Linklater is perhaps best known for crafting the greatest ’70s-movie-not-made-in-the-’70s with Dazed and Confused, a rebellious, somewhat nihilistic coming-of-age classic with an iconic soundtrack and a star-making cast. But while his ambition has always been fruitful and fascinating, his purest, most impactful work shows up in his more conventional subjects and stories - particularly School of Rock, arguably the most career-defining movie he’s ever made. Linklater made history with his 12-year film project Boyhood, and he’s set to do it again with Merrily We Roll Along - an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical that he intends to film over the course of the next 20 years.
His first film, Slacker, was just a peek into the possibilities of his creative and experimental dexterity, but it was enough to inspire fellow mumblecore maestro Kevin Smith to begin his directing career. Indie filmmakers are responsible for some of the greatest movies in cinematic history, but no independent auteur can whip up accessible, dynamic, generation-defining movies like Richard Linklater.
