Ranking the 25 greatest Richard Linklater film characters

From the early 1990s, Slacker was the film that essentially put Linklater on the directorial map. It's a collection for 20-and-30-somethings with no real responsibilities, roaming the streets of Austin, Texas, talking about anything under the sun — mostly nonsensical. There's quite the list of characters to choose from, like the guy (played by the late Jerry Delony) who walks around in a Batman t-shirt with what appears to be coffee in a pint glass, bugging locals with theories that reach the moon. He thinks humans have lived on the moon since the 1950s and on Mars since 1962 because of the Greenhouse Effect. He believes the United States space program is a cover-up and cryptic messages come from late-night television.

From 2006, it's Linklater's most visually creative project. Shot digitally, then overlaid with an animated technique known as interpolated  rotoscope for a live-action feel and vibe. The movie chronicles a dystopian time where drug use is ruling the day, and the government is watching every move through a police surveillance system that leads to various levels of paranoia. Barris (Robert Downey Jr.) seems beyond paranoia, thanks to a potent hallucinogenic. He's poised to be part of the government's plan while spewing out-of-this-world theories and aiming to take down the movie's protagonist.

Her stay in Linklater's tour of the Austin bohemian scene is short. But it just might be the most memorable moment in the entire film. Credited as "Pap Smear Pusher" and exceptionally played by Teresa Taylor, she runs into some acquaintances and rambles on, in full detail, about a highway shooting incident that apparently left her floored. She then tries to sell a pap smear of pop superstar Madonna that her Hollywood gynecologist friend sent her. After all, "It's a material world, and I'm a material girl."

Dazed and Confused did not do well at the box office following its 1993 release but was critically hailed. Over the years, it has become a cult classic and, thus, considered Linklater's breakthrough movie. It's a great high school character study in the 1970s but relevant and relatable to any decade. Parker Posey was an indie-film queen at the time, and her Darla is not just the typical high-school "mean girl"; she's the B-word personified. One of the movie's most memorable moments is Darla serving as the socially vicious ringleader of the hazing ritual for incoming girls.

One can argue that the best thing about 2016's Everybody Wants Some!! is another stellar classic rock soundtrack that Linklater put together. That said, this is a strong character movie, complete with a talented cast for those who can keep up. Jake (Blake Jenner) is the film's focus, a star high school pitcher who embarks on a college baseball career. Before classes begin, he has to earn the respect of his teammates, which essentially means impressing his new friends with how much he can drink, smoke, and make time with the opposite sex. One of Linklater's most confident and self-assured characters. He's cool, but not enough to know he has a lot of learning — and growing — to do on and off the diamond.

The drug use in Dazed and Confused is a subplot of its own. Nobody enjoys his weed, and some in-school acid, as much as Slater. If we have to single out one Dazed character to carry the "stoner" torch, it's Slater (Rory Cochrane) in just his third acting gig. While he's perpetually in a haze, or at least on the last day of classes at Lee High School in 1976, Slater is everybody's friend. He's rather happy-go-lucky, calm, casual, and even insightful, like describing some hidden drug-related theories about George Washington and the dollar bill. 

Eric Bogosian wrote the screenplay for this underrated 1996 comedy drama. It's dialogue-driven and naturally aided by a killer indie/alternative rock soundtrack strung together by Linklater. Giovanni Ribisi's Jeff is an over-dramatic college dropout lacking direction and focus. After watching this film, those familiar with Ribisi's work probably wonder if anyone else could have played this role as well as he did. Sure, Jeff can get tiresome, and he's almost cartoon-like at times, but he's remembered for perhaps the most memorable moment in the movie — where he truly exposes his soul -- and body.

Actor Ajay Naidu might be best known for his role as Samir, the disgruntled but cautious computer programmer in Office Space. Yet, one of the most unheralded and least appreciated SubUrbia characters is his Nazeer. He owns and runs the local convenience store, where the aforementioned Jeff and Co. hang out along with his wife. He takes plenty of ribbing and ridicule from the gang, whom he generally loathes. He also provides needed advice and wisdom to them, especially Jeff. In a way, it's almost like some indirect tough love.

