characters. They range from everyday individuals to renowned philosophers and scholars, as well as some characters from other Linklater movies.
These discussions delve into topics such as free will, the meaning of life, existentialism, and the nature of dreams. They make Waking Life feel like a late-night dorm room conversation, in the best way. It’s also notable for being Linklater’s first rotoscoped film, a style he would return to again. With rotoscoping, the film is initially shot in live-action, and then animators trace over the footage to produce an animated look.
4 ‘Before Midnight’ (2013)
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IMDb: 7.9/10
Before Midnight is the final entry in Linklater’s Before trilogy about the characters Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). Set nine years after their reunion in Paris, Before Midnight finds the couple vacationing in Greece, now in their forties and navigating the complexities of a long-term relationship.
They grapple with the challenges and realities of their lives together, discussing their dreams, fears, and the compromises they have made. Through their intimate and emotionally charged conversations, the film explores the intricacies of love, commitment, and growing old.
3 ‘Boyhood’ (2014)
IMDb: 7.9/10
Boyhood may be Linklater’s most groundbreaking work. It was filmed over twelve years, and charts the life of Mason Evan Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) from age six to eighteen. Through Mason’s eyes, the film examines family dynamics, the challenges of adolescence, and the search for personal identity.
Ethan Hawke said that working with Coltrane over more than a decade and seeing him grow up was “a little bit like time-lapse photography of a human being.” Filming this kind of project posed all sorts of challenges, but it paid off. Boyhood is currently the highest-rated film of the 21st century on Metacritic, with a Critic score of 100/100.
2 ‘Before Sunset’ (2004)
IMDb: 8.1/10
In the second Before film, Jesse and Celine unexpectedly encounter each other in Paris. Jesse, now a successful writer, is on a book tour, while Celine works as a social activist. With only a few hours before Jesse’s flight back to the United States, they wander through the enchanting streets of Paris, reflecting on their lives, missed opportunities, and the connection they shared nine years ago.
As the clock ticks away, Jesse and Celine grapple with the lingering feelings they have for each other, contemplating the possibility of rekindling their romance. Like a lot of Linklater’s movies, Before Sunset is little more than a series of conversations. But the dialogue is so rich and believable that the viewer is spellbound throughout.
1 ‘Before Sunrise’ (1995)
IMDb: 8.1/10
Jesse, an American traveler, and Celine, a French student, meet by chance on a train to Vienna. Struck by an immediate connection, Jesse convinces Celine to disembark with him, even though he has a flight back home the next morning. They spend the night wandering the streets of Vienna, discussing everything: their dreams, fears, their thoughts on love, and more.
Before Sunrise might be the simplest film in the trilogy, but it has an infectious energy, perhaps because the leads were still so young. Their chemistry is amazing. It’s what holds the project together. The dialogue is fun, filled with banter, but also touches on deep themes and universal experiences. The script (co-written by Hawke and Delpy) might do most of the heavy lifting, but Linklater’s talent for visual storytelling is also very much on display. For example, he concludes the film with one of the most powerful ending shots in movie history.
