The 1990s was the peak era of the slacker, and some of the best comedy movies from that decade captured the disaffected spirit of youth. After shifting toward traditional values in the 1980s, the ’90s turned everything on its ear as youth culture began to rebel against the status quo. Burgeoning music genres like grunge were the roaring voice of a new movement among young people, and the decade became the heyday for unambitious characters who fought the system by not participating. Naturally, this gave way to plenty of comedy films about the subject, and the slacker movie was born.
While there aren’t many unifying characteristics that make a great slacker movie, the comedy subgenre typically features young characters who lack ambition and are pushed along by forces outside their control. The best slacker movie characters have their own charm, and they clash with a world that wants them to fall in line. Even if the slackers are themselves the butt of the joke, they are heroic because they are trying to live their lives the way they want to, despite being pressured to change. There are slacker movies from other decades, but none could match the 1990s.
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10
SLC Punk! (1998)
One Of The Darker Examples Of The Slacker Genre
Unlike many of its contemporaries, SLC Punk! is not actually set in the ’90s, but captures the dying days of the punk rock scene in the mid 1980s. Matthew Lillard stars as “Stevo” Levy, a rebellious punk from a wealthy family who tries to raise hell in the straight-laced town of Salt Lake City, Utah. Stevo and his friends are brash, somewhat dim-witted, and always angry, and the dramedy exposes many of the cultural issues that lead to youths dropping out of society.
A sequel entitled Punk’s Dead was released in 2016.
While SLC Punk! is certainly hilarious, it also has a darker side that is unique among the typical zany antics of the slacker subgenre. Other films merely poke fun at the slacker mentality or society’s reaction to them, but the 1998 classic dissects what creates a slacker in the first place.
9
Mallrats (1995)
Kevin Smith’s Ultimate Slacker Follow-Up
Mallrats
- Release Date
-
October 20, 1995
- Runtime
-
94 minutes
A year after his film Clerks revolutionized the low-budget slacker genre, Kevin Smith returned with Mallrats. The exaggerated comedy is set almost exclusively within the confines of a shopping center, and follows two aimless young adults as they waste another day bumming around the mall. Malls were often considered the cultural centers of the ’80s, but by 1995 they had become known as hangouts for disaffected youths with nothing better to do.
Mallrats is just as bitingly humorous as Clerks, but it ups the ante with more characters and an even bigger plot. There is an undeniable nostalgia to the Kevin Smith film that not only hearkens back to the ’90s, but represents a longing for the past from the filmmaker himself. Unlike many other slackers, the heroes of Mallrats aren’t brainless, but mind-numbingly bored.
8
Airheads (1994)
One Of The Most Underrated Comedies Of The ’90s
Airheads
- Release Date
-
August 5, 1994
- Runtime
-
92 minutes
- Director
-
Michael Lehmann
Assembling an all-star cast including Brendan Fraser, Adam Sandler, and Steve Buscemi, Airheads is a ’90s comedy that has sadly been forgotten. The story of three somewhat ditzy wannabe rock stars takes a turn for the absurd when they hold up a radio station in order to get their music played. The movie cleverly examines the rapid changes in youth culture in the early ’90s, particularly the shift toward grunge and hard rock.
There is a thoughtfulness to the way the story plays out, and it’s clear that the band’s desire to be noticed is representative of youthful rebellion
While the titular characters are the butt of the joke more often than not, Airheads is not entirely unkind to their plight. There is a thoughtfulness to the way the story plays out, and it’s clear that the band’s desire to be noticed is representative of youthful rebellion, and how it is a response to an unmet need. While Airheads may only hold a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s much better than its contemporary reviews suggest.
7
Wayne’s World (1992)
One Of The Most Popular SNL Movies
Wayne’s World
8/10
- Release Date
-
February 14, 1992
- Runtime
-
94 minutes
- Director
-
Penelope Spheeris
Spawned from a Saturday Night Live sketch, Wayne’s World is one of the most popular movies the variety comedy series ever produced. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprise their roles as two slacker best friends who host a popular public access TV show out of a basement. Instead of simply trying to recreate the magic of the SNL sketch, the movie takes the next logical step with the characters and explores what would happen if they became successful.
Wayne and Garth are two likable nerds who find themselves clashing with the status quo and the pressures of conformity. Wayne’s World is all about a slacker’s worst nightmare, selling out, and the character arcs at the heart of the story are as charming as they are humorous. The sequel tried to recapture the magic, but largely failed to be as good as its predecessor.