The first mention of Matthew McConaughey's work with fellow Texan Richard Linklater, which was widely released in 2012. Told in somewhat of a mockumentary form, Bernie received rave reviews for its story of a nice-guy mortician who befriends a hated local widow (more about both of these characters), who eventually dies. Meanwhile, McConaughey's Danny Buck Davidson, a cowboy-hat-wearing district attorney, sees something sinister in Bernie and charges him with the widow's murder. McConaughey's antics are brilliantly displayed, playing to the whole over-the-top nature of the film. 

First off, McReynolds (Tyler Hoechlin) hates pitchers, especially left-handers. That's because he's a slugger, his college team's best player, and an undisputed leader. He bullies the underclassmen and calls out other teammates when they are not pulling their weight — on and off the field. Of course, that makes McReynolds so much fun to watch,  especially when he's knocking the cover off a baseball with an axe or throwing a tantrum after losing at ping pong. 

Linklater's 2014 epic coming-of-age project, which follows a boy's progression from six to 18, received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Linklater's real-life daughter Lorelei shines as Samantha, the older sister of film protagonist Mason. She was pretty precocious as a youth, notably when teasing her brother and belting out Britney Spears' tunes. Sam is incredibly bright and outgoing as a child and an early teen but becomes more reserved as she heads off to college. Either way, it's an impressive performance for someone who literally grows up before our eyes.

Before Miranda Cosgrove became a Nickelodeon star with iCarly, she had already won audiences' hearts and respect as the obnoxious, grade-school perfectionist in Linklater's 2003 smash School of Rock. Summer is by-the-book, competitive, and wants to be challenged and graded on everything to prove she's the best among the brightest at the renowned Horace Green Prep School. The only thing she can't do is sing. This isn't all bad, as she becomes an exceptionally shrewd manager of her class's rock band, as we would expect.

From his shoulder-length straight hair, gawky frame, and incessant grabbing at the bridge of his nose, Mitch Kramer (played by Austin, Texas local Wiley Wiggins) is captivating as one of the young Dazed and Confused stars. Mitch's last day of junior high is a whirlwind: Running from rising seniors trying to paddle him, pitching a baseball game, hanging out with upperclassmen, successfully buying beer, and making time with an older girl. It's a coming-of-age moment that many a young teenage boy longs to have. And for Mitch, it all happens in one day.

If Darla is Dazed and Confused's queen of mean, the movie's undisputed jerk is O'Bannion. In one of Ben Affleck's earliest roles, O'Bannion is a poor man's meathead who flunked his senior year, so he decides to terrorize the incoming freshman for a second time on the last day of school. We're pretty sure not even the guys he hangs with from Lee High like him. His over-the-top obnoxiousness and bullying are comical to the point that the character is a parody of itself. That said, it's oh-so sweet when he receives his just payback from the freshman.

Ethan Hawke is another Linklater staple (more about that) and earned his fourth Oscar nomination — and first for Best Actor — as a divorced father who makes a real transformation throughout the marathon run of Boyhood. For all his flaws and misgivings, Mason never stops trying to be a real dad to his two children — even when other father-figure types come in and out of their lives. His anti-Bush rants and sex talk with his daughter are two of the movie's more entertaining moments. If there's a Boyhood character who matures the most, emotionally and responsibly, it's Mason Sr.

The aforementioned Robert Downey Jr. is strong in a supporting role, but the obvious star of A Scanner Darkly is Keanu Reeves as the movie's protagonist. Arctor is a government agent who infiltrates the underworld of this drug culture ravaging America in this disturbing near-futuristic time. Though Arctor is a true professional, loyal to his job and the law, he eventually becomes the victim of his environment and faces the challenges brought on by his paranoia. The story of a cop succumbing to the dangers of undercover work is nothing new, but Reeves' delivers on a high level worthy of praise.

