Slacker Films from the 1990s
by kjtenorman | created - 30 Jan 2016 | updated - 08 Dec 2019 | PublicThe 'slacker' genre is a major film genre that hit its popularity peak in the mid-1990s and mostly fizzled out by the end of the decade. The films in this genre helped define an entire generation and are sometimes called Gen X films. Driven by the grunge rock movement, they often feature stories about young characters who are perfectly content with going nowhere and doing nothing with their lives. Later examples of slacker genre-influenced films include "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001), "School of Rock" (2003), Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), "Shaun of the Dead" (2004), and "Knocked Up" (2007).
"The mentality that there is no inherent value to labor… trying… caring. The mentality that it’s better to stand idly by and watch things happen, perhaps with a sardonic comment here and there, than to actually contribute to the happenings. The mentality that nothing is worth doing anything for, and that despite the apparent lack of answers, you’ve got all of them. The mentality of the slacker." - Michael Arbeiter
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1. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
PG | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Music
Two rock-'n-rolling teens, on the verge of failing their class, set out on a quest to make the ultimate school history report after being presented with a time machine.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri
Votes: 141,625 | Gross: $40.49M
2. Slacker (1990)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
A day in the life of Austin, Texas as the camera roams from place to place and provides a brief look at the overeducated, the social misfits, the outcasts and the oddballs.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Richard Linklater, Rudy Basquez, Jean Caffeine, Jan Hockey
Votes: 23,463 | Gross: $1.23M
3. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
A tyrant from the future creates evil android doubles of Bill and Ted and sends them back to eliminate the originals.
Director: Peter Hewitt | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, Joss Ackland
Votes: 81,035 | Gross: $38.04M
4. 1991: The Year Punk Broke (1992)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary, History, Music
David Markey's documentary of life on the road with Sonic Youth and Nirvana during their tour of Europe in late 1991. Also featuring live performances by Dinosaur Jr, Babes In Toyland, The Ramones and Gumball.
Director: David Markey | Stars: Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley
Votes: 1,579
5. Singles (1992)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A group of twenty-something friends search for love and success in grunge-era Seattle.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick, Sheila Kelley
Votes: 32,661 | Gross: $18.47M
6. Wayne's World (1992)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Music
Two slacker friends try to promote their public-access cable show.
Director: Penelope Spheeris | Stars: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere
Votes: 170,828 | Gross: $121.70M
7. Encino Man (1992)
PG | 88 min | Comedy
When they find a frozen caveman in their back yard, two high school outcasts thaw him and introduce him to modern life while he in turn gets them to actually enjoy life.
Director: Les Mayfield | Stars: Sean Astin, Brendan Fraser, Pauly Shore, Megan Ward
Votes: 45,214 | Gross: $40.69M
8. Wayne's World 2 (1993)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Music
The inseparable duo try to organize a rock concert while Wayne must fend off a record producer who has an eye for his girlfriend.
Director: Stephen Surjik | Stars: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Christopher Walken, Tia Carrere
Votes: 88,103 | Gross: $48.20M
9. Dazed and Confused (1993)
R | 103 min | Comedy
The adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 199,378 | Gross: $7.99M
10. Son in Law (1993)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Having gotten a taste of college life, a drastically changed farm girl returns home for Thanksgiving break with her best friend, a flamboyant party animal who is clearly a fish out of water in a small farm town.
Director: Steve Rash | Stars: Pauly Shore, Carla Gugino, Lane Smith, Cindy Pickett
Votes: 22,427 | Gross: $36.45M
11. Airborne (1993)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sport
California born and raised surfer, Mitchell Goosen has to spend six months in Ohio while learning the hard way- love is where the heart is.
Director: Rob Bowman | Stars: Shane McDermott, Seth Green, Brittney Powell, Chris Conrad
Votes: 7,633 | Gross: $2.85M
12. Clerks (1994)
R | 92 min | Comedy
A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer
Votes: 232,304 | Gross: $3.15M
13. Reality Bites (1994)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A documentary filmmaker and her fellow Generation X graduates face life after college, looking for work and love in Houston.
Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Zahn
Votes: 53,621 | Gross: $20.98M
14. PCU (1994)
PG-13 | 79 min | Comedy
A high school senior visits college for the weekend, and stays at the wildest house on campus.
Director: Hart Bochner | Stars: Jeremy Piven, Chris Young, Megan Ward, Jon Favreau
Votes: 14,492 | Gross: $4.35M
15. S.F.W. (1994)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama
An alienated and misanthropic teenager gains sudden and unwanted celebrity status after he's taken hostage by terrorists where his indifference to their threats to kill him makes news headlines.
Director: Jefery Levy | Stars: Stephen Dorff, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Busey, Joey Lauren Adams
Votes: 5,409 | Gross: $0.06M
16. Airheads (1994)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Crime, Music
Three band members hoping for a big break head to a radio station to play their demo tape and wind up holding everyone hostage with plastic guns when the head D.J. refuses to play them.
