Reality Bites (1994)
It's been almost 25 years since this movie was released. What did you think of it back in its time? Have you seen it recently, and do you think it holds up?
I liked it OK when I first saw it, but definitely found more faults in a current viewing. I generally ike Winona Ryder, and her performance as Leilana is fine, but her character was kind of grating. I found Troy (Ethan Hawke) to be kind of douchey. And while Michael (Ben Stiller) was a little slimy, he genuinely tried to make amends and just got shit on. I liked Jeanine Garafolo (Vickie), and it makes me wistful that she seems to have sort of vanished from the scene, and I forgot Steve Zahn was even it this, even though as the token gay, you'd think he would resonate more with me.
At the time I probably would have given this an A-, but on re-view, it's more like a B-/C+. Worth watching, but a little unremarkable.
One thing I never understood - Leilana loves "My Sharona", a hit single from 1979, but acts all clueless when Michael plays "Frampton Comes Alive" which was released just 3 years before. Huh.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 145 | May 10, 2019 10:49 PM
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I watched it again for the first time since 1994 recently and was disappointed overall.
Steve Zahn was wasted on that nothing part (not to mention the wasted chance to have a multi-dimensional gay character).
I guess it does sort of capture the milieu of that era
by Anonymous | reply 1 | July 11, 2018 2:17 AM
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It was never the same for America’s Lil Ghoul after this Lupe Fiasco
by Anonymous | reply 2 | July 11, 2018 5:01 PM
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I worked at the Gap near Rice University when this movie was filmed in Houston in 1993, with the Gap scenes being at the Gap at Houston Galleria.
Aside from the Gap scenes, this movie is dreadful. It made me hate Rider even more. And Ethan's acting was worse than in a high school play.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 3 | July 11, 2018 5:10 PM
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It's no masterpiece, but I always thought Singles was the better Gen X-pandering movie.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | July 11, 2018 5:14 PM
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Lou Bega was in this film?
by Anonymous | reply 5 | July 11, 2018 6:22 PM
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Like it or love it, you can't deny it captures that era well, for those of us who were the same age as the characters.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | July 11, 2018 6:32 PM
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It was way too thirsty in its attempt to be the voice of a generation
by Anonymous | reply 7 | July 11, 2018 6:54 PM
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Winona's character was annoying and i didn't get her attarction to Ethan at all. She should have given Ben another chance or just stayed single.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | July 11, 2018 7:00 PM
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Mr Joe Don Baker & Ms Swoozie Kurtz stole the show which says everything about the flat performances
by Anonymous | reply 10 | July 11, 2018 7:03 PM
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It and Clueless are two of the last (if not the last) youth-oriented movies not to feature the internet in any impactful way. Within a couple of years, the whole culture would change.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | July 11, 2018 8:26 PM
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[quote]Define "irony."
A combination of circumstances or a result that is the opposite of what is or might be expected. Example:
In the film [italic]Reality Bites[/italic], which is set in Houston, 7-11's Big Gulp has significant product placement. In reality, there are no 7-11 stores in Houston.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | July 11, 2018 9:02 PM
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Could someone explain the hair-do?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 14 | July 12, 2018 10:35 AM
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R10 that’s the second time I’ve seen Joe Don Baker’s name on the DL this week, do we have a new troll?
by Anonymous | reply 15 | July 12, 2018 3:13 PM
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R13 I was quoting a line from the movie. But thanks for the definition :-)
by Anonymous | reply 16 | July 12, 2018 3:25 PM
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R14 her character was a retro chick, and the hairdo is very Betty Page pin-up girl. I had a lot of friends who sported that look (unfortunately).
by Anonymous | reply 17 | July 12, 2018 3:26 PM
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I was a freshman when it came out. I loved it. Hell, all my friends did too. Haven't watched it since and don't want to. I know I'll probably hate it now.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | July 12, 2018 3:40 PM
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Unfortunately, no one told her you have to be beautiful to pull off that hairstyle.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | July 12, 2018 4:27 PM
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Yes, one must be beautiful to pull off this hairstyle
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 20 | July 12, 2018 4:52 PM
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R14 - actually Janeane got into a lot of shit for that. She cut her hair herself a few days before shooting without asking anyone on the film. You just don't do that when you have hair and makeup people who have planned all the scenes and wardrobe. She admitted she was wrong.
