It’s the atmosphere that matters, not the plot: Quentin Tarantino named two of the best «party movies» of all time — and they are extremely different

Director Quentin Tarantino likes to create ratings of the best movies from various genres — and this time he touched upon the best films in the «hangout movies» category.

If we take a direct translation into account, it means «hangout movies» — that is, for easy and fun viewing with a group, with an emphasis on the atmosphere rather than the plot. Interestingly, Tarantino’s own rating in this case is headed by «Dazed and Confused» and «Rio Bravo» — both of which meet the «party movie» requirements, but their combination here demonstrates how different films in this subgenre can be.

«Dazed and Confused» — is a teen movie classic from Richard Linklater, who cast such future stars as Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich and Ben Affleck in the lead roles. The film takes place on the last day of school in Austin in 1976 and tells the story of various students of the school — from athletes to outcasts. There is no protagonist, no central conflict, but there is the same atmosphere of parties and entertainment.

«Rio Bravo» instead offers a more suspenseful story — this Howard Hawks western film tells the story of a sheriff (John Wayne) who finds himself in danger after arresting a murderer. The criminal’s brother gathers a gang of outlaws to free him from prison, and the protagonist must face this challenge with only the help of a drunk, a singer and a young but fast gunslinger.

The reason why the director put these two different films at the top of his «hangout movies» ranking is that hangout movies defy genre. In fact, most of them have very loose plots, where the focus is on the characters or the atmosphere, while we, the audience, just spend time in the company of them as if they were old friends.

The other films that Quentin added to his rating are — «Clerks» by Kevin Smith (1994), «Friday» by F. Gary Gray (1995) and «Before Sunrise», also by Richard Linklater (1995).

Of course, Tarantino’s love for the «hangout movies» genre influenced his work, with «Once Upon a Time in Hollywood» being one of the most prominent examples. The film takes place in 1969, where we follow fading TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), and their much more famous neighbor Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).

Recall that the film will get a spinoff on Netflix from a separate line for Cliff Booth. Tarantino himself wrote the screenplay, while David Fincher is directing. In addition to Brad Pitt, the cast is rumored to include Carla Gugino («The Fall of the House of Usher»), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II («Watchmen»), Elizabeth Debicki («The Crown»), and Scott Caan (Turk Malloy in «The Ocean’s Trilogy») — an interesting «mix» that suggests Fincher’s vision for the project may differ from Tarantino’s original. Earlier, insider Jeff Snyder wrote that Leonardo DiCaprio would also appear in the film in a cameo role (later it was reported that he would receive $3 million for the cameo), while Margot Robbie also allegedly expressed her willingness to return.

As a reminder, earlier Tarantino praised the series «News» / The Newsroom, recognizing Aaron Sorkin as «the best dialogue writer» in Hollywood, as well as a Netflix horror hit that, according to the director, «has no competitors» in the genre. The director also called the best action movie of 2025 and a movie that believes one of the best directorial debuts in history.

Source: Sky News, Screen Rant