Levin celebrates birthday at Presidential FLiCKS

The year 1993 was big. The cult classic “Dazed and Confused” hit theaters while University President Jonathan Levin ’94 was in his junior year at Stanford. The Internet, video streaming and even DVDs did not yet exist at that time, he pointed out in an introduction to Sunday’s FLiCKS screening.

“Presidential FLiCKS” marked a stark contrast to that era of limited technology as students gathered in the modern CEMEX auditorium for a screening of “Dazed and Confused,” selected by Levin. Waiting for the film to start, students sat snacking on the free candy and sodas that were laid out in front of the venue.

Then, FLiCKS Director Daniel Rashes ’26 took the stage and explained that the “Presidential FLiCKS” had been in the works since September. The screening also landed on Levin’s 52nd birthday. Before the movie started, the audience sang “Happy Birthday” as a piece of cake complete with a lit candle was brought to the president on stage.

Levin said that he chose the movie because it is “about what it feels like to be a young person and have your life in front of you.”

“He was here till the end,” said audience member Benji Welner ’27. “It was nice to see him enthused. He was an active participant in this.”

After some brief Wi-Fi troubleshooting, the Universal logo and music sprawled across the screen. Toilet paper rolls flew across the large lecture hall, leaving white streamers in their wake. Audience members seated in the higher levels came prepared with rolls to help bring FLiCKS into the spirit of the high school antics featured in “Dazed and Confused.” Throughout the screening, audience members continued to throw toilet paper rolls and paper airplanes randomly around the dark room. 

The movie played straight through without interruption, but not without interjection. When a character on screen lamented that some man was “a nerdy scientific type,” a man’s voice from the audience shouted “Hey!” in mock offense. The movie was met with murmurs of recognition when iconic lines were spoken, like Matthew McConaughey’s “Alright, alright, alright” and “You just gotta keep livin’ man, L-I-V-I-N.” People sang along to themselves at each successive familiar 80’s beat that soundtracked the film’s wacky antics.

Audience members appreciated that “Dazed and Confused” featured a well-known cast before most of the actors in it had become famous. 

“Ben Affleck was really, really cool,” Welner said. “He’s cool because ultimately he becomes Batman. It was funky to see everybody in their youth.”

“I thought it was a really good movie,” said Nageena Singh ’26, after the credits rolled. Welner added, “I was considering my Letterboxd review, I think I’m going to do four out of five stars.”

Andrei Mandelshtam ’25 commented on the extreme events in the film. 

“It was a very interesting movie. A lot of it was really weird to see,” Mandelshtam said. “I think I would have thought it much cooler in high school, but now I just think it was crazy and deranged. It does offer a good social commentary on the [teenage] rebellious phase.”

When audience members filed outside, they were met with a cake station to celebrate high school rebellion, being a young person and, of course, Levin’s birthday.

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