I hated this film and walked out of it at the movie theater. Singles was better but it was actually made in 1991 - a tiny bit pre-Gen X and more grunge oriented.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | July 12, 2018 5:03 PM
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I was 21 in 1994 and saw the movie with my college friends. We all thought it was yet another silly rom-com. It was only much later that I learned that it was intended to reflect the lifestyles of Gen X circa 1994.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | July 12, 2018 5:14 PM
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1991 is right in the heart of the Gen X era and grunge is in no way outside of Gen X
by Anonymous | reply 23 | July 12, 2018 5:29 PM
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Though they came out in 1987 and 1990 respectively, I always thought River's Edge and Slacker did a better job of capturing the Generation X zeitgeist. I was past 30 and living in Seattle when Reality Bites and Singles came out and both felt like the tone deaf attempt of older Baby Boomers to depict Those Crazy Kids, like Freak Out back in the 60s. Singles was especially sneered at by Seattlites but sneering at alleged inauthenticuty is a Seattle specialty.
And yeah, I'm aware that at 56 I'm technically one of the last of the Boomers, not wanting to reignite that debate again, but when you're born in 1962, your cultural references are going to be a lot different from someone born in 1946.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | July 12, 2018 5:34 PM
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I had such a HUGE crush on Steve zahn
I wanted to date him and I wanted to be him
by Anonymous | reply 25 | July 12, 2018 5:38 PM
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R24, I get it. I was born in 1979. Technically I'm an Xer, but I have nothing culturally in common with someone born in 1964.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | July 12, 2018 6:28 PM
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Love this film! Winona is amazing in this role and the chemistry with Ethan is some of the best. Love the best friends Zahn and Garafolo!!! Stiller makes his douchebag role likeable. Yes it's a 90s cliche but I like it.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | July 12, 2018 6:32 PM
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This stuff gets confusing regarding generational definitions, but I think there is a range that sets your cultural subset within your generation.
Basically, anyone you could have gone to high school with is in your subset.
Place yourself as the median and include anyone who could have been a senior when you were freshman at the older end and anyone who could have been a freshman when you were a senior at the younger end.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | July 12, 2018 6:35 PM
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I saw it at the time when I was 22 and really thought it botched its attempt to capture the GenX spirit. Some scenes were just so desperate, like her idea to use the gas card for cash -- clever, fun, but the film hits that note so hard that you can't help but roll your eyes. And her slacker friends were painted as epic jerks by the end, without any nuance as to why so many GenXers were trying to check out of society altogether.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | July 12, 2018 6:56 PM
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Interesting read, with comments from the cast, writer, director and cinematographer on the 20 anniversary. How they felt making the movie, the process, how it was received, etc
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 30 | July 12, 2018 7:00 PM
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Thought it was odd the main song of the sountrack was reggae but it has aged well, better than the film has.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 31 | July 12, 2018 7:02 PM
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r29
I did the same thing with my credit cards in college
by Anonymous | reply 32 | July 12, 2018 7:04 PM
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I do often think of "Reality Bites" and "Singles" as a pair. I forget that "Singles" was released earlier (by about 15 months, Sept 1992 vs. January 1994) because I saw it after RB. But I did slightly prefer "Singles" at the time, so I'm hesitant to re-watch it in fear that it didn't age well. "Singles" had the better soundtrack, ("Dyslexic Heart" by Paul Westerburg)
Overall, while I was less impressed with Reality Bites on rewatch, I wish they made these types of movies more often. I'd rather a Reality Bites that slightly misses the mark over another comic book movie.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 33 | July 12, 2018 7:06 PM
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I was never the target audience for this film (born in '87), so I understand if no one gives a shit about my opinion, but I tried to watch it a few years ago and found it insufferable. It came across like some smug boomer's patronizing attempt to tell Gen Xers about their own lives.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | July 12, 2018 7:28 PM
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For some reason I always forget that Ben Stiller directed this.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | July 12, 2018 7:32 PM
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Oh, and Singles def had the better soundtrack, no question. It was really able to take advantage of grunge wave right as it was cresting. Great timing.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | July 12, 2018 7:34 PM
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I will never forgive Grunge for killing New Jack Swing!
by Anonymous | reply 37 | July 12, 2018 7:36 PM
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By 1994, New Jack Swing was so played out and stale. It was time for it to die.
