subUrbia the movie was released in
1997. Directed by
Richard Linklater. Written by
Eric Bogosian based on his
off-Broadway play by the same name. Players:
Giovanni Ribisi,
Steve Zahn,
Amie Carey,
Nicky Katt,
Dina Spybey,
Jayce Bartok,
Parker Posey, and more.
It has been some time since I've seen this let's see how I do...
Jeff (Giovanni Ribisi) and his friends live in the suburbs. A suburb just like any other in America. Strip malls, tract housing, etc. They spend their days hanging out by the dumpster of a nearby convenience store. Jeff has the philosophy that life is futile and in 50 years him and all his friends will be dead and forgotten. All the characters struggle to be unique, but never really achieve it. The plot for the movie involves the return of Pony (Jayce Bartok) who has managed to escape and become a pop star, but eventually it is revealed that he hasn't really escaped and is still like the rest of them. This movie brings up a lot of the problems faced by the youth of suburban America, but offers few answers. I think this more than anything brings out the point of how futile the characters' struggle seems to be to them.
There is more that happens in this movie, but I think that covers the main plot. IIRC I thought it was good, I'm not going to rate it because it has been too long since I've seen it. If I see it again I'll update this writeup.
One quote I just read in a review of this movie says "What good is running away if every town looks the same?" from salon.com.