Slacker (1991)
83%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 3 nominations
Slacker, a film that defies traditional plot structure, is a fascinating exploration of the eccentricities of daily life in Austin, Texas. Linklater’s keen observations of the city’s denizens, from the Dostoevsky wanna-be to the breakthrough day seeker, are both hilarious and poignant. The film’s fly-on-the-wall style, which was actually meticulously planned, captures the energy and creativity of a generation searching for meaning in a world that often seems to lack it. Slacker is a time capsule of a bygone era, and a must-see for anyone interested in the early days of independent cinema.
Slacker is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. With a cast of characters that are as diverse as they are quirky, this film takes you on a wild ride through the streets of Austin, Texas. While there may not be a traditional plot, the smart observations and witty dialogue make up for it. It’s like watching a bunch of strangers’ lives intersect and it’s oddly compelling. Plus, it’s a time capsule of the independent film movement that’s both fascinating and hilarious. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Austin, Texas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
Year of Release
1991
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Ultra Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Sep 21, 2004
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Richard Linklater, directed by Richard Linklater, written by Richard Linklater, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kim Newman, reviewed by Kenneth Turan, reviewed by Richard Brody, reviewed by Derek Malcolm, reviewed by Owen Gleiberman, reviewed by Nigel Floyd, reviewed by Jeffrey M Anderson, MPAA rating R, Austin, Texas, young and unambitious, eccentric, dangerously apathetic, backseat philosopher, dream theories, comatose cabbie, Madonna’s Pap test, kindly old anarchist, fresh filmmaking, benchmark, 1990s indie cinema, Eden, nobly lazy, esoteric obsessions, teeming weirdness, daily life, swarm of individual alternatives, vast creative energy, young people trying to find themselves, laid-back denizens, independent film movement, structured with knowledge, variety in tone and theme
Worldwide gross: $1,228,108
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,710,915
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,334
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 295,629
US/Canada gross: $1,228,108
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,710,915
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,963
US/Canada opening weekend: $24,307
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $53,655
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,187
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $23,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $50,770
Production budget ranking: 2,151
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $27,340
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,632,805
ROI to date (est.): 3,371%
ROI ranking: 30
Jean Caffeine – Roadkill
Jan Hockey – Jogger
Richard Linklater – Should Have Stayed at Bus Station
Mark James – Hit-and-Run Son
Stephan Hockey – Running Late
Director(s)
Richard Linklater
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Richard Linklater
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 3 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (8)
This unconventional film will offend anyone looking for a plot, but Linklater’s smart observations speak volumes.
March 14, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
When the way characters are described in the credits (“Dostoevsky wanna-be,” “Having a breakthrough day”) is more involving than the characters themselves, you know you’re in for a long evening.
March 14, 2021
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The film presents the teeming weirdness of daily life in Austin as a swarm of individual alternatives, each spinning wildly out of control and crashing into one another’s active fantasies to unleash vast creative energy.
March 30, 2020
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
On the whole, this is a fascinating example of apparently fly-on-the-wall film-making, made all the more intriguing when you discover it was all planned like a military exercise.
March 20, 2018
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Slacker has a marvelously low-key observational cool.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: A-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
At times, it’s like watching someone else’s home movies, but there’s something oddly compelling about such studied eccentricity.
June 24, 2006
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Each new character lasts only a few minutes, but the bigger picture is one of the most memorable movies about young people trying to find themselves.
March 14, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Common Sense Media
Although its structure seems novel to me from a formal point of view, I am not captivated by the lives of those characters that it presents in a simple day in Austin, Texas. [Full review in Spanish]
August 8, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
It holds up, a time capsule of laid-back denizens of Austin, TX that harkens back to the first stirrings of the independent film movement. It’s also very funny.
February 12, 2020
Lisa Nesselson
France24
Making sure those differences between its countless characters are both heavily discernible, and endlessly interesting, is what allows the individuals of Slacker to come alive as people.
January 18, 2020
Douglas Laman
The Spool
Pretension is kept at bay by the fact that whenever someone is holding court, the others in the scene barely seem to be listening.
March 9, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
Linklater is very aware that his film doesn’t have a linear narrative and the movie is structured with that knowledge, as well as for a variety in tone and theme.
October 18, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4
Eric Melin
Scene-Stealers.com…
Plot
Slacker follows the lives of various eccentric and apathetic individuals in Austin, Texas, as they navigate their obsessions and lack of responsibility, with no overarching plot but plenty of smart observations.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Slacker.
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