6
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Perhaps The Most Famous Slacker In Movie History
The Big Lebowski
8/10
- Release Date
-
March 6, 1998
- Runtime
-
117 Minutes
- Director
-
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
The Coen Brothers had already delivered a few cinematic gems by the time they made The Big Lebowski, but their 1998 comedy put their clever spin on the slacker genre. Jeff Bridges is The Dude, an aging hippie who accidentally finds himself at the heart of a mystery. Taking the hard-boiled detective tropes of Raymond Chandler and making them goofy, The Big Lebowski envisions a slacker in the role of a character who would usually be much more motivated.
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The real humor of The Big Lebowski is that it thrusts a lazy and somewhat dull man into an unconventional spot, and the jokes come from how The Dude responds to the world around him. Everyone else seems to care so much more than he does, and his quest to get his rug back is often sidetracked by the grandiose problems of others.
5
Dazed And Confused (1993)
A Nostalgic Slacker Movie About A Bygone Era
Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused could be considered the first truly ’90s comedy, which is ironic because it’s set in the 1970s. During the final day of school in 1976, the ensemble comedy meanders across one night of over-the-top partying and teenage antics. Despite being marketed as a stoner comedy, Dazed and Confused is actually a deeper exploration of youth culture and rebellion.
The ’70s might be the setting, but it’s more reflective of contemporary ’90s issues. Many of the characters could be considered slackers, and there’s an undercurrent of uncertainty as they all grapple with the fact that they are shifting into a new phase of their lives. Perhaps the movie’s lasting legacy is the huge roster of young actors who would go on to become A-listers like Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck.
4
Empire Records (1995)
A Forgotten ’90s Movie That’s Become A Cult Classic
Empire Records
- Release Date
-
September 22, 1995
- Runtime
-
90 Minutes
- Director
-
Allan Moyle
1995’s Empire Records was not appreciated upon release, but has since become a ’90s cult classic. Slackers who work at a record shop spend a day trying to save the store, and zany hijinks ensue. While not nearly as multidimensional or groundbreaking as other slacker movies, Empire Records is nevertheless a fun film with a distinctly ’90s vibe.
Several of its stars would go on to bigger careers, and Empire Records is ironically as unambitious as its heroes. Even while not having much to say, it ends up embodying the slacker subgenre because it takes a conventional comedy plot and puts lazy young people in the main roles.
3
Clerks (1994)
A Legendary Slacker Film With An Independent Spirit
Clerks
9/10
- Release Date
-
October 19, 1994
- Runtime
-
92 minutes
1994’s Clerks was hardly the first slacker comedy, but the independent hit is perhaps the best example of the genre’s ideals. Made by Kevin Smith on a shoestring budget, the story of a convenience store clerk who is forced to work on his day off is the quintessential slacker epic. The unmotivated plot moves along at a lazy pace, and there’s sarcasm dripping from every line.
Kevin Smith’s New Jersey trilogy includes:
|
Movie |
Release Year |
Rotten Tomatoes |
|---|---|---|
|
Clerks |
1994 |
90% |
|
Mallrats |
1995 |
58% |
|
Chasing Amy |
1997 |
87% |
Like later films in Smith’s filmography, the slackers at the heart of Clerks are whip-smart, but they are ground down by a dull existence. Few films understood the emotional core of ’90s rebellion quite like Clerks, and Smith instinctively captured the generation because he was part of it. Instead of talking about slacker culture, the movie embodies it entirely.
2
Slacker (1990)
The Prototype For The ’90s Slacker Comedy
A few years before Richard Linklater made Dazed and Confused, he captured the hearts and minds of the indie sphere with Slacker. Set around Austin, Texas in a single day, the movie aimlessly follows the adventures of various social outcasts and weirdos. The ultra-low-budget indie comedy isn’t just about slackers onscreen, but is essentially a slacker movie in all aspects of its production.
While it may not be as uproariously funny as the more finely-tuned slacker comedies from later in the decade, Slacker can be considered a predecessor to the subgenre.
The meandering quality of the story is somewhat hypnotizing, but there are undercurrents of themes such as media control, and the hopelessness of poverty. While it may not be as uproariously funny as the more finely-tuned slacker comedies from later in the decade, Slacker can be considered a predecessor to the subgenre.
1
Reality Bites (1994)
A Thoughtful Comedy With Older Slackers
Ben Stiller’s Reality Bites doesn’t feature silly characters and over-the-top antics, but is a more grounded example of a slacker movie. The post-college characters all try to establish themselves in a world that’s becoming increasingly hostile, and there’s disillusionment at the heart of the story. Using charm, Reality Bites sums up what the 1990s experience was like for many young adults.
Though the film was clearly specifically crafted to keep up with popular trends at the time, Reality Bites never comes off as phony or disingenuous. Other slacker comedy movies might be about transitioning into young adulthood, but Reality Bites examines what happens after that.
