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Slacker

1991
Comedy
Drama
1h 37m
Presents a day in the life in Austin, Texas among its social outcasts and misfits, predominantly the twenty-something set... (imdb)
Directed by:
Richard Linklater Richard Linklater
Written by:
Richard Linklater Richard Linklater
Starring:
Richard Linklater Richard Linklater Rudy Basquez Jean Caffeine Jan Hockey Stephan Hockey Mark James
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Genres:
Comedy, Drama
Country:
USA
Language:
English
imdb More information at IMDb
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Slacker

1991
Comedy
Drama
1h 37m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 57.08% from 1256 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(1256)
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paxtonPaxton
Rated 02 Feb 2021
70
65th
In the age of quarantine there are worse things than a movie that plays like walking in and out of conversations at a party. It's also a bit like listening to the first ten minutes of about 8 different Joe Rogan podcasts.
Rated 02 Feb 2021
janusjanus
Rated 16 Aug 2011
80
77th
Austin is presented as an oasis in the middle of a red state, perfect for aimless but harmless weirdos, with the world outside related only in tales of mental hospitals, high-speed chases, hostage situations, conspiracies, and other unpleasantness. It's a utopian film; when the characters go out of their way to complain it's because they have no real problems, and when they speculate pointlessly it's because their lives are blissfully stagnant.
Rated 16 Aug 2011
cinematicespCinematicESP
Rated 08 Aug 2009
68
15th
Linklater has yet to find his feet at this point, and some of the segments are pretty irritating, but it's still an interesting exercise worth watching.
Rated 08 Aug 2009
ocelotOcelot
Rated 28 Aug 2014
25
17th
"This isn't no Star Trek: The Next Generation." The irony of the constantly shifting character focus is that they all sound exactly the same --- or exactly like Richard Linklater. One way to look at it is that the city of Austin is the main character, though that's not much more endearing. Slacker is a love-letter to burn-out losers who spew regurgitated bullshit, with one scene inadvertently commenting on the movie itself. It's like a Christopher Guest movie without the irony. Fuck hipsters.
Rated 28 Aug 2014
bownBown
Rated 21 Feb 2010
92
95th
Linklater writes character interaction better than almost anyone, and this is 100 minutes of it; a ton of interesting characters with great stories.
Rated 21 Feb 2010
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 14 Aug 2007
57
14th
I'd like to think Linklater is mocking these people. But I don't. There are very few characters in this movie I like, most of them irritate the hell out of me.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
neonmanNeonman
Rated 21 Feb 2020
88
88th
A terrific time-capsule, with each vignette as great as the other -- even though there's little relation between each one (though the transitions between them work well), it just goes to show the disparity between each of these strangers.
Rated 21 Feb 2020
obdurateObdurate
Rated 18 Dec 2016
60
23rd
I give props to what Linklater was trying to accomplish here, and I enjoy some movies that lack a traditional narrative, but as Landstander so expertly put it: it's dull. I'm not bothered by the dialogue because he was trying to portray a certain thing, and some of it was interesting, but the drifting style only worked for a little while. Just a really hard movie to truly get into, despite how inventive it is.
Rated 18 Dec 2016
citysqwirlcitysqwirl
Rated 14 Aug 2007
76
57th
I was annoyed by this movie when I first saw it -- the narrative drift gets on my nerve -- but over time I've come to appreciate its oddball rhythm, gentle commentary, and historical value.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 04 May 2021
80
77th
Having seen this poster for years, I never would have guessed that it was a freeze-frame of a girl trying to sell Madonna's pap smear
Rated 04 May 2021
sirstuckeySirStuckey
Rated 27 Sep 2010
40
14th
Might have been good if more than one of the characters were actually likable, but they weren't so it isn't.
Rated 27 Sep 2010
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 08 Jun 2010
4
74th
Linklater wasted no time. Here immediately is his penchant for a large cast of near-caricatures, drawn with bold outlines but colored with believability. He depicts them honestly, making no excuse for their naive and immature flaws, but with love and sympathy. It's comedic, pensive, quirky, and treats its own bit of pretentiousness with self-aware irony. A film for the young and young-at-heart.
Rated 08 Jun 2010
qvtQVT
Rated 19 Aug 2012
15
23rd
Richard, I hate to break it to you, but yuck. Pickpocket's quote of choice fits for me too. "Sorry I'm late that's okay time doesn't exist"
Rated 19 Aug 2012
chemical404chemical404
Rated 05 Dec 2013
67
75th
Slacker is a classic indie film about drifters, dreamers and losers with no ambition, no money and no future. There isn't much going on plot-wise, but the style is great.