I resent Grunge for killing radio-friendly house music.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | July 12, 2018 7:39 PM
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R35 in the article above of the 20 anniversary all the cast speaks about Ben being very serious and perfectionist= being an asshole, it’s like they wanted to say that but tried to be very diplomatic. He always had that reputation of being an asshole. But yeah it’s weird to remember that he directed it, when you think about GenX and the grunge period the last person you think about is Ben Stiller.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | July 12, 2018 7:41 PM
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garafolo was cute in this before she destroyed herself with tattoos.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | July 12, 2018 7:48 PM
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Garofalo mentioned in an interview at the time that they chopped her bangs so short to make her look younger. My only beef with the film is it pretty much launched reality TV. Like, thanks assholes, good job.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | July 12, 2018 7:50 PM
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R41 Didn’t the real world come out on mtv a few years before his movie? i thought that was what launched reality tv shows.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | July 12, 2018 7:53 PM
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Garofalo reminds me so much of the 90s. This movie, The truth about cats & dogs, Romy & Michelle’s high school reunion. And of course Winona 90’s movies reign
by Anonymous | reply 43 | July 12, 2018 7:54 PM
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i've never seen it, strangely. I was born in 76 so this movie was for me. I'm sure watching it now would be too depressing, tho.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | July 12, 2018 8:01 PM
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Yes, the Real World was about to air Season 3 when this came out.
I do like "Stay", by Lisa Loeb. It brings back so many memories of my group of friends at the time, early to mid 20's, most of whom I rarely (if ever) see anymore. And when we do see each other, so much has changed in terms of spouses, significant others, children, interests, it makes me remember how much fun I had in the 90s, and how fleeting time is.
Sorry, too depressing... carry on.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | July 12, 2018 8:02 PM
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Yeah, R9 / R16. I knew it was a line from the movie. I was just trying to be clever using an example from the movie to answer a question asked in the movie.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | July 12, 2018 8:55 PM
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[quote]all the cast speaks about Ben being very serious and perfectionist= being an asshole
I’m friends with someone who was a classmate with him at Benington and she claims that indeed he was an asshole
by Anonymous | reply 48 | July 12, 2018 9:04 PM
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I was 27 when this came out. We all thought it was pretentious as fuck, it tried so hard to be cool. Hated it. R14 that clip should be in the "cringe" thread, it is so awful. I don't remember ANYBODY having that hairdo (or wearing whatever that polyester bathrobe thing is). Also, My Sharona is one of the dumbest, cheesiest piece of shit songs ever, and Winona needed to stop RUNNING CONSTANTLY without a fucking bra. Ben Stiller should be so ashamed of himself for this piece of embarrassing ROT.
by Anonymous | reply 49 | July 12, 2018 9:13 PM
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Reports of Ben being an asshole are common. His sister, too. Everyone seems to love his dad Jerry, though. I think Anne is liked well enough, but I do recall one DL poster who *loathed * her.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | July 12, 2018 9:16 PM
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I still remember the lines
"What's your glitch?"
"What's MY GLITCH?"
by Anonymous | reply 51 | July 12, 2018 9:25 PM
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For sne reason, I am embarassed by this movie. It did define the 90s in a way though, alongbwith winona
by Anonymous | reply 52 | July 12, 2018 9:35 PM
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I still say "What's your glitch?" Mostly to one of my dogs when they're spazzing out.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | July 12, 2018 9:35 PM
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I was never crazy about it.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | July 12, 2018 9:51 PM
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The movie runs out of gas as it progresses. I hink it's one reason why I've always disliked Ryder and Hawke. Garofalo is the besting in it. DteveZahn and his character are wasted---sadly, he seems to have diappeared lately.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | July 12, 2018 9:53 PM
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It was a cute movie. I never thought it was a great movie.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | July 12, 2018 9:55 PM
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I was a preteen when this came out so i never saw it until a couple of years ago. I liked it. It was very nostalgic to me.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | July 12, 2018 10:07 PM
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I was already 31 years old when it came out. So hardly a milestone era in my life.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | July 12, 2018 10:13 PM
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[quote]I liked Jeanine Garafolo (Vickie), and it makes me wistful that she seems to have sort of vanished from the scene
She had a long run, considering her very limited talent.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | July 12, 2018 10:18 PM
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R55, what happened to him?
by Anonymous | reply 61 | July 12, 2018 10:56 PM
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I think this is my favorite scene. John Mahoney, as usual, was fantastic.