Actor Ellar Coltrane wasn't new to Linklater films, having had a small part in 2006's Fast Food Nation. However, his breakout role was as young Mason, who we first saw as a curious and roll-with-the-punches six-year-old. Then, we watched how various geographical moves, family situations, and schools shaped him into an 18-year-old young man poised to tackle the world on his terms. From his own eyes and uniquely creative perspective, and in no real rush to "seize the moment." Coltrane was lauded for his performance in the Golden Globe-winning film and took home the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.

We noted Matthew McConaughey's entertaining performance in this black comedy that has a biographical, true-crime background. However, Jack Black also received plenty of critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor -- Musical or Comedy as the film's star as the beloved mortician who befriends the rather unapproachable widow. It's easy to feel for Bernie, who had good intentions while trying to be a good citizen and friend. However, some people just reach their breaking point. Then again, maybe Bernie had a dark side that's been itching to get out.

In just his second film role, Englishman Christian McKay was critically praised for his role as Welles in Linklater's 2008 period piece about a teenager (Zac Efron) starring in Welles' 1930s production of Caesar on Broadway. Efron's Richard Samuels is the movie's star, but McKay steals the show as Welles. He's an appealing combination of demanding and funny. He delivers an almost cartoon-like depiction of the larger-than-life legend, whose persona does not seem easy to pull off on film. However, McKay did it successfully and earned several accolades for the performance, including a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Shirley MacLaine is a legend, and that's on full display as the unbearable widow who has spent years tormenting her small town. (Most recently, the kind soul of Bernie Tiede.) She's mean, would tear heads off of dolls, agitate to the hilt, and she's more demanding than a whiny child. Yet, MacLaine made it so much fun to watch her make life miserable for anyone or anybody. Sure, she was lonely, and Bernie was nothing but a good companion to her, but this woman only cares about herself and expects to be treated like a queen, even if she's a human form of the devil.

Played by the always-entertaining Jack Black, Dewey Finn lives to rock and nothing else. However, when he gets booted from his band for being too crazy on stage, he's left jobless, which threatens his current living situation. Dewey turns to deception. He takes on the identity of roommate Ned Schneebly (Mike White) to get a substitute teaching gig at a prep school. While continuing his charade, he introduces a strait-laced classroom of students to the world of rock music and enlists them to help win a local Battle of Bands. Dewey is crass with questionable hygiene but brings out a side of the students they never thought was there.

Honest and genuine, Liv is the obvious star of Boyhood. So, it's understandable why she won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as a single mother who is seriously unlucky in love but fiercely independent and willing to do anything, no matter how drastic or dramatic, to give her two children the best life possible. What Liv was able to do with her life is truly inspiring, going from a struggling mom to a career educator. Patricia Arquette has delivered memorable performances  ( True Romance, Wildflower) during an exceptional career, but Boyhood should be considered her gold standard. 

Ethan Hawke not only starred in the Before trilogy but also helped write the final two installments (earning Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay). When we first meet Jesse, he's an American romantic traveling Europe when he meets Céline on a train to Paris in Before Sunrise (1995). As the story progresses within the follow-up films, each taking place and released nine years after the previous movies, Jesse matures — for better or worse. The thing is, Jesse's strength has always been his words (and maybe his looks), whether using them to court Céline or keep his personal life from falling apart.

A natural beauty, and that's not even Céline's most noteworthy quality. Maybe it's her independence? Or vulnerability? Or the honest tension the audience feels while watching her heart and mind wrestle when it comes to choosing between love and practicality? She's visually, intellectually, and emotionally stunning. Céline is superbly played by Julie Delpy, who, like Ethan Hawke, co-wrote the screenplay for the second and third movies of the Before trilogy. She also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Before Midnight. Regarding Linklater's leading ladies, the conversation must start with Céline.

David Wooderson might be the most realistic and, to many of a certain age, the most relatable character featured in any Linklater film. Throughout the United States, plenty of high schools had, or currently have, a Wooderson. He's that one graduate, who is in his 20s, a little sketchy, and still hangs out with high school kids. In Matthew McConaughey's breakout role, Wooderson has long graduated from Lee High School, works for "the city," and seems fine with his current situation of "L-I-V-I-N." Sure, Wooderson can come off as creepy to some, but he provides some noteworthy perspective for his younger friends.