1990 Directed by Richard Linklater
Austin, Texas, is an Eden for the young and unambitious, from the enthusiastically eccentric to the dangerously apathetic. Here, the nobly lazy can eschew responsibility in favor of nursing their esoteric obsessions. The locals include a backseat philosopher who passionately expounds on his dream theories to a seemingly comatose cabbie, a young woman who tries to hawk Madonna's Pap test to anyone who will listen and a kindly old anarchist looking for recruits.
Richard Linklater Rudy Basquez Jean Caffeine Jan Hockey Stephan Hockey Mark James Samuel Dietert Bob Boyd Terrence Kirk Keith McCormack Jennifer Schaudies Dan Kratochvil Maris Strautmanis Brecht Andersch Tommy Pallotta Jerry Delony Heather West John Spath Ron Marks Daniel Dugan Brian Crockett Scott Marcus Stella Weir Teresa Taylor Mark Harris Greg Wilson Deborah Pastor Gina Lalli Sharon Roos Show All…
Clark Walker Ralph Watson Scott Rhodes Carlos Omar Guerra Abby Antweil John Spath Dennis Reynolds Tracey Holman Weaver
슬래커, בטלנים בטקסס, Henyék, Бездельник, Uyuşuk, 都市浪人
USA
Dobie Theater
USA
New York New Directors and New Films Festival
USAR
USA
It says so much about the ultimate destination of Kevin Smith's career that it began when he watched Slacker and felt like it was so thin that it proved he could do the same. Granted, Smith's conception of slacker culture, of people stagnating when they reach their 20s and realize they have no idea what to do and ultimately just bullshitting about Star Wars and sex talk is, on the whole, perhaps more accurate a portrait of youthful wheel-spinning. Linklater's film, on the other hand, is less about a specific generational angst than the collective drain of people of all ages who are just a bit off, who never really got with the program.
"Slacker," then, is more of a…
It’s easy to imagine an alternate reality where cinema branched off from Slacker. Where people grew tired of grand narratives and structure, of protagonists and deeper meanings. Where the universal overcame the specific, and art was about everything and nothing all at once. I don’t know what I’m talking about, but neither does this movie. And that’s what’s good about it. It ain’t trying to be anyone’s favorites movie. It’s just trying to be.
Seeing this for the first time, and it's a stunning directorial debut. I haven't seen many films that so perfectly evoke and examine alienation; political, social, interpersonal and internal. Slacker has sort of the same structure of Waking Life (which self-consciously echoes it in ways I was oblivious of when I saw that one), but there's much more to chew on in each scene besides the content of the monologues. The interlocutors are as worth watching as the speakers, their varying degrees of engagement, their relationship with who's talking to them. What comes across most powerfully is how powerfully isolated the characters are. Sure, the rambling nutcases are desperate for human connection, but so are the more seemingly even-keeled folks,…
A beautiful snapshot of what life can be like when an entire city is mentally ill in roughly the same way.
You could show this to basically any human being from any era in history and -barring language barrier issues- they'd be able to correctly guess which member of this cast played drums for the Butthole Surfers.
RIP Teresa Nervosa
"We all know the psychic powers of the televised image. But we need to capitalize on it and make it work for us instead of us working for it."
You think you've heard bizarre conspiracy theories until you watch Slacker and find out how The Smurfs are preparing the world for Krishna's imminent return and then you realize Linklater should be doing Alex Jones' scripts and have him sell Madonna pap smears.
87/100
A.V. Club review. Evidently I have a soft spot for movies that amount to a collection of shorts by the same filmmaker (as distinctly opposed to omnibus features)—see also 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould, Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari, etc. Not as raggedy as I'd misremembered, though—Linklater put more care and purpose into each shot than the vast majority of Sundance neophytes manage even today.
there’s so many phenomenal things i could talk about here, but I just love the way linklater enunciates the word “reality”
Written and directed by Richard Linklater, Slacker wanders randomly within an assortment of characters and situations. It's an incredibly photographed self-sufficient combination of comedy and drama where the camera is easily distracted; where it's evocative locations frequently give a joyful understanding of superbly realised and distinctive characters. Linklater is comfortable to observe, and while there is nominal coherence to the movie, it preserves an intrinsic fascination which is delightfully unique and enormously satisfying.
Criterion Collection Spine #247
Imagine 'Clerks', but with a whole lot more supposedly sophisticated people walking around chatting it up.
"Sorry, I'm late ... That's okay, time doesn't exist."
Richard Linklater's early independent feature Slacker is a concept movie, and damn did I love going along for this ride around Austin, Texas in the late 80s or early 90s. Instead of the conversations exploring the dynamics of a couple's relationship like in the 'Before Trilogy', Slacker is essentially plotless and just lets us be a fly on the wall bouncing from one group of strangers to another listening to their high-minded conversations. Hell, I don't even recall most of what was talked about, but I still found the experience so…