I never understood why she pulled that stunt, and then is moaning about getting fired. What did she think would happen?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 62 | July 12, 2018 10:58 PM
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I was 23 when it came out and I didn't like it then. I thought winona should have picked the nebbish-y mensch with the job rather Han the dirty hobo. Janine Garofalo's character was pathetic but then we ended up finding out she was kind of playing herself as the years went by.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | July 12, 2018 11:12 PM
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R62:
That was after she overheard him make it clear to the producer that he would never help her advance.
The took the supposed Gen X way of dealing with that and threw a petulant tantrum to get fired (and probably to collect the unemployment)
by Anonymous | reply 65 | July 12, 2018 11:16 PM
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The oral history linked upthread referenced a possible TV Series based on the movie. From a google search, it looks like that was optioned about 5 years ago but never went anywhere. Just as well, I suppose, because even though I somewhat liked the movie when it was released (I was definitely its target audience), I've never once wondered about what happened to those characters or what they would be doing today.
A couple of reasons why::
(1) what interested me in the movie back in 1994 was the storyline, and I thought there was some clever, retro-pop culture dialogue. But the characters themselves never really came alive for me. (And honestly, the dialogue that I thought was clever in '94, now comes off as too much, all the 70s and 80s references to TV shows, catchphrases, etc.)
(2) the slacker era this movie represents was pretty short-lived. Just one year later, you had over-achiever Cher Horowitz as the heroine in "Clueless", and the young generation would start developing and producing in the new Internet/cell phone era that would shortly launch. While it was cool to be a slacker in the early 90s, it was fading a few years later, and gone by the end of the decade. The moment quickly passed.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | July 13, 2018 12:32 PM
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All very true. Excellent points OP.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | July 13, 2018 12:59 PM
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I haven't seen this movie in so long, I forgot Steven Zahn was in this.
I always thought he was an underrated actor. (Remember him in Happy Texas?)
24 years later and he still looks pretty decent (judging by the recent short-lived series The Crossing).
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 70 | July 13, 2018 1:13 PM
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I liked him in that. He keeps a low profile
by Anonymous | reply 71 | July 13, 2018 4:51 PM
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Oh, that other movie where Winona Ryder plays Winona Ryder?
by Anonymous | reply 72 | July 13, 2018 4:55 PM
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Too much emotion for to little cause for emotion. It's like a jew-crew movie. Whatever you call them. The rich Jewish kids like Seth Rogan etc who make the movies about entitled rich kids having minor problems.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | July 13, 2018 4:56 PM
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Putting your bigoted vomit aside for a moment, that was the statement made by the movie:
Gen X is whiny and doesn’t appreciate how they have it so good.
That’s why many have stated it feels more like baby boomers pretending to know what made Gen X tick.
So many boomers use that same hypocrisy in their incessant babbling about ‘millennials’
Idk how much influence Ben Stiller had over the script, bit even if it was him 100%, he was born on the bubble and reads more like a young boomer than an old Xer...
by Anonymous | reply 75 | July 13, 2018 5:14 PM
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As already stated, the movie feels hollow because they don’t spend time exploring why that generation felt so lost and disconnected.
I always found it odd how they set it in Houston. It seems like you only make that choice if it’s part of a messsge, but none of that materialized as with the larger motivation behind any of it.
It just feels like 90 minutes of shallow observations from outsiders who look down on the young people of the day.
The meta moment for me was the way they destroyed the footage Winona shot by making it into a cheap mtv knockoff.
That’s basically what the movie did overall to the ‘zeitgeist’ of the first half of the 90s...
by Anonymous | reply 76 | July 13, 2018 5:19 PM
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R75 Not to mention NEVER having struggled with being broke a day in his life.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | July 13, 2018 5:21 PM
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Oy howdy, I’m classic genX and I have struggled my whole life to make a living, don’t know who you’re talking about
by Anonymous | reply 78 | July 13, 2018 5:23 PM
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I was born in 1974 and somehow avoided seeing this movie. I think i remember when it came out i thought it was dumb. I did like Singles though. Ben Stiller also made that fat camp movie, which was really funny.