Rated 05 Dec 2013
pickpocketPickpocket
Rated 04 Mar 2008
4
35th
"sorry im late" "thats ok, time doesnt exist" lol
Rated 04 Mar 2008
syntheseizurSyntheseizur
Rated 31 Oct 2011
96
98th
An inventive film told through entertaining vignettes. The film feels free and expansive, though it doesn't get too disjointed or lose sight of it's goals and themes. While it's obvious at times that Linklater is new to the game, he manages to construct a hilarious, creative mural of popular culture.
Rated 31 Oct 2011
forehead1forehead1
Rated 03 Jun 2013
30
11th
A collection of conspiracy theorists, political activists and artsy types ramble on in self-contained monologues in this early, studenty Richard Linklater experiment. The segues between the stories are nice and smooth, and a couple of the dialogues raise a smile, but overall it becomes repetitive and tiresome and by the end I was just bored.
Rated 03 Jun 2013
landstanderLandstander
Rated 03 May 2009
6
51st
Linklater seems to be doing a mixture of the narrative structure of The Phantom of Liberty and 90s slacker culture. This is a fairly interesting concept and considering the budget it's a bit inspirational that he made it at all. But despite this it's still basically dull.
Rated 03 May 2009
three-questions_ii???
Rated 17 Mar 2012
37
22nd
Makes you miss summer, but I couldn't stand the bore and quit in the middle.
Rated 17 Mar 2012
yesistastyyesistasty
Rated 30 Oct 2012
91
72nd
So fluid and so real.
Rated 30 Oct 2012
disasterDisaster
Rated 28 Mar 2014
71
32nd
Weirdly watchable.
Rated 28 Mar 2014
sebbysebby
Rated 05 Dec 2011
88
97th
Fantastic portrait of the sheer recklessness and out of control nature of Austin's counter-cultural ambitions.
Rated 05 Dec 2011
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 11 Aug 2013
75
26th
Viewed August 10, 2013. I guess I like it. I like the smooth transitions and some of the scenes are great, while others simply don't work. It's easy to see the impetus for films like Dazed and Confused and the Before trilogy, but the reason why those are great is because the characters are great, while most of the people in Slacker are the annoying, opinionated city dwellers that we usually try to avoid.
Rated 11 Aug 2013
ohyesOhYes
Rated 26 Nov 2010
62
52nd
Immediately after watching this, I was a bit disappointed, but looking back on it, it doesn't seem that bad. I may have to rewatch it.
Rated 26 Nov 2010
mardikmartinmardikmartin
Rated 01 Jul 2015
80
85th
really great debut.
Rated 01 Jul 2015
who8muhriceWho8muhrice
Rated 08 Sep 2010
81
48th
This is not too far off from hipsters in Brooklyn. Linklater gets points for predicting the future.
Rated 08 Sep 2010
kavuKavu
Rated 14 May 2014
77
60th
Shows clear promise of what came later, which is the most interesting aspect of it. A decent movie on it's own too.
Rated 14 May 2014
funkyastroFunkyAstro
Rated 16 Mar 2015
50
49th
I just couldn't get myself to enjoy this. It reminds me of why I can't stand listening to a bunch of stoner talking heads blather on about asinine things.
Rated 16 Mar 2015
dieguindieguin
Rated 09 Nov 2011
76
61st
Some cool people, some intelligent, some boring and some really stupid. Just as life.
Rated 09 Nov 2011
barraocBarraoc
Rated 07 Mar 2017
70
64th
If you ever wanted to hang around with a bunch of odd characters over the course of a day and listen to a whole load of waffle then Slacker just might be the film of your dreams. Surprisingly entertaining though.
Rated 07 Mar 2017
nepetaNepeta
Rated 19 Jan 2013
25
4th
The only bit of it that was remotely interesting was when an old man started wandering around with the man who was trying to rob him regailing the youth with tales of the war which was kind of amusing and a bit charming. The rest of the film consisted of incredibly annoying and thoroughly uninteresting characters speaking irritating nonsense. Unfunny and utterly infuriating.
Rated 19 Jan 2013
hotsakehotsake
Rated 27 Nov 2017
56
44th
There's some interesting things here but most of it is just dull. This would've done better as 5-10 minute short aired on early '90s MTV.
