Upon Further Review (A Movie Thread)

I bought the 10th anniversary edition of Reality Bites yesterday. I remembered enjoying Reality Bites when I first saw it, in 1994, so I thought, "this should be pretty decent". I failed to take into account that I haven't actuallty seen Reality Bites since 1994. In '94 I was 14, and the movie is exactly the sort of thing someone who was 14 in that part of the nineties would think is cool and edgy. Plus I used to really like the soundtrack. I even got it from the library and taped it onto a cassette,
Anyway, my point is that Reality Bites has not aged well. In fact, it's really not very good at all. I actually found myself getting angry while I was watching because it wasn't better, as if Reality Bites had tricked me somehow.
A few other things I took away from the movie:
Janeane Garofalo should have listened to better music. She's supposed to be this very hip, ahead of the curve personality, yet she listens to 70s prog rock? What the fuck?
Ethan Hawke has always been funny looking. Why was this guy ever a sex symbol? He's so weird looking.
I always undervalued Winona Ryder. I was never that into her. I'd definitely feel like I need to reassess after watching the movie. Early to mid-nineties Winona Ryder was a sight to behold.

Has a movie you used to like ever sucker punched you like this? Feel free to chime in.

I agree on all counts.

Also: Ryder and Hawke's characters are not redeeming in any way. They're basically big fat pricks.

I agree.

Also, Boyz in the Hood has not aged well at all. Basically an aftershool special with swearing.

I watched this movie again about 7 months ago, and had a similar reaction. It pretty much sucks.

I've wanted to rent this and Menace to Society for a while now, just to see them again. I probably still will.

Also, with Reality Bites, they sort of mock things in a totally incorrect way: the documentary that Winona was making was totally cut-up by the MTV-like station, and instead of the serious look at their lives that she wanted to portray, they make light of everyone. The truth is, the real MTV would have made the documentary MORE strident and heart-rending as they do with all their pseudo-documentaries. Also, no one would attack their roomates date when they first meet them, regardless of who they are. Passive aggressive people especially.

Agreed with Garafalo's bad taste in music, sort of like the terrible ending of Pretty in Pink, where the super hot and cool Annie Potts turns into a soccer mom, and it's supposed to be a good thing...


I used to live with a girl who watched this movie (Reality Bites) whenever she was sad, so I'm sort of an expert on its crappiness.

Menace ages better.

It bothered me that Steve Zahn was basically just a cut out "gay friend", too. He had no purpose, except that it allowed them to do a fear of coming out/coming out sequence.

Singles ages a little better. Not a lot, but a little.

And all of the John Hughes movies lose a bit on translation. Ferris is still good, but Pretty In Pink and Sixteen Candles are tough to get through.

Sixteen Candles is almost jaw-droppingly racist and offensive. Breakfast Club is hard to judge, but it holds up pretty well.

Pretty in Pink has the worst endings of all of them. The cool, quirky guy doesn't get the girl, Annie Potts stops being cool and everyone is supposed to be happy?!?

Yep. I forgot about Breakfast Club. I think it probably holds up better than the entire lot, if only because Bender is undeniably cool.

I had managed to go my whole life without seeing that movie until Christmas. I watched it with my girlfriend and holy shit... did that ending piss me off.

i hated reality bites when it cam eout

You can't go home again, Haverchuck.

*lights smoke*
*stares out into nothingness*