Slacker
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Rating: 4.3/5 (4 votes cast)

Richard Linklater's indie classic Slacker presents a day in the life in Austin Texas, among its social outcasts and misfits, predominantly the twenty-something set, using a series of linear vignettes. These characters, who in some manner just don't fit into the establishment norms, move seamlessly from one scene to the next, randomly coming and going into one another's lives. Highlights include a UFO buff who adamantly insists that the U.S. has been on the moon since the 1950s, a woman who produces a glass slide purportedly of Madonna's pap smear, and an old anarchist who sympathetically shares his philosophy of life with a robber.
Why It's FilmBuff
From self-trained writer/director Richard Linklater comes a milestone film for American Independent Cinema. Leaving the three-act structure in the dust, Linklater threads together a subculture of peripheral oddballs inhabiting Austin, Texas. The film pre-dates Linklater’s coming-of-age classic Dazed and Confused and offers a glimpse into the origins of his trademark style. In the words of Matthew McConaughey, if you haven’t seen this film, “It’d be a lot cooler if you did.”

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97 mins -
Cast:
  • Richard Linklater
    ... Should Have Stayed At Bus Station
  • Mark Harris
    ... T-Shirt Terrorist
  • Stella Weir
    ... Stephanie From Dallas
  • John Slate
    ... 'Conspiracy A-Go-Go' Author
  • Louis Mackey
    ... Old Anarchist
  • Teresa Taylor
    ... Pap Smear Pusher
Crew:
  • Director:
    Richard Linklater
  • Writer:
    Richard Linklater
  • Producers:
    Richard Linklater
Film Reviews:
  • ""Hugely influential.""
    Cinematical
  • " "Rick Linklater's seminal indie.""
    Filmmaker Magazine
Film Festivals:
  • Sundance Film Festival
Film Awards:
  • Independent Spirit Award - Best Director
  • Independent Spirit Award - Best First Feature
Production Company:
Detour Film Production; Detour F
Film Website URL