Rated 27 Nov 2017
yiannosYiannos
Rated 06 Dec 2017
60
48th
(Viewed on 1/12/11): Slacker was something of a milestone in the largely overvalued American 'indie movement' of the late 80's/early 90's. It showed that you can make an entertaining film on spit, and it influenced other micro budget films about pseudointellectual underachievers who spend an inordinate amount of time yapping and not much else. e.g Clerks. Its scrappy DIY ethos is appealing, its observations are frequently humourous, and it's performed with enthusiasm by a likeable no-name cast.
Rated 06 Dec 2017
closedmouthclosedmouth
Rated 05 Feb 2014
80
68th
A lovely, though at times clunky and badly-paced, portrait of a city.
Rated 05 Feb 2014
tripleshTripleSH
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
80th
Masterfully done; a true exercise in great cinematography and execution. It's pieces like this, that blur the line between art pieces and solid entertainment, that have made Linklater a talked-about mainstay.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
jamesclarkJamesClark
Rated 11 Apr 2014
95
96th
Compelling, inventive and stylish vignettes of counter-culture. A fly on the most interesting walls in America, or so they'd have you believe.
Rated 11 Apr 2014
twincinematwincinema
Rated 01 May 2022
75
64th
Which conversation would be worse? The JFK assassination guy or the guy talking about his homeboy's band? Do you remember the time when conspiracy theories were just these fun little odd things people believed in? Can a review of a film just be made of questions?
Rated 01 May 2022
whomperizewhomperize
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
80th
Classic Linklater.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
huahHuah
Rated 23 Jul 2012
79
50th
Linklater concocted a veritably oblique film with no clear beginning or end, in less-developed synergy and precursor to "Waking Life". His characters all concerted ephemeral appearances as caricatures, as if traveling multitudes of dreamscapes from one teenage wasteland in Austin, Texas to the next. It dipped it's feet in the waters of parallel universes, anarchism, social and political oppression, fear-mongering pseudo-science quacks,even an iota of esoteric mysticism. Disjointed, but lovable.
Rated 23 Jul 2012
simpliciosimplicio
Rated 10 Oct 2011
78
65th
Hazy, addled, softly paranoid, characters drifting like a swarm of gnats. Linklater conveys simultaneous empathy for and dismissal of his characters, while quietly, humorously toying with verity and viewer expectation. The meandering camera works well at underpinning all the emotionally stagnant weirdo discourse into an oddly lulling brew, and while the final segment isn't a violent revolution, it does provide a fitting catharsis, a tumbling swirl of film and the joy we've been lacking.
Rated 10 Oct 2011
iconoclastIconoclast
Rated 01 Mar 2015
79
83rd
I feel like Linklater improved on this in many ways with Waking Life, however the transitions between the vignettes in this one generally felt more seamless and well done.
Rated 01 Mar 2015
aarona1caarona1c
Rated 19 Sep 2007
85
73rd
Great to see at least one time.
Rated 19 Sep 2007
hsncrspywlhsncrspywl
Rated 07 Dec 2014
79
64th
The aimless, character-to-character style Linklater later perfected (with the addition of a through-plot) in Waking Life here takes a more sprawling form - a slice of Americana from the eyes of someone who doesn't give much of a shit about "Americana". Aimless conversations, odd twists in stock scenes, and a sense of amateurism which instead of removing the audience's suspension of disbelief, makes the film feel much realer.
Rated 07 Dec 2014
stainStain
Rated 02 Apr 2007
0
8th
Well, this is *one* way to get an independent film made. Too bad it's so boring
Rated 02 Apr 2007
timon88Timon88
Rated 24 Aug 2020
83
86th
I loved this. Linklater has a unique talent for writing dialogue/monologue brimming with life and character and authenticity (of a kind, at least). And the way it's structured--the camera following new people as characters cross paths--is kind of genius. You're not with any one person TOO long, and you're on to the next person before anyone gets too boring or irritating. I wish there were 10 movies like this I could watch.
Rated 24 Aug 2020
jeffvjeff_v
Rated 02 Mar 2010
74
80th
Richard Linklater's directorial debut is a precursor to his more cohesive Waking Life. It too is a non-narrative string of conversations and gives a keen look at an alternate reality -- Linklater's Austin, circa 1990. The camera follows a subject for a short time and then chooses to take a different path, creating in essence a different story. Linklater's point seems to be that there are an infinite number of stories out there, and that films have generally been too content to follow formulas.
