Pizza by the slice?

The film was on my must-see list for so long. The DVD traveled home with me from the library countless times, only to be returned unwatched with fines. But I knew that the director of such terrific films as Before Sunrise and Waking Life couldn't produce a dud. At the very least, it would have inspiring dialog and interesting characters.

But I saw nothing of Linklater's touch in D & C (it had about the same appeal as watching an abortion). It could have been directed by whoever did Revenge of the Nerds (which I liked) or countless other films celebrating high-school cruelty, initiations, hazing, abuse, and the wonderfully brutal rites of organized humiliation. The fact that it rings so true for my fellow Texans is a sad indictment of their pus-infected home towns. Their laughter merely suggests that they'd been the bullies, or at least not the victims, and thus can enjoy watching it all happen again to others.