Slacker (1990)

A day in the life of Austin, Texas as the camera roams from place to place and provides a brief look at the overeducated, the social misfits, the outcasts and the oddballs.

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writer:

Richard Linklater

Stars:

Richard Linklater, Rudy Basquez, Jean Caffeine

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Linklater	...	Should Have Stayed at Bus Station
Rudy Basquez	...	Taxi Driver
Jean Caffeine	...	Roadkill
Jan Hockey	...	Jogger
Stephan Hockey	...	Running Late
Mark James	...	Hit-and-Run Son
Samuel Dietert	...	Grocery Grabber of Death's Bounty
Bob Boyd	...	Officer Bozzio
Terrence Kirk	...	Officer Love
Keith McCormack	...	Street Musician
Jennifer Schaudies	...	Walking to Coffee Shop
Dan Kratochvil	...	Espresso Czar / Masonic Malcontent
Maris Strautmanis	...	Giant Cappuccino
Brecht Andersch	...	Dostoyevsky Wannabe
Tommy Pallotta	...	Looking for Missing Friend (as Tom Pallotta)

Storyline

Presents a day in the life in Austin, Texas among its social outcasts and misfits, predominantly the twenty-something set, using a series of linear vignettes. These characters, who in some manner just don't fit into the establishment norms, move seamlessly from one scene to the next, randomly coming and going into one another's lives. Highlights include a UFO buff who adamantly insists that the U.S. has been on the moon since the 1950s, a woman who produces a glass slide purportedly of Madonna's pap smear, and an old anarchist who sympathetically shares his philosophy of life with a robber.

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Plot Keywords:

austin texas | twenty something | philosophy | anarchist | pseudo intellectual | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Happy-Go-Lucky Guy who gets ripped off by the newspaper machine is lead vocalist, musician and founding member of Poi Dog Pondering. The tune that he whistles after he passes the Sidewalk Psychic is "Postcard From a Dream (Toast and Jelly)" from their first studio album, recorded in Austin. The woman who claims to have change but doesn't give it to him is Abra Moore, though she had left Poi Dog by then.

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Goofs

When Happy-Go-Lucky Guy presses the button to get his change back from the newspaper machine, you clearly see and hear the change falling into the return slot. When he checks to see if it has fallen, he doesn't find anything.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Should Have Stayed at Bus Station: [babbling to silent cab driver] Man, I just had the weirdest dream - back on the bus there? Did you ever have one of those dreams that are completely real. I mean they're so vivid. It's just like completely real. It's like, there's always something bizarre going on, though. I have one about every 2 years or something. I always remember 'em real good. Like there's always someone getting run over, or something really weird. Um, one time I had lunch with Tolstoy. Another time I was a ...

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, the usual disclaimer is replaced with: "This story was based on fact. Any similiarity with fictional events or characters is entirely coincidental."

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Connections

Referenced in Half in the Bag: Boyhood and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

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Soundtracks

White Bread
Written by Michael Chester
Performed by Not For Sale

User Reviews

Cult film must!

I agree with the other people who have praised this film, it is terrific. I also own a copy and find that I seldom make it all the way through. Still I keep it and periodically go back to it because I can't wait for a particular character to show up or to be reminded of one that I'd forgotten. And best of all....I think that I've known most of these people at some time in my life! As bizarre as all of these characters are they are very much like some of the wackos everybody encounters throughout their lifetime. Linklater did a very good job of his caricatures and drew excellent performances out of his cast.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 July 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Richard Linklater's Slacker

Filming Locations:

Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,307, 7 July 1991

Gross USA:

$1,228,108

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,228,108

Company Credits

Production Co:

Detour Filmproduction

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 100 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color Black and White (bar scene)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1