Engaging, charming, delightful, and real.

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 2004)

Linklater's film reminds me of a professional sports performance: he makes it look so easy! The sense of ease and delight, the languid pace and rich dialogue are not for everyone. These are largely intellectual charms we are offered as we sit at one remove, voyeurs after all, and watch romantic love spark and catch fire.
This is a love story that sets us free to witness a very real world, slightly overwrought, charmingly self-conscious, and entirely engaging. It feels like a real-time record of a first meeting and the non-stop conversation that ensues, the kind every thinking person has enjoyed at some point and remembers with sweet nostalgia.
The sex is all in the words, deeply embedded and all the more passionate for the energetic connection between the two main characters. Idealism, youth, and naiveté engage levels of honesty and courage rarely seen on film, expertly rendered by two actors willing to bring more of themselves into the frame.
Relax and enjoy - this film will invoke your best memories of youthful idealism and the deep joy of sharing ideas, however briefly, with another person.