Dear Litigious Former High School Friends of Director Richard Linklater,
Hi there! How's it going? We don't know each other, but I read about your case on the AP and I wanted give you some advice. Not from a legal source, because lord knows we have no expertise in that area, but from a cinematic one.
My friends, your time has run out.
Rick made his (apparently) autobiographical paean to '70s high school cruisin' and hang out in suburban Texas in Nineteen Ninety Three. It is now Two Thousand and Four. We've passed the opportunity for a director's edition tenth anniversary DVD release of Dazed and Confused, so it's certainly too late for you three to sue for any kind of defamation on your likeness. We don't think you're going to be able to collect much even if you were for some whacked out reason awarded "damages."
Sure, Rick's transitioned into some more mainstream Hollywood directing lately, what with last year's School of Rock and CC certainly liked Before Sunset though we don't think it did such big box office. Cinecultist thinks he's a director who'll have a lasting impact on the cinematic landscape but a Steven "Money Bags" Spielberg he is not. Now dudes, if you had gone to high school with that guy and he made a movie that had characters with your names in it, then you might be able to make some serious change.
And another thing, if you're still calling yourself Randall 'Pink' Floyd and you're now (let's think here — 18 in summer of '76 + 29 years later) 47 years old, people are going to think you do drugs. It's a given, working at car dealership in Huntsville, TX or not. And really, you're being played by Jason London in a movie version of your life, man. That's not too shabby. He's been on the WB and everything.
That's all, we guess. Good luck then with your future endeavors and enjoy your few moments of fame while you can.
kisses!
the Cinecultist