by Anonymous | reply 79 | July 13, 2018 6:02 PM
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Clueless and romy and michelle are better
by Anonymous | reply 80 | July 13, 2018 6:39 PM
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R78 I was referring to Ben Stiller never knowing about being broke.
by Anonymous | reply 81 | July 13, 2018 6:54 PM
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My love affair with Janeane began.
by Anonymous | reply 82 | July 14, 2018 3:52 AM
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Those pop culture references were huge back then, r67, which you probably remember. I remember talking like that in high school in roughly 1988 through to the early 1990s, then being shocked when pop culture references became cool (starting with Pulp Fiction IIRC). It felt like I'd been on the cutting edge of a cultural movement. Within a couple of years it was so overplayed like it is in Reality Bites that it was embarrassing.
Every generation must go through that.
by Anonymous | reply 83 | July 14, 2018 5:42 PM
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Pulp fiction and reality bites were both released the same year
by Anonymous | reply 84 | July 14, 2018 5:58 PM
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I didn't bother researching because this is just a DL thread, r84, but you're right. I'm thinking of a 1992 or 1993 movie with quite a few pop culture references. Buffy, maybe?
by Anonymous | reply 85 | July 14, 2018 6:12 PM
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That’s a good one. Buffy was ‘92. I would also add Wayne’s World as a good example of what you mean
by Anonymous | reply 86 | July 14, 2018 6:55 PM
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Steve Zahn came back to our high school that year (he had graduated 8 years prior), to talk to our acting class about what it's like to be a working actor, his experiences on set, memories from high school, etc. He had just finished filming Reality Bites.
After the visit, a bunch of us went to see the film, and we all loved it. I was obsessed with the soundtrack at the time as well.
I showed it to my younger brother maybe 10 years ago, and I still liked it, but substantially less so, while he really enjoyed it.
It's kind of fun to watch for its time capsule aspects, and general nostalgia, but is perhaps not the best piece of film making.
by Anonymous | reply 87 | July 14, 2018 8:47 PM
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I attended a Juliana Hatfield concert at the Academy on W.43 around this film's release and as I was standing at the t shirt vendor, I spotted Ben Stiller entering the club alone. I'm short and so is he, so I'm watching him work his way through the crowd and he comes straight over to me and stands and looks at the stage (don't remember if Juliana was onstage yet, but she was horrible). I am male and was very attracted to him so I couldn't think of anything to say. He stood there a few minutes with me staring at him then went upstairs to the bar. I waited a few and then followed. He was already engaged by two frat boy types so I split.
by Anonymous | reply 88 | July 16, 2018 2:33 AM
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Ahhh another movie that exists in a world with no people of color.
by Anonymous | reply 89 | July 16, 2018 2:46 AM
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I guess that s why their reality bit...
by Anonymous | reply 90 | July 16, 2018 2:57 AM
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For me, this is sort of like when I first saw Rent (which was 1996). I really identified with the struggle and the hopelessness at the end of it. I think we were the first generation that went to college and got nothing once we graduated. We were promised a golden path if we went to college and that didn't happen.
However, as the years progressed, I revisited both Reality Bites and Rent and thought they were really whiny. I made my way the best I could in life and took jobs I didn't like and tried to surround myself with good things even though my career went nowhere. So to sum up, at the time, I really felt like it was a culturally relevant movie, but with distance, I'm not that impressed.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | July 16, 2018 3:00 AM
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It was funny in "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" when she is backstage listening to lineup of comedians introduced.
After each name Joan says, "Great....Hilarious.....Funny!" and Ben Stiller is announced she says,"...Lucky."
by Anonymous | reply 92 | July 16, 2018 3:43 AM
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Hawke singing the Violent Femmes’ Add It Up ranks as one of the douchiest, douche-chill inducing moments in cinema. How could anyone take him seriously?
by Anonymous | reply 93 | July 16, 2018 11:02 AM
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Agreed R93, plus he looks like he stinks throughout the whole movie.
by Anonymous | reply 94 | July 16, 2018 2:41 PM
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I remember when Fox tried back to back half hours or two comedian's sketch comedy - Julie Brown then Ben Stiller. I liked Julie's show and had been a fan of hers previously. but of course Stiller's was the breakout hit and Julie's was canceled.
