Review of Reality Bites (1994) by Janna L — 12 Nov 2010

"There's no point to any of this. It's all just a... a random lottery of meaningless tragedy and a series of near escapes. So I take pleasure in the details. You know... a Quarter-Pounder with cheese, those are good, the sky about ten minutes before it starts to rain, the moment where your laughter become a cackle... and I, I sit back and I smoke my Camel Straights and I ride my own melt.".

Generation X Graduates face life after college with a filmmaker looking for work and love in Houston.

REVIEW.

Reality Bites combines an independent movie feel with a cast of Hollywood's best without compromising the integrity of either. Although never given the respect that it deserves, it remains somewhat of a cult favorite. Although the film is often dumped in the romantic comedy category, it barely fits there. It goes far beyond that genre into social commentary, drama, documentary, musical, and more. The sound track is one of the best and best utilized in movie history. The movie watches like a music video. By far the cast makes the film. Ryder and Hawke put in first rate performances, and are surrounded by a set of great actors who steal every sequence. Ben Stiller both stars in and directs this excellent movie, but please, don't group it with the rest of the movies he's made. It's much, much better.