4/5 Slacker I think I have finally come to terms with Boyhood losing the Oscar. I have completed several stages of grief, from it-was-robbed mania to it’s-simply-too-cool acceptance. In honor of my recent circle of submission, I have decided to spend less of my time griping and more of it watching the movies of cinema’s most underrated master, Richard Linklater. Linklater had worked on some stuff before Slacker, most notably a docu-short on Austin’s Woodstock celebration, but the Texan director’s story really starts here. Linklater has been accused of making plotless movies. If you are one of these accusers, you probably should stay as far away from this film as possible. If ever a movie were completely void of a plot, this would be it. Written, played, and acted in almost a stream-of-consciousness manner, Slacker is nothing more than a seemingly endless line of conversations between the odd and wandering twenty-somethings of that glorious Texan city that prides itself in its weirdness. Each section overlaps, as if the whole movie were a long tag team of chatter about everything from philosophy to conspiracies to politics - sometimes in the same scene. You should know by now if this movie is for you or not. If you like where this is going, keep reading; if not, save yourself the trouble and return to your iTunes shuffle. Taken individually, even I could see where these skits would grow wearisome. After all, there is only so much overeducated babble you can take in one sitting. But consumed as a whole, you pick up on a greater message, one that varies with the viewer's own history and beliefs. After seeing two dudes dig into how Scooby and the Surfs are rigged to destroy individuality, one might snigger, scoff, or slowly scoot to the edge of their seat while thinking “I knew it.” | Director/Writer: Richard Linklater |
Those who would scoff, don’t think this is a statement against your views. One particularly great scene showcases a girl calling her boyfriend out on all of his empty, intellectual words. Pointing out his affinity for “pasting bits and pieces from authoritative sources,” she leaves him speechless. The scene is only made more awkward and hilarious when that same girl runs into a Kennedy-assassination conspiracy enthusiast moments later.
Looking back, twenty-four years later, Slacker begins to take on a whole new form. It’s all these things that I have already mentioned, but it also functions as a calling card for Linklater’s style. Now that the man has made a quarter century’s worth of music, we can look at his future projects and tie certain aspects back to this original creation. For instance, the rambling cynical musings of Slacker transformed into deeply romantic musings in Before Sunrise. The real-time walk of Before Sunset resembles the continuous, overlapping conversations in Slacker. Though Slacker is not necessarily in real time, the passage of time is smoothly edited and sequenced in a way Linklater would return to and perfect for last year’s Boyhood. Not only is Linklater’s affinity for outcasts readily apparent in Dazed in Confused, but it's an ongoing love affair that is still alive in his current films - School of Rock, Bad News Bears, etc.
You may find this film to be pointless and meaningless based on its lack of a solid plot; but Slacker, in some strange way, has grown to be more than that. It is a film that, twenty-four years later, has grown to be bigger than itself. Take a closer look and I think you will see that too. If nothing else, just stop and savor all of these richly drawn slackers. While being interviewed, one of the film’s characters spouts what could be mantra of all who find refuge in movies like his. A reporter asks, “Did you vote in the most recent election,” to which the man replies, “Hell no. I’ve got less important things to do.” Right on.
Looking back, twenty-four years later, Slacker begins to take on a whole new form. It’s all these things that I have already mentioned, but it also functions as a calling card for Linklater’s style. Now that the man has made a quarter century’s worth of music, we can look at his future projects and tie certain aspects back to this original creation. For instance, the rambling cynical musings of Slacker transformed into deeply romantic musings in Before Sunrise. The real-time walk of Before Sunset resembles the continuous, overlapping conversations in Slacker. Though Slacker is not necessarily in real time, the passage of time is smoothly edited and sequenced in a way Linklater would return to and perfect for last year’s Boyhood. Not only is Linklater’s affinity for outcasts readily apparent in Dazed in Confused, but it's an ongoing love affair that is still alive in his current films - School of Rock, Bad News Bears, etc.
You may find this film to be pointless and meaningless based on its lack of a solid plot; but Slacker, in some strange way, has grown to be more than that. It is a film that, twenty-four years later, has grown to be bigger than itself. Take a closer look and I think you will see that too. If nothing else, just stop and savor all of these richly drawn slackers. While being interviewed, one of the film’s characters spouts what could be mantra of all who find refuge in movies like his. A reporter asks, “Did you vote in the most recent election,” to which the man replies, “Hell no. I’ve got less important things to do.” Right on.