by Anonymous | reply 95 | July 16, 2018 7:15 PM
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[quote]I worked at the Gap near Rice University when this movie was filmed in Houston in 1993
I was living in Houston when it was filmed, too.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | July 16, 2018 11:19 PM
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If I'm gonna look at Winnie, well then I prefer to watch her tear up the prairie with her horny hysteria in The Crucible. Reality Bites and singles (that one comes with lowercase lettering and a wig for Matt Dillon) both left me feeling unbitten and twice shy, babe. SubUrbia (1996) is much better; Giovanni Ribisi can't even ruin it with his lame James Dean shtick.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 97 | July 17, 2018 6:36 AM
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I loved the idea of it, the fact that it got made and was around, but never ended up watching it. Saw bits of it some ten years ago and found it tedious. I loved Winona then, though (not in the movie, just in general).
by Anonymous | reply 98 | July 17, 2018 6:45 AM
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I can't imagine being a young adult who just graduated from university and not taking a lucrative job because I didn't want to be a sell out. I wish I had those problems.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | July 17, 2018 6:49 AM
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What I loved best about the movie was the song. That I could never get enough of.
by Anonymous | reply 100 | July 17, 2018 6:54 AM
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Janeane's hair in the movie: Wig or real?
by Anonymous | reply 101 | July 18, 2018 7:19 AM
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The first time I watched this movie I was in love with Hawke's character. He was so profound, you know? Watching this movie as an adult 20 years later, I realized that he was just an asshole.
by Anonymous | reply 102 | July 18, 2018 10:38 AM
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Everything r18 said is true for me too.
by Anonymous | reply 103 | July 18, 2018 10:47 AM
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The screenwriter, Helen Childress (born 1969), was apparently still a student at USC when she completed the original script.
According to imdb, the only thing she has written since is for a 2016 tv series that I'd never heard of.
Odd.
by Anonymous | reply 104 | July 19, 2018 11:32 AM
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[quote]This Monday: Janeane Garofalo will join Ben Stiller, Ethan Hawke, and Winona Ryder on The Tonight Show for the 25th Anniversary of "Reality Bites".
From the Winona thread.
by Anonymous | reply 105 | February 18, 2019 11:36 AM
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Janeane Garofalo made that movie.
by Anonymous | reply 106 | February 18, 2019 11:38 AM
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There was a reunion at Tribeca yesterday.
by Anonymous | reply 107 | May 5, 2019 9:52 AM
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My Sharona was a big hit that played for years on radio. Frampton Comes Alive didn't really yield as many big hits. I'm around Ryder's age and I know My Sharona but not much about Frampton Comes Alive.
by Anonymous | reply 108 | May 5, 2019 10:03 AM
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[quote]Frampton Comes Alive didn't really yield as many big hits.
No. 6 Show Me The Way
No. 10 Do You Feel Like We Do
No. 12 Baby I Love Your Way
I'm two year older than Ryder and know all of the hit songs from Frampton Comes Alive. Just seems odd to know hit music from '79, but not from '76. Especially if you were born in the early 70s.
by Anonymous | reply 109 | May 5, 2019 10:24 AM
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I remember this was more or less promoted as The Graduate for GenX-ers and it didn’t really live up to that. This is a movie that wanted to mean something to a generation but really didn’t. It was just marketing.
by Anonymous | reply 110 | May 5, 2019 11:08 AM
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R110 lol well then they definitely failed. Although I'm sure Stiller loves The Graduate comparison.
by Anonymous | reply 111 | May 5, 2019 11:58 AM
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Janeane Garofalo made that movie. She was the only good thing in it.
by Anonymous | reply 112 | May 5, 2019 12:00 PM
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Check out the 1994 GAP In-Store Playlists form when this was filmed in Houston!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 113 | May 5, 2019 12:04 PM
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The GAP troll needs to be put out of his misery.
by Anonymous | reply 114 | May 5, 2019 4:04 PM
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I kind of resent that this crappy movie is supposed to be some kind of touchstone for my generation. It’s about as accurate as 90210 was for high school. Slackers is better.
by Anonymous | reply 115 | May 5, 2019 5:10 PM
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No generation wants to claim Ben Stiller, but I think he very much identifies as Gen X. He's done a few of those "mumblecore" films with Noah Baumbach where he plays an aging GenXer trying to fit in with millennials.
