Review of SLC Punk (1998) by Anthony C — 10 Aug 2011

This is a coming-of-age film that analyzes and mocks anarchy, drugs, sex, love, the punk rock lifestyle and the irony that wraps it all up in fun contradiction.

I loved most of it, because it reminded me of my youth and friends and growing up hanging out on the sicilian city streets.

I have ambiguous feelings about this movie, but one thing I loved about it was the fact that this film knows who and what it is and it dissects and criticizes itself in order to prove the only certain thing in most people's coming-of-age tales: Irony.

Some parts made me cringe, because it seems like a bunch of wannabe suburban american punks with rainbow colored hair faking a mosh pit; but other than that, this film is pretty accurate.

A lot of things were actually perfect and accurate in this film, like the relationship between Stevo and his dad, played by the always great Christopher McDonald (who kicked ass in this role). And I also loved how the main character contradicts himself throughout the story in order to come to a final conclusion, anarchy can only last so long and that he was a preppy poser in punk's clothing all along.

If I could cut out some scenes that were exaggerated, over the top, or just straight up ridiculous, I would Love this movie. For example I would cut Devon Sawa out of this movie completely! His character and story were cool and I even had a friend who ended up like him, but Devon Sawa just ruined it, he sucked hardcore and wasn't believable at all.

That's funny, considering I met Devon Sawa a couple years ago and he was a true meth-head now.

Jason Segel's character was great and he played it out perfectly. He too reminded me of friends I had back in the day.

And the foreign drug dealer was hilarious, his role was perfect, but I just wish they had toned it down a little bit, some parts were really exaggerated. However, when the narrator lets the audience in on how he dies, I smiled, because it closed his chapter like a perfect circle.

And that's kinda how this jumbled mess of a film proceeds and ends, like a circle, wrapping everything the main character brings u through up in a neat, closed circle.

It proves that the punk rock life and ideals, especially anarchy, are fun and hardcore, but there comes a time in one's life where u gotta grow up and buy in to the system, not sell out to it.