Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

GazerRise Fantastic!

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

maxastree Reality Bites is basically a case of putting a trendy patina on a shopworn romantic comedy cliché. The film is something of a paradox; it's specifically about the reality of finding a job and love in an unforgiving world, and tries to spell out, in pretty big letters, that people in the nineties had "issues" to deal with. But therein lies the films problem - its sheer glibness; serious issues like job globalization or the advent of AIDS appear as snapshots, almost reduced to an exercise in style. In numerous shots, the "real" characters in the film represent youth culture as its referenced in rock videos and the grungy, black and white magazine ads of its day.Troy, the main love interest in the story, is a composite of the dude from the Replacements and some 90's retro fashion insert. Additionally, Troy is a wellspring of political and philosophical quips about the surrounding world, ultimately cynical in tone and indifferent to the ideal of success or suburban security. The "other guy" in the movie is sort of a TV exec yuppie, likable enough but not really cool at all and somewhat self regarding and out-of-touch. (Maybe a tad "eighties", as well. The biggest crime in this movie would be to openly admit liking Billy Idol.)The comedy/drama/romance focus of the picture is REALLY about media grad Lelaina Pierce tryna find "true love" and so she must choose between these two male stereotypes. The curious feeling of gender and class manipulation is palpable, if only because the filmmakers are interested in selling an age-old love triangle convention and also because of the tendency to reduce the nineties Gen-X/grunge era to a type. A handful of good dramatic conflict scenes help prop the vehicle up, so to speak, also a film soundtrack was marketed around the same time.

teddyhose It's like a vortex, the Reality Bites pitch video Ben Stiller's character shows Winona's is actually THIS MOVIE! The writer must've made a checklist of all of the 90's "edgy topics" like AIDS, homosexuality, and then threw in some 80's "parents just don't understand", making for a very after school special like tsunami of cheese. It looks promising from the cover but it's really a Hollywood movie trying to act like an indie flick, a product of grunge being highly marketable that year. It didn't do it for me when I saw its debut at 16, and after giving it another try just now it's even worse than what I remember. I really hope future generations don't refer to this film to see what life was like back then. It doesn't come close to having the same depth John Hughes movies had the previous decade.I guess this is Ben Stiller's directorial debut and I'm so glad he went on to do comedy instead. You can see some of his self deprecating humor when he freaks out at Ethan Hawke's character near the end.I don't know if there is a really definitive Generation X 90's movie, I'd vote Chasing Amy if I had to pick one though.

brefane Broad and shallow film directed by Ben Stiller spins an unoriginal and unsurprising tale with characters and situations seen a dozen times before. The only things that have changed are the clothes, the soundtrack, the slang and the cultural references which begin to feel like the film's only purpose for being. This film covers ground so familiar that it's flat and barren. The central characters feel like stand-ins for real people, the romance doesn't spark, and the one-dimensional feel of it all makes this more about Generation ZZZZZZ than X. Not one of the actors has an original or memorable moment or anything of interest to say.

thesar-2 See, I'm a product of the 1990s. Most of my friends/peers that are of my age believe their "decade" of choice is the 1980s. But, my heart belongs in the 1990s.I loved the music better. I came out. I learned about life in and around college. I traveled a lot and expanded my horizons tremendously. This didn't come without a price – one I would surely pay in the double naughts. (I'm sure those who "had fun" in the 1960s felt the same in the following disco decade.)That all said, it was thoroughly refreshing to revisit Reality Bites, the quintessential 1990s movie. Okay, I would include Clueless into that genre, but that's another viewing/review. It had the independence feel, the snappy and intelligent dialogue, the product placement (oh, that was abundant and to think we thought the 1980s people were materialistic…) and the grunge look. Heck, we see the (NBC's) Friends characters who can live comfortably in the big city, in a nice apartment, without so much a job nor two nickels to rub together. I would LOVE to live and breathe so comfortably without employment as these young adults lived in decades past.But, I digress. This movie was wonderful. It had an excellent soundtrack and fantastic acting. Though Hawke and Ryder were both perfect, I always love seeing Garofalo and truly loved seeing all the "future" (to 1994's Reality Bites) secondary actors get some screen-time. Such as Spade, Stiller, Zahn, Zellweger and (Andy) Dick.Basically the movie revolves around slackers Lelaina (Ryder) and Troy (Hawke) who inadvertently become roommates, along with best bud, Gap-Manager Vickie (Garofalo.) It's obvious that Lelaina and Troy need to be together, but after a chance meeting between Lelaina and Michael (Stiller) the tension rises.Throw in a few subplots, involving the topic of the moment: AIDS and gays coming out, you have a very well-thought out, WAY before its time film. Forgive me – no, take that back, I make no apologies for my reviews or opinions – but I would compare this "independent/reality show" movie to Citizen Kane. Both movies had great ideas, presented them, and though neither took off at the time, both were looked back upon as "experiments" that would show up dozens of times in the far future. Survivor, anyone? How about The Blair Witch Project's hand-held cameras held by amateur filmmakers?I first saw Reality Bites immediately when it arrived in theatres in 1994 and liked it a lot. I made a decision to see it again, since I liked it then and it defined my 20's (actually, I just turned 20 at that point) but I never got around to it…until now, 16 years later after someone recommended it after viewing my site. I am SO glad he did. I might never have seen this fantastic movie again.I remembered a lot of the wonderful dialogue – and I could even still quote it: "Would the two of you just do it and get it over with? I'm starving!" and "If I could bottle the sexual tension between Bonnie Franklin and Schneider, I could solve the energy crisis," and loved the many, many references, including Melrose Place. Furthermore, I did purchase the soundtrack and fell madly in love with all the tracks, but mainly: "My Sharona" and "Stay (I Missed You.)"For anyone who hasn't previously seen this movie, again, like Clueless, it might be hard to watch now as it might appear "dated." But truly, the dialogue, love story – boy it still makes me choke up in the closing, and references are still fresh today. And that makes this a must see for 1990s lovers and anyone who's young, finding themselves and need to believe in dreams.Side Note: The "edited" version of Lelaina's video was really…not that bad. I believe she completely overreacted, but that's not what the character Ryder played wanted. So, to move the story along, I guess we just have to accept it was a bad product, when in "reality," she needs to lighten up. On a positive note, it did lead her to make the true (and painfully obvious) romantic choice.