Purely Joyful Movie!

Powerful

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Best movie ever!

When Lelaina Pierce and her friends graduate they have expectations about how their lives will progress; inevitably they don't go according to plan. Lelaina is working for an obnoxious morning TV presenter… at least she is until she makes him look a fool and gets fired. She is living with her friend Vickie and they are joined by their friend Troy after he is sacked from his job at a magazine stall. Troy clearly has feeling for her but can't express them; instead he acts like a jerk. Lelaina is making a documentary about her friends and new boyfriend Mike, who works for an MTVesque TV station, offers to get it aired… unfortunately the way they edit it isn't anything like she intended.I recall enjoying this when I first watched it but watching again I found it somewhat less enjoyable; the characters aren't particularly sympathetic. This is particularly true of Troy. I think we were meant to want him to end up with Lelaina but I couldn't help thinking that just about anybody, or nobody, would have been better than this obnoxious bully… even Mike and he was played by Ben Stiller who we were meant to dislike! I think the cast did a good job; even if I didn't like the characters I did believe in them. Winona Ryder impressed as Lelaina and even though I didn't like Troy, Ethan Hawke did a solid in the role. Overall this isn't a bad film but it was a bit disappointing as it wasn't as good as I remembered.One last thought; isn't it depressing that when this generation were at school they were 'The Breakfast Club' but once they graduate they become this bunch?!

Reality Bites is basically a case of putting a trendy patina on a shopworn romantic comedy cliché. The film is something of a paradox; it's specifically about the reality of finding a job and love in an unforgiving world, and tries to spell out, in pretty big letters, that people in the nineties had "issues" to deal with. But therein lies the films problem - its sheer glibness; serious issues like job globalization or the advent of AIDS appear as snapshots, almost reduced to an exercise in style. In numerous shots, the "real" characters in the film represent youth culture as its referenced in rock videos and the grungy, black and white magazine ads of its day.Troy, the main love interest in the story, is a composite of the dude from the Replacements and some 90's retro fashion insert. Additionally, Troy is a wellspring of political and philosophical quips about the surrounding world, ultimately cynical in tone and indifferent to the ideal of success or suburban security. The "other guy" in the movie is sort of a TV exec yuppie, likable enough but not really cool at all and somewhat self regarding and out-of-touch. (Maybe a tad "eighties", as well. The biggest crime in this movie would be to openly admit liking Billy Idol.)The comedy/drama/romance focus of the picture is REALLY about media grad Lelaina Pierce tryna find "true love" and so she must choose between these two male stereotypes. The curious feeling of gender and class manipulation is palpable, if only because the filmmakers are interested in selling an age-old love triangle convention and also because of the tendency to reduce the nineties Gen-X/grunge era to a type. A handful of good dramatic conflict scenes help prop the vehicle up, so to speak, also a film soundtrack was marketed around the same time.

This is a film that does not deserve even one star, and although I listed it as such, it really gets zero from me. Simply put, it is the worst film of the 90s. The acting, particularly Hawke and Garafalo, stands out as being lame (Not that I cared about even one character in this film (Which even makes it worse than "Hot Tub Time Machine", who had at least one redeemable character)), and sad to say, the actors operated with a script that no one could possibly salvage. However, what is the worst is how the word "Comedy" pops up in the description of this film. There is not one scene in this film that can be classified as giggle worthy (Let alone funny). It certainly is one of the worst films I have ever saw in my life. The film is brutal, and should be avoided at all costs.

I remember a few years ago watching the VH1 show called "I Love the '90's", which I'm sure you've either heard of or seen. Reality Bites was one of the movies mentioned and how big it was at the time. My sister saw the clip with me and mentioned how she and her friends were in the "Ben vs. Ethan" fight, the good guy vs. the bad guy or who was just cuter? Goes to show where our shallow side started. But I was curious to see the movie and found it playing on TV one day, so I decided to check it out. This is definitely a movie of the '90's, which I find amusing that in the '90's we were obsessed with the '70's where the 70's were obsessed with the 50's. Watch as we go a little further in the 10's, we'll be obsessed with the '90's I guess. But back onto the movie, over all I think I liked it. All though I don't agree with the way it ended, it was a good coming of age story with some good laughs and decent performances.Long-time friend, temporary roommate guitarist Troy and budding film maker Lelaina are attracted to each other, though it's an attraction that neither of them has really acted upon. He's a slacker, nihilist and grunge rock musician by night, losing job after job in a series of minimum wage dead end endeavors during the day. Lelaina meets Michael when she throws a cigarette into his convertible, causing him to crash into her car. The two soon begin to date. He works at an MTV-like cable channel called "In Your Face" as an executive, and after learning about a documentary she's been working on, wants to get it aired on his network. After an impulsive act of retribution, Lelaina loses her job, which causes some tension with her roommates. She and Troy then sleep together and confess their love. The morning after, he avoids her and, after a messy confrontation, leaves town. Meanwhile, Lelaina's relationship with Michael dissolves after he helps her sell the documentary to his network, only to let them edit it into a stylized montage that she feels compromises her artistic vision, though he did not realize how her work would be "updated" for the audience, he tries to make things right with her. Torn between the good boy vs. the bad boy, Lelaina must choose between them.At the time "The Real World" was on MTV, there was some major competition to grab the youth's attention. This movie is one of the most honest I have seen where the young adults are acting like the way a lot of young adults do, very scared and unsure of what the future holds for us. Going from job to job, date to date, wanting money, sex, a house, a car, and a great job but never sure if it takes hard work, connections or just good luck. Winona did a great job showing great intelligence and courage in her role, she held herself very strongly and was a pleasure to watch. The only thing I did not appreciate about the film is that Ben Stiller is a successful executive and it's almost looked down upon as if he "sold out", which was stupid. If he's not the right guy for Winona's character, that's fine, but don't make him seem like he's a dork. But with a good cast, this movie does pull itself together well and keeps you interested. I would recommend it.6/10