Slacker
(R, 1:40:26, Released 1991)
| Genres: | Drama, Classics, Comedy |
| Release Date: | Jul 5, 1991 |
| DVD Release Date: | Sep 14, 2004 |
| Starring: | Richard Linklater, Mark James, Stella Weir, John Slate, Louis Mackey, Joseph L. "Mr. Spoons" Jones, Brecht Andersch, Aleister Barron, Rudy Basquez, Albans Benchoff |
| Directed by: | Richard Linklater |
| Synopsis: | One of the key American independent films of the 1990s, Richard Linklater's feature debut is an audacious look at the twentysomething culture in the college town of Austin, Texas. Set over the course of a 24-hour period, the film is a collection of short, unconnected glimpses into the dropout subculture, touching base with a variety of musicians, students, street people and general eccentrics. While there's no real plot to speak of, Linklater's eye for nuance and gift for dialogue are superb, and the portrait he paints is so uncannily accurate that the term "slacker" was almost immediately co-opted as a media buzzword, one interchangeable with the similarly-overused "Generation X." Regardless, the film is an evocative reflection of a community and its culture and remains a definitive artifact of its time and place. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi |
| Full movie details |
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Other Top Reviews
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March 18, 2012
A series of vignettes on life as a twenty-something resident in and around the city of Austin, Texas. Known in some circles as a "cult classic", Slacker features atrocious acting, shaky camera work and Madonna's pap smear.
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January 2, 2012
Anti-Artist: Uh, I don't do much really, I just read, and work here, and, uh, sleep and eat, and, uh, watch movies.
This review is going to be pretty short, as there's nothing really worth talking about.
Slacker is a plotless film that follows losers around. Most of the time, these losers think they are geniuses. They talk about complicated issues, and give their theories on these issues. Every person the movie follows is that guy or girl you see on the street that starts talking to you about shit you don't care about. The only thing you can think about when around them is, I wanna get the fuck away from this weirdo.
Linklater made some good movies after this, and a bunch of critics adore this film. In my opinion, it is useless and boring. If listening to crackpots talk about nothing that really matters is your idea of a good time, have at it. I'll take Dazed and Confused, and Suburbia over this. -
December 6, 2011
if i was a cab driver who went to bed at 2:00 every morning and woke up at 4:30 every morning and worked with shitty, racist, boring, stupid people and had to drive a shitty car that worked less than half the time and had to drive around ugly places and pick up different shitty, boring, pretentious people like the one in the first monologue (Richard Linklater) and this stale prick started babbling at my fucking tired, shitty personality about quantum science and lucid dreaming or what the fuck ever then i think i would be fairly entitled to do what Robert De Niro did at the end of "Taxi Driver."
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November 27, 2011
This film depicts various characters in Austin, all of whom share the same post-modernist, anti-establishmentarian philosophy.
The beginning of the film shows a man getting into a taxi cab and discussing quantum physics with the cab driver. When he gets out, the film's focus switches to another story about a woman who got run over. The focus of the film gets passed from character to character over the next hour and forty-five minutes. It's an interesting idea - passing the film's action like a hot potato - but I found two major issues with the execution.
First, every character is interchangeable. I can't imagine the quantum physics guy radically disagreeing with the conspiracy theorist or the old anarchist. The film could have been one long monologue by the same character; it seems only coincidental that it's divided into different people.
Second, the stories are often senseless and pointless. Yes, I understand that the point of Slacker is to portray slackers who, on the surface, may lead senseless and pointless lives, but there are occasions when the bullshit these characters spew becomes overwhelmingly deep.
The film defies all the usual structural demands; there's no climax, rising action, or denouement. It just ends.
And overall, when it did, I though that I had just completed a chore, a marathon that got me nowhere and taught me nothing. -
fb1664868775October 27, 2011A very original debut from Richard Linklater.
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March 6, 2011
Richard Linklater's debut film is one I was expecting to (or figured I would) love. Instead, I merely really like it. For now it gets a strong B+. Many of his trademarks (which coincidentally arew things I like anyway) show up here: rambling conversations (often intellectual/philosophical in nature), haivng the movie take place over the course of roughly 24 hours, oddball characters, long takes, and tracking shots. There is no pliot here, which'll alienate a lot of people, but I mostly liked that.
This is essentaiily a plotless tour through the bohemian or slacker culture of Austin, Texas where the audience follows people from one conversation to another (it's a cool technique) and gets a glimpse at some oddball people that can be really fun to listen to. The film is something of a generational statement defining what makes Generation X tick. I't kind of plays like a free-form documentary, which is kind of cool. It's hard to tell how many of the people are really actors, and how much acting is really happening.
Of the many eccentric characters, my two favorites are the Madonna Pap Smear Pusher (Butthole Surfers drummer Teresa Taylor) and an edlerly anarchist who befriends a guy who tries to burglarize his house. They probably are also the funneist and most interesting, but that's just me. I just wish that Taylor would have had more screen time.
Even though this film is an acquired taste, it's still gonna have a limited appeal. I'd give it a higher grade, but it was a little more boring than I thought it might be, and also a bit too long and rambling. I'm glad I saw it though because it kind of seems like the sort of thing that I myself would make (or would like to). Probably the greatest compliment I can pay this film is that it really helped push along the independent film scene of the 1990s. Without this film Kevin Smith wouldn't have a career, and the popularizing of the slacker culture wouldn't exist, and not having those two things would be a real shame. -
January 27, 2011
It's a very particular type of movie. While I didn't find it all that fun or entertaining, it's a very important story being told. Generation X's meaning is literally being displayed on camera. A lot of the dialogue is obviously improvised and at times it feels more like a mockumentary than a narrative, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just frustrating at times when you're used to expecting a straight forward movie.
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September 21, 2009
Interesting. Not a lot happens and there's no real plot to talk of, but it does have some appeal. What that is, I couldn't quite say.
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September 2, 2008
Working on Same Painting: Sorry, I'm late.
Having a Breakthrough Day: That's okay, time doesn't exist.
The first film written and directed by Richard Linklater, this is a uniquely-structured and plotless film, following a single day in the life of an ensemble of mostly twenty-somethings in Austin. The film follows various characters and scenes, never staying with one character or conversation for more than a few minutes before picking up someone else in the scene and following them.
Old Anarchist: And remember: the passion for destruction is also a creative passion.
The movie is literally about nothing. We meet a whole assortment of characters, never see them again after their scenes consisting of either banter or dialog, and the movie eventually ends without having any standard structure. This is the kind of things some cult films are made of.
Disgruntled Grad Student: Every action is a positive action, even if it has a negative result.
Obviously done very cheaply and with no professional actors, the movie still manages to work due to the fact that the dialog is interesting, sometimes funny, but consistently approached in some sort of surrealist manner.
Hitchhiker: Every single commodity you produce is a piece of your own death!
This was one of the several films in the 90s that brought in the wave of independent films to wider audiences. It is also the film that inspired Kevin Smith to become a filmmaker. These points do not necessarily mean anything, but in terms of relating it somehow to someone, this is the kind of movie it is.
Nothing happens, but it is filled with conversations that are interesting and intriguing. Yep, that is what will pass as a recommendation.
Has Conquered Fear of Rejection: Do you have a car?
S-T-E-V-E with a Van: Do you have a car, I have *a van*, lets go! -
March 1, 2008
The movie is pointless.
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November 26, 2007
The greatest movie about people doing nothing you'll ever see.
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December 31, 2006
Very creative and really well done.
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December 22, 2008
Pretentious isn't quite the word, but I suspect Linklater thought a lot of these conversations (and I use "conversations" lightly as it's more of a series of monologues) were a lot funnier or more interesting than they actually are.
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May 2, 2010
Richard Linklater is definitely a god of filmmaking. I never thought that I could enjoy a film that's little more than people simply walking around and talking and to be fair, that's what this film is; constant dialogue. This film is said to have inspired Kevin Smith to become a filmmaker so do you really need any more incentive to watch it? I think not.
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January 24, 2009
This awesome film might not have a linear narrative but the discussion which the characters are having are brilliant!
Linklater did a good job as a first time director! -
September 14, 2008
In theory I love this movie. In reality I don't even like it. It's a great concept and Linklater's direction is very good. Unfortunately I just didn't care for about 90% of the characters, and their conversations were mostly boring. Once or twice I'd get pulled in by a character, but then it would move on and I'd lose interest again. I respect the spirit of it, but I didn't really like it.
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May 11, 2008
I may completely forget about this or it may become one of my favorite movies ever. There's really no in between. We'll see.
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April 17, 2008
It's like a journey through lifes of people who don't do a whole lot.
It's like a stream of consciousness that is actually a series of snapshots of lives.
It's pretty engrossing, if you let it in with open arms. -
August 1, 2006
What's the fuss about?
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November 20, 2011
Finally watched this today. Good stuff. I think Kevin Smith out-slackered him with Clerks, but still...
The really weird bit at the beginning was really good, and really weird. Maybe the whole thing was alernate probabilities unfolding? Cool. -
October 30, 2010
A film that seems to be all the different thoughts, memories, and situations that director Linklater has experienced; portrayed through all the various scenes and characters in this flick. Because the movie is simply several different characters spewing existential thoughts off the top of their head, it's conceivable that this was Richard's first attempt towards a similar film of his entitled "Waking Life."
"When young, we mourn for one woman... as we grow old, for women in general. The tragedy of life is that man is never free yet strives for what he can never be. The thing most feared in secret always happens. My life, my loves, where are they now? But the more the pain grows, the more this instinct for life somehow asserts itself. The necessary beauty in life is in giving yourself to it completely. Only later will it clarify itself and become coherent." -
June 17, 2010
Endless prattling from hipster douchebags, I'm giving Linklater the benefit of the doubt and assuming we're more supposed to hate these people than actually give a damn about most of their mindless yammering. I also like the concept of being passed around between characters much like the no-doubt endless supply of doobage these people smoked when saying this stuff.
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January 26, 2010
i'm mixed on this. for the most part, good early direction by linklater. however, the philosophy and psychology often explored is absolutely laughable. part of me wants to say it's intentional, but then again the guy also made waking life didn't he? and that one's hard to not take seriously (as flipping pretentious as it is). oh wait... he made dazed and confused too? oh yeah. so yet again, can't really tell if this is meant to be taken seriously. either way, i can't. the lay out of several vignettes is awesome though. i'd like to see a better done movie in the same format.
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September 5, 2009
Eventually enjoyable. Bad acting intentionally, but some gems. Austin has got to be the craziest damn town in America.
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July 16, 2009
Personal pick on this. Don't think this film is close too being one of the greatest film of the 90's, but one of my favorites.