Director: Michael Lehmann | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley
Votes: 56,367 | Gross: $5.37M
17. Threesome (1994)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A girl named Alex is by mistake housed with 2 guys, Stuart and Eddy, in a college dorm suite. After initial problems they become friends. Stuart has the hots for Alex, Alex for Eddy and Eddy for Stuart. Can it work?
Director: Andrew Fleming | Stars: Lara Flynn Boyle, Josh Charles, Stephen Baldwin, Alexis Arquette
Votes: 13,661 | Gross: $14.82M
18. The Stöned Age (1994)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Music
Joe and Hubbs are a pair of rockers who are on a quest for 'chicks.' This is the tale of their adventures over one night.
Director: James Melkonian | Stars: Michael Kopelow, Bradford Tatum, China Kantner, Renee Allman
Votes: 5,322
19. Before Sunrise (1995)
R | 101 min | Drama, Romance
A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert, Hanno Pöschl
Votes: 339,154 | Gross: $5.54M
20. Empire Records (1995)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Twenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults thanks to each other and the manager. They all face the store joining a chain store with strict rules.
Director: Allan Moyle | Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Debi Mazar, Maxwell Caulfield, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 61,824 | Gross: $0.30M
21. Kicking and Screaming (1995)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A bunch of guys hang around their college for months after graduation, continuing a life much like the one before graduation.
Director: Noah Baumbach | Stars: Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Samuel Gould, Catherine Kellner
Votes: 15,162 | Gross: $0.70M
22. Mallrats (1995)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Romance
Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani
Votes: 128,838 | Gross: $2.12M
23. Glory Daze (1995)
R | 100 min | Comedy
With college graduation pending, the old gang tries to avoid the inevitability of breaking up and going forward with their lives.
Director: Rich Wilkes | Stars: Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Megan Ward, French Stewart
Votes: 3,749
24. Joe's Apartment (1996)
PG-13 | 80 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Musical
A nice guy has just moved to New York and discovers that he must share his run-down apartment with a couple thousand singing, dancing cockroaches.
Director: John Payson | Stars: Jerry O'Connell, Megan Ward, Billy West, Reginald Hudlin
Votes: 14,484 | Gross: $4.61M
25. Hype! (1996)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, History, Music
Documentary covering the growth and subsequent overexposure of the Seattle "grunge" music scene in the early 90s
Director: Doug Pray | Stars: 7 Year Bitch, Valerie M. Agnew, Carrie Akre, Jeff Ament
Votes: 2,930 | Gross: $0.27M
26. Bottle Rocket (1996)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Three friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Ned Dowd, Shea Fowler
Votes: 83,495 | Gross: $0.56M
27. Bio-Dome (1996)
PG-13 | 88 min | Comedy
Moronic best friends get themselves locked inside the Bio-Dome, a science experiment, along with a group of environmental scientists for one year.
Director: Jason Bloom | Stars: Pauly Shore, Stephen Baldwin, William Atherton, Denise Dowse
Votes: 29,727 | Gross: $26.76M
28. Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)
PG-13 | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Our intrepid adolescent heroes wake up to find their beloved television stolen, and embark on an epic journey across America to recover it, and, who knows, maybe even score.
Directors: Mike Judge, Mike de Seve, Brian Mulroney, Yvette Kaplan | Stars: Mike Judge, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Cloris Leachman
Votes: 60,441 | Gross: $63.12M
29. SubUrbia (1996)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Drama
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Giovanni Ribisi, Steve Zahn, Jayce Bartok, Amie Carey
Votes: 10,656 | Gross: $0.73M
30. Swingers (1996)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama
A wannabe actor has a hard time moving on from a break-up, but he is lucky to have supportive friends.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham, Jon Favreau, Ron Livingston
Votes: 88,112 | Gross: $4.51M
31. Walking and Talking (1996)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Just as Amelia thinks she's over her anxiety and insecurity, her best friend announces her engagement, bringing her anxiety and insecurity right back.
Director: Nicole Holofcener | Stars: Catherine Keener, Anne Heche, Amy Braverman, Miranda Rhyne
Votes: 3,935 | Gross: $1.28M
32. Chasing Amy (1997)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee, Scott Mosier
Votes: 143,769 | Gross: $12.02M
33. The Big Lebowski (1998)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi
Votes: 860,107 | Gross: $17.50M
34. Brink! (1998 TV Movie)
TV-G | 99 min | Drama, Family, Sport
Andy "Brink" Brinker and his in-line skating crew--Peter, Jordy, and Gabriella--who call themselves "Soul-Skaters" (which means they skate for the fun of it, and not for the money), clash ... See full summary »
Director: Greg Beeman | Stars: Erik von Detten, Sam Horrigan, Christina Vidal, Robin Riker
Votes: 6,948
35. SLC Punk! (1998)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
In the early 1980s Stevo, and Heroin Bob are the only two dedicated punks in conservative