Rated 02 Mar 2010
adragon91ADragon91
Rated 28 Feb 2021
10
2nd
One of the most boring and annoying movies I've ever seen. Jesus Christ what's with a good chunk of the characters being hipsters and saying weird philosophical bullshit for like half of the scenes? Who cares? When it isn't that it's very bland and filled with uninteresting scenes of dialogue and characters that switch to try and act cool. Pointless and just terrible. 
Rated 28 Feb 2021
simsorutsimsorut
Rated 03 Aug 2020
85
78th
Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy.
Rated 03 Aug 2020
nackermanNackerman
Rated 12 Oct 2018
90
97th
Fantastic. A true original.
Rated 12 Oct 2018
jordandcfcJordanDcFc
Rated 15 Apr 2011
88
88th
A film with no beginning, no middle and no end. No storyline or plot and no remarkable characters to speak off. It does however feature some very fresh and original dialogue and is entertaining and funny all the way through. I thought the novelty of the style of the film would wear off after about 45 minutes but it did'nt. I was fully engrossed in the "action" the whole way through. Very funny, very original and very clever. The atmosphere of this film is great, very summery and breezy.
Rated 15 Apr 2011
redflagredflag
Rated 10 Oct 2013
100
98th
A fun, wandering exercise in camera work and narrative that plays around in the deep end without ever diving all the way for which we thank it. I'm biased cuz I know and love (and am one of) these people. If you don't like Kennedy assassination-Moon landing conspiracy theories, Texas anarchists, and the Butthole Surfers, it'll never be for you.
Rated 10 Oct 2013
glm01glm01
Rated 03 Oct 2013
75
51st
75.33.
Rated 03 Oct 2013
dylandrDylandR
Rated 21 Jul 2022
5
5th
Constantly following a different person does not make for an interesting movie. This was pretty boring
Rated 21 Jul 2022
andreasthauAndreasThau
Rated 18 Jan 2015
65
50th
I kinda loved it in spite of a boom in the picture, the obvious amateur moments of oddly improvised acting and generally low-budget mise-èn-scene. Some glimpses are amazing and beautiful promises of what were to come from Linklater's talent. Indeed in the first scene Linklater himself has an impressive monologue which gives a sublime frame for understanding parts of his last 20 years of artwork. It sets us, as Linklater-fans, up for a look into his fascinating fascination for dreams. Beautiful.
Rated 18 Jan 2015
mrblueskymrbluesky
Rated 16 Jan 2023
85
65th
The second French wave hitting the American indie scene. A great movie but can disturb those who have appetite for protagonist driven movies.
Rated 16 Jan 2023
mikeparasolmikeparasol
Rated 14 May 2009
82
65th
Well made, but most of the characters/dialogue are/is extremely irritating.
Rated 14 May 2009
thefriedonethefriedone
Rated 10 May 2013
80
69th
It helps to be a Linklater fan, which I am. A movie that really needs to be experienced more than watched. The mood should but a wry smile on your face throughout, but there are also some stand-out vignettes/characters (the conspiracy theorist towards the beginning and the would-be robber were my favorites).
Rated 10 May 2013
nathanbatesNathanBates
Rated 20 Nov 2021
60
35th
I usually don't like non-linear narratives, because I just don't have anything to grasp. But this is an interesting take on the state of mental health in the US (specifically, Austin) without the potency of, say, The Snake Pit or Shock Corridor. Why do we take any of these stories as truth until we can't any longer? The director seems to think we're all just a postcard or an appointment away from being a terrorist. Frightening in its banality.
Rated 20 Nov 2021
irvinejumpirvinejump
Rated 29 Sep 2010
55
41st
My life story, really
Rated 29 Sep 2010
calexicoCalexico
Rated 20 Aug 2013
0
0th
Okay, so I see the appeal in the movie, but I really hated this. Just brutally repetitive and uninteresting. It's cool that some of the ideas mentioned/presented here were explored in his later, much much much much much better films, but that's basically its only saving grace.
Rated 20 Aug 2013
driscarpindriscarpin
Rated 21 Apr 2020
90
87th
Há 30 anos Slacker estreava no USA Film Festival. Em virtude desse filme fiquei achando como seria maravilhoso ter o Richard Linklater numa associação livre desenfreada, adoraria tê-lo como meu analisando. Esse filme é delicioso, ele flui como poucos com essa quantidade exorbitante de personagens conseguem fazer, assistí-lo é quase como ficar boiando na piscina num sol quentinho. Plus: Nunca tente assaltar um anarquista, ele vai tentar te cooptar para o movimento. BlurayRip no MakingOff.
