REALITY BITES isn't without its good moments but it's overshadowed by completely self-absorbed, whiney characters that don't even get what they deserve in the end.
This is often called the definitive Gen-X movie but I couldn't disagree more. Sure, in the early 90's there were plenty of people that moped around, assumed they were misunderstood genuises and thought that society owed them an entry-level job as an Executive VP making $200k per year, but we called them idiots and losers. There was nothing hip about that attitude back then, and why Ben Stiller decided to make a movie about it is beyond me.
Stiller does infuse the film with a certain amount of yuppie hyper-pragmatism but it's potency is diluted by the stiffness of his own one-dimensional character. He's afraid to really challenge the ideas of the main characters with real, thought-provoking arguments (the kind that really teach you how to grow up), for fear of how his intended audience will react. In the end, he is the cliche'd, uncreative, sellout yuppie who's easy to disagree with and label the bad guy.
And that's pretty much true of any of the big, bad and bitter adults that won't let these young, misunderstand morose geniuses spread their wings and reach their potential.
In the end these are just kids that are complaining that they didn't end up like Ferris Bueller. I guess reality bites.
This is often called the definitive Gen-X movie but I couldn't disagree more. Sure, in the early 90's there were plenty of people that moped around, assumed they were misunderstood genuises and thought that society owed them an entry-level job as an Executive VP making $200k per year, but we called them idiots and losers. There was nothing hip about that attitude back then, and why Ben Stiller decided to make a movie about it is beyond me.
Stiller does infuse the film with a certain amount of yuppie hyper-pragmatism but it's potency is diluted by the stiffness of his own one-dimensional character. He's afraid to really challenge the ideas of the main characters with real, thought-provoking arguments (the kind that really teach you how to grow up), for fear of how his intended audience will react. In the end, he is the cliche'd, uncreative, sellout yuppie who's easy to disagree with and label the bad guy.
And that's pretty much true of any of the big, bad and bitter adults that won't let these young, misunderstand morose geniuses spread their wings and reach their potential.
In the end these are just kids that are complaining that they didn't end up like Ferris Bueller. I guess reality bites.