Slacker (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

I already own this movie on Criterion Blu-Ray, and had the original DVD release from them long before that. I bought this new reissued Criterion DVD for a friend of mine as a Christmas gift, but have never gotten the chance to review this movie, which is number two on my top ten list of all-time favorite movies! I absolutely adore this film, I watched it everyday for six months once, when I was going through a really rough time in my life and it's an absolute showcase of wonders and a slice of life of what it is to be a slacker, particularly, a slacker in late 1980s Austin, Texas. This movie was finished in 1989, but not released until 1991 and was made by the always indescribable Richard Linklater. So, what's it about? That's no easy question to answer. It follows no single plot, but rather shifts from one set of characters to another, roughly every five minutes, all of them slackers on some level, young and old. Some might call it boring and anticlimactic but I call it riveting cinema that must be seen by everybody.The movie starts off with a young man getting off of a bus and getting into a taxi, where he tells a stoic cab driver all about a dream he had on the bus wherein he had written a book, of which the premise was that for every thought you have, that thought creates its own reality. He also says that in the dream, there was nothing going on. He was sitting at home, reading, or traveling, looking out the windows of cars and buses and trains, just going about his life like he does in the waking world. The focus then shifts when he gets out of the cab to another character, then shifts after that to more characters, constantly in a state of flux "Slacker" doesn't let us get comfortable with any one character. Life can be like that, too. It's absolutely fascinating to get a peek into the day to day lives of these people and you wonder what they're up to long after their little scenes are finished. And I think that's part of the purpose of "Slacker," to create that sense of wonder we don't get from many other movies. If you're interested in multiverse theory, the psychic effects of television, anarchism, oblique strategies or anything like that, this movie is definitely for you.But the interesting thing about the Criterion release of "Slacker" is that it contains a whole other movie! On the second disk of the DVD edition from the Criterion Collection is a second film, created one year before Slacker, entitled "It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books." This movie, in many ways, is the dream the first character in Slacker spoke of. It features a similar character doing all the things Should Have Stayed At The Bus Station said happened to him in his dream. "Learn to Plow" has very little dialogue, and when there is dialogue, it's banal and means little. Like "Slacker," I would say that "Learn to Plow" has no central plot, but it does follow a central character unlike Slacker. But it's very dreamlike and we watch the main character wander about his daily life, at home he sits and reads, cooks dinner, watches TV, then goes on trips across America by car, bus and train and we get to go with him for every minute of it. "Learn to Plow" gives me a similar feeling to Slacker, which is probably why I like it so much, because in so many ways it is the dream that Should Have Stayed At The Bus Station said he had, and one wonders, is "Slacker" a sequel to "Learn to Plow?" Or is it something more esoteric than that? I think it's rather magical, myself.Like almost all Criterion Collection releases, "Slacker" is packed with extras, including a 10th anniversary reunion of the cast. I haven't watched the extras in many years, so I don't really remember them very well, but I do remember them being good. There's commentaries by Richard Linklater for both Slacker and Learn to Plow which provide a lot of insight into the thought process behind the making of these wonderful, wonderful films. If I were a filmmaker, I'd aspire to make something like Slacker because it's a movie that challenges people with its lack of a central plot or any sort of conflict. Many people will turn their noses up at these films and that makes me sad, because they simply lack the wherewithal to understand what's truly being said here. It's not one message, it's several messages. It's little bits and pieces we get to see, slices of life and a look into the lives of these people who are largely rejected by mainstream society. And in case you're wondering, my friend, who I bought this DVD for, loved the movie, we watched my Blu-Ray copy and he absolutely fell in love with the movie and I decided that for Christmas I'd get him his very own copy on DVD since he doesn't own a Blu-Ray player. I give this movie a full five out of five stars and have awarded it the number two spot on my top ten list of my favorite movies of all time; that's no easy place to be as I am something of a film snob. But then again, that's kind of who this movie was made for. But you also have to be a little bit of a slacker yourself to 'get' it. Are you a slacker? I know I am.

Slacker(1991) is an extremely polarizing film. If the idea of a wandering POV that goes from character to character as they go through vignettes (sometimes even single lines of dialogue) sounds unbearably boring to you, it probably would be. I found the vibe delightful, and consider this an extremely relaxing film which is quite funny in parts and poignant in others.Great film quality, disc is loaded with extras of a similar vibe to Slacker itself.

Understandable how this film inspired Kevin Smith to make films. If for nothing else that would be enough. But alas, that is just a fraction of it's "classic" moniker. A title often over used but in this case is quite sufficient. If you love movies and appreciate Richard Linklater's films, his first is a must. See the man himself in the opening scene. This is a must see.

This movie is very funny.

The commentary tracks are a good addition. I enjoyed seeing all the behind the scenes filming, and the dialogue of the many places that were "locations" during the filming.

If you miss the Austin of the early 90's this is a must see

A very good early Richard Linklater film. This Criterion Collection edition offers many extras.

Linklater is brilliant!

Ordered the DVD for my brother for Christmas and as it was an import I thought it would arrive after Christmas, however to my surprise it arrived before. Very pleased with delivery. Brother loves the film so he was very pleased to receive it on Christmas day!

My favorite movie that I bought for my grandpa who is interested in random films.He hated it, "is that what you call it, a movie." But he is a 60 year old biker who is more interested in Cinderella and monster house.This was a bit to avantgaurd for him.

While i was rating this; another reality of me is watching this movie.PSYCH-TRIP Night Approved.5 STARS.

Linklater shows his skiĺls in this film. With many quirky characters and a fervent dialogue still relevant today, the film doesn't slack.