” The only thing you have to be by the age of 23 is yourself.”
-Troy
A 1994 movie directed by Ben Stiller, tagged “A comedy about love in the 90’s,” Reality Bites embodies the Gen X culture of the 90’s that still lingers on today. Lelaine Pierce, known to her friend’s as Laney (Winona Ryder), has just graduated at the top of her university class with a degree in film. Her roommate Vicky is a manager at the Gap, their friend Sammy is about to come out to his mother, and their other friend Troy is the epitome of slack.
Laney works as an assistant to Grant (John Mahoney), a morning talk show host and in her spare time is working on a documentary about her friends. Fed up with the treatment she receives from Grant, Laney doctors the interview cards she prepped for him, knowing that he does not look at them before he goes on the air.
Needless to say, Laney finds herself out of a job.
Going from interview to interview, Laney finds herself either overly qualified, underqualified, or being asked to make illegal copies of video tapes.
#1 lesson learned from this movie- be able to define “irony” in the event I am ever asked in a job interview to do so.
Although the sexual tension between Laney and Troy (Ethan Hawke) runs high, Laney beings a relationship with Michael, a flashy executive for an MTV-like cable station. The two meet when Laney tosses her cigarette butt accidentally into his convertible and he smashes into her.
While Michael is away on a business trip, Laney’s situation spirals further out of control. Strapped for cash and owing a huge phone bill thanks to her psychic friend, she utilizes the gas card her father gave her for graduation. To make money she has people give her cash for the gas they need and then she charges the gas to her father’s account.
When things are at their darkest, Michael calls on his cell phone (while standing in a phone booth) to let Laney know his network is interested in her document and that he loves her.
Unfortunately Michael sells her out and turns her documentary into a mockery of her real intentions.
Finally, when the tension between her and Troy can build no more, the two end up in bed together. While the morning after and the days following are awkward for the two, they eventually smooth things out.
The film ends with a Real World-like show based on Laney and her friends turning up on Michael’s network.
Reality Bites was written by Helen Childress and Danny DeVito was a producer.
There are a lot of things that make this movie appealing. The film captures not only the feeling of being just out of college and completely clueless about your future, but also the time in which the movie was made. I appreciate the movie far more now than I did when I was 14.
The comedy of the film and clever lines Troy spews out are balanced by the reality of Vickie getting tested for HIV and Sammy coming clean to his mother about his sexual orientation. It reminds me of some of the sentiments in Douglas Coupland’s Generation X
Cast Includes:
Sountrack:
- ”My Sharona” by The Knack
- ”Spin the Bottle” by Juliana Hatfield Three
- ”Bed of Roses” by The Indian Bianca
- ”When You Come Back to Me” by World Party Wallinger
- ”Going, Going, Gone” by The Posies
- ”Stay” by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
- ”All I Want Is You” by U2
- ”Locked Out” by Crowded House
- ”Spinning Around Over” by Lenny Kravitz
- ”I’m Nuthin” by Ethan Hawke
- ”Turnip Farm” by Dinosaur Jr.
- ”Revival” by Me Phi Me
- ”Tempted” by Squeeze
- ”Baby I Love Your Way” by Big Mountain Frampton
quote and cast information from imdb.com, soundtrack listing from cdnow.com