by Anonymous | reply 116 | May 5, 2019 5:50 PM
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[quote]I had such a HUGE crush on Steve zahn I wanted to date him and I wanted to be him
And I wanted him and Rick Schroder to put DADT to the test in [italic]Crimson Tide[/italic].
by Anonymous | reply 117 | May 5, 2019 5:57 PM
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Ben Stiller wore tights in his next movie, a Disney film called [italic]Heavyweights[/italic] about fat kids getting even at a fat camp.
by Anonymous | reply 119 | May 6, 2019 3:33 AM
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r1, pretty much the same here, and I loved it when it came out
by Anonymous | reply 120 | May 6, 2019 3:36 AM
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Ben Stiller, born 1965, is definitively an Xer.
by Anonymous | reply 121 | May 6, 2019 3:45 AM
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Does anybody like Ben Stiller?
by Anonymous | reply 122 | May 6, 2019 4:00 AM
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He's Laurence Fucking Olivier compared to that oafish wimp from [italic]F(r)iends[/italic] of the same religious persuasion.
by Anonymous | reply 123 | May 6, 2019 4:01 AM
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Here's the full reunion, I gave the wrong link above.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 124 | May 6, 2019 6:17 AM
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No "My Sharona" questions?
by Anonymous | reply 128 | May 9, 2019 1:19 AM
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I was surprised to learn that “bites” is meant to be a noun (as in “soundbites”) not a verb.
by Anonymous | reply 129 | May 9, 2019 1:30 AM
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R129 Yeah, the rumor was that it was supposed to be "Reality Sucks" by they were forced to change it.
by Anonymous | reply 130 | May 9, 2019 1:33 AM
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I was 20 when it came out. It was a sanitized Disney version of the early 90s...no one my age took it seriously, maybe younger teens/ kids in the sticks thought it was great. It's the Full House of Gen X.
There are a couple classic lines I use though.
"ARE YOU WEARING A DOILIE?"
"Who told you that, your psychic friend?"
by Anonymous | reply 131 | May 9, 2019 1:56 AM
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There's a lot to be said about the 1990s and this clip has it all: semi-entitled Winona driving her parents' cast-off Beemer listening to "Tempted" by Squeeze. Tosses her but in douchey bro Ben Stiller's Saab convertible who's talking on the phone (shades of things to come) Airbags. Potential lawsuits. The ultimate meet-cute.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 132 | May 9, 2019 2:29 AM
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It would've been a better movie if Ben Stiller hadn't been in it.
by Anonymous | reply 133 | May 9, 2019 2:39 AM
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Former "Washingtonian," here -
Can't believe how much snow/ice are covering the Olympic mountains during the time this film was made. They are gorged with snow/ice.
Today, the same mountain range in January/February looks as it is August.
by Anonymous | reply 134 | May 9, 2019 3:03 AM
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Ethan Hawke's insufferable, pretentious performance kills the movie on arrival.
by Anonymous | reply 136 | May 9, 2019 3:10 AM
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R136 He's the most puncable character in the film.
by Anonymous | reply 137 | May 9, 2019 3:11 AM
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Winona had a nose job, so did Janeane.
by Anonymous | reply 138 | May 10, 2019 6:07 AM
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I was right in the demographic but didn't care much for it. I liked Singles better.
by Anonymous | reply 139 | May 10, 2019 6:13 AM
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R55 nails it. The movie started out quite optimistic, but roughly 30 minutes in - the movie starts a slow, steady decline that abruptly dead-ends into the pathetic ending (the editor must have spent a whole 15 minutes or so tops throwing together that insipid MTV-style short film that Stiller's character produces for his cable network). When Winona sets up John Mahoney's character on that hilariously nauseating morning show - IMO, it was comedic brilliance and I was waiting to wowed (the film was really hyped at the time and Ryder was pretty much nearing her peak as a star). Sadly, Stiller's flawed film rolled mostly downhill from there.. Not only was it not all that it was cracked up to be in 1994, it doesn't hold up well either. Singles is the far better film - one that I can watch over and over (dated soundtrack and all).
by Anonymous | reply 142 | May 10, 2019 9:33 AM
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Lisa Loeb's "Stay" was from the soundtrack and was played every five minutes until everyone was thoroughly sick to death of it.
by Anonymous | reply 144 | May 10, 2019 11:32 AM
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R144 That and that horrible Big Mountain song.
by Anonymous | reply 145 | May 10, 2019 10:49 PM
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