Rated 21 Apr 2020
cinegeekdecinegeek.de
Rated 01 Apr 2016
80
55th
Ein normaler Hollywood Film lässt die Protagonisten in Phrasen sprechen, um sich dabei auf seine Geschichte zu konzentrieren. Slacker nimmt sich die Freiheit, das nicht zu tun. Linklater jedenfalls hat das gesamte Kino damit beinflusst! Aus seinen Slackers wurde DER Kinotyp der 90er und heute ist diese Art und Weise, über das Leben zu philosophieren längst im Mainstream angekommen. (Dazu gibts unsere Film List über das Kino von Richard Linklater auf der Empfehlungsseite unserer Videothek cin
Rated 01 Apr 2016
realmacgyverRealMacgyver
Rated 31 Dec 2008
80
79th
My only problem with this film is that a lot of the characters talk like stoned intellectual art students and it gets a bit samey. However, there's so many little stories in here that your bound to like SOME of it
Rated 31 Dec 2008
begoniabolbegoniabol
Rated 08 Jul 2012
75
70th
Got this nice laid-back, summery feel to it. Some conversations were a bit pretentious, but not awful enough to get bothered by it. Has some really cool things
Rated 08 Jul 2012
myfavchordsmyfavchords
Rated 07 Mar 2015
73
37th
It had been a long time since I had seen this film before last night. I am a big fan of the director and you can see the foundation of some of his other films in his debut feature. There is no plot in this film, you just jump from character to with some conversations more interesting than others. Overall I would recommend this film to fans of Richard Linklater.
Rated 07 Mar 2015
ericamblerericambler
Rated 03 Jun 2022
82
82nd
Wonderfully captures the feeling of being young, restless, and over-educated.
Rated 03 Jun 2022
glifosfatoglifosfato
Rated 08 Feb 2013
95
97th
linklater's trademark conversational film at its best. we drift as plastic bags in the wind through the streets of austin, catching a glimpse into the lives of whomever we can.
Rated 08 Feb 2013
glmglm
Rated 18 Dec 2011
83
74th
82.750
Rated 18 Dec 2011
shmendrekShmendrek
Rated 11 Feb 2008
5
96th
Has a great energy to it, especially appealing because I've known a lot of real-life "characters" similar to the characters in the film.
Rated 11 Feb 2008
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 16 Aug 2016
75
84th
In what remains my favorite Richard Linklater, he shows us slices of slacker life in Austin TX, naturalistic but mocking of their pseudo-intellectual, pseudo-activist pretentiousness. That tone and the large ensemble cast devoid of main protagonists hark back to certain works by Robert Altman. In its quirkiest, Linklater's Austin is halfway between "Vernon, Florida" and the Xenia OH of "Gummo".
Rated 16 Aug 2016
hpbuttcraftHP_Buttcraft
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
61st
A disjointed and bizarre film that portrays the hayday of the Texan counter-culture in the 90's.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
stevekimesstevekimes
Rated 24 Jan 2012
80
47th
The first of Linklater's dialogue/philosophy-rich films. This one is about sociology and how the norm doesn't suit everyone.
Rated 24 Jan 2012
dunder74Dunder74
Rated 29 Jul 2012
8
86th
Linklater gives us dozens of different characters, whom are not named, explained, nor in the film for more than 5 minutes, and creates some of the most memorable characters I have ever seen. Slacker is unique, important, and lasting.
Rated 29 Jul 2012
p_u_l_pP u l p
Rated 07 Jan 2017
78
86th
Inspiring.
Rated 07 Jan 2017
wezzoWezzo
Rated 03 Aug 2012
85
67th
Phenomenally compelling, considering all we're really doing is eavesdropping on unconnected conversation-based vignettes. Brilliantly written.
Rated 03 Aug 2012
matthagenmatthagen
Rated 23 Feb 2021
41
21st
This fresh concept has its charming flourishes, but it doesn't add up to much.
Rated 23 Feb 2021
jazzalohaJazzaloha
Rated 24 Nov 2009
82
94th
The definitive Gen X film--with an almost documentary, anthropological feel. The meandering plot-less structure complements the meandering, rootlessness of the characters. Like "My Dinner for Andre*, the film is a series of conversations, not as interesting or entertaining, excerpt for a few exceptions. Still, the film really captures the post-college Gen X experience.
Rated 24 Nov 2009
attached_eonAttached Eon
Rated 29 Apr 2008
76
74th
madonna pap smear
Rated 29 Apr 2008

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