Movie Review: Reality Bites
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Movie title: Reality Bites |
Maybe it’s just that I’m approaching that post collegiate angst period of life, but there is something in Reality Bites that is very real and revealing about stepping into the world for the first time. In my depressive “what to do with the rest of my life” state, Reality Bites has been something to ponder, to relate to, and simply to enjoy.
Reality Bites is an angst-ridden glimpse of life after college for 4 Generation X-ers. Lelaina Pierce (Winona Ryder) is a woman with her own ideals and big dreams to become a documentary filmmaker. She gets her first taste of post-collegiate life when she takes a job at a TV station and moves into an apartment with her college roommate Vickie (Janeane Garofalo). Soon they are joined by another college friend, Troy (Ethan Hawke), a man who chose not to graduate college in favor of his philosophical views on society and has been in love with her for some time. Lelaina shows antagonism towards Troy from the start, and ultimately ends up in a relationship with Troy’s opposite–a yuppie TV exec, Michael played by Ben Stiller. Ultimately, this story deals with characters facing bleak realities that come with idealism, love, and career.
The interesting thing is that the characters are not necessarily likeable, but they grow on you as you watch them slowly let go of the adolescent ideals of their identity. Strangely enough, the film is uplifting despite a depressing subject nature. There’s no wrong or right, and the film is structured in such a way that you can still relate to the characters without necessarily agreeing with them, yet they belong to a unique generation. The film is accompanied by a great soundtrack that carries you through a glimpse of the 90’s.
In General:
B+ Movie
B+ Performance
B+ Script
A+ Music
A- Love Story