Slacker - Criterion Collection (1991)

PERFECT!

This movie is a must have. It makes you really think about what they are talking about in the movie. My boyfriend absolutely loves this movie along with another that is similar: Waking Life. November 6, 2008

massively overrated

Rick Linklater brought this movie off on a shoestring budget: it follows, without a story, the various reflections of residents in the student ghetto area of UT Austin.

I've always thought this movie was greatly overestimated: there are some good lines, but not really "dialogue." Pretty much all the characters talks the same: like Richard Linklater, presumably. It's really just a continuous, occasionally amusing monologue that simply drifts from one character to another.

Linklater went on to do some legitimately good films, but this one, his third film, hardly deserves the massive study edition that this Criterion Collection edition is. June 27, 2008

Helped to jumpstart the Indie Rennaisance

How my ratings work:
5 - I really liked/loved it
4 - I liked it/really liked it
3 - Could've been better/worth a look
2 - Just didn't live up to the potential
1 - Simply aweful

Richard Linklater's Slacker is a landmark film in that it has inspired future filmmakers like Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, etc) and was part of the Indipendent Film Rennaisance of the 80's and 90's. For me Linklater has made many better movies since this (Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, etc). But for a debut film (though technically it's his 2nd full length film) it's not a bad piece of work. It shows his later traits of offbeat characters and flowing dialogue. Some will complain about certain scenes (like the opening with the director's monologue). But if you listen to the commentary by Linklater he talks about the obsurdity of someone talking to a random person of their theories of life. He's was going for a strange random film. Some scenes in the movie drag too much. But there are scenes that are quite funny (where the girl tries to sell a supposed Madonna pap smear). Other fun characters include a government conspiracy guy who randomly talks to a guy walking down the street. I like that the more normal characters in the movie don't seem phased and or don't judge the more offbeat characters. There are some nice deadpan moments too. And a good deal of the movie manages to pull off scenes in one long take, which isn't easy in any budget aspect of filmmaking.

I myself and 3 of my siblings are from Generation Y (all of us born in the early to late 80's), my oldest brother is of Generation X (born in 1976), and my parents are from the baby boom generation (dad at the beginning and mom towards the end). Thanks to this age diversity in my family I've been able to experience many different aspects of music, movies, etc. I'm writing all this to explain my reasonings for my liking of this film. Seeing this film has given me a better view of the Generation X crowd.

Would I call this movie a masterpiece? No, not really. Would I call it influential? Of course. As said before it's influenced other filmmakers. As an aspiring filmmaker it's inspiring to me in that it shows you don't need a huge budget to make a movie. Also this movie brings up things that seemed crazy at one point but are now coming up and or have already happened (global climate change, terroist bombings, etc). It's definately not for everyone; most likely I wouldn't show this to my friends because it wouldn't be their type of movie. This is for more the eclectic type of movie watchers.

Criterion did a good job on the special features for this dvd. I like the multiple commentaries from Linklater, cast and crew members that talk about the aspect of making the film. The 10 year anniversary meeting of the cast and crew is interesting to see since most of these people haven't seen each other since the movie was made. As for Linklater's real debut film, It's Impossible to Plow by Reading Books; I haven't really been able to finish it. I know I will at some point in the future. There's also a booklet with different essays on the film. June 18, 2008

Sucker

This movie sucks. Don't wonder why aging Baby Boomers or anybody else lacks respect for their offspring, the so-called Generation X, when fools go around claiming this is a good movie.

I have much respect for slacking in general, as I do believe that work is a much overrated endeavor. In fact, working kills people. The stress and misery it creates leads to premature death in millions. Of coarse work must be done to maintain society, but people should do much less work. And the work that is done should be for things that need getting done. Most work is not necessary or even bad for the planet. There is a case to be made that some of the great Zen masters achieved enligtenment through their "slack".

Anyway, I don't like the movie because the slackers portrayed in the movie are typically either crackpots, dopey idiots, or plainly uninteresting. It's a portrait of social decay. Again, slacking per se is fine, but being a loony conspiracy theorist, immature and developmentally retarded, or psychologically ill isn't cool --and in the case of this undeservedly popular cult classic, not very entertaining. Slacking is not to my mind synonymous with idiocy, mental pathology, or even mediocrity. If your going to portray crack pots make them more interesting. I like some of the girls. The analysis of Smurf society is good. There are a couple or so good moments, to be fair. Anyway,that's just my two cents.

There would be no CLERKS without SLACKERS and obviously Kevin Smith copied this film and made a much better, much more entertaining movie. Another positive result is that this project did lead to WAKING LIFE, which is very enjoyable. The characters and conversations were overall much more engaging for the viewer. Visually it was even better before advertisers started using the same animation method in commercials for cars and what-have-you. Whatever.

I should have given SLACKER 1 star. April 9, 2008

One of the Best Indie Films of the 90's

A movie that must truely be viewed to be an eclectic arristicrate, with a slacker mentality. January 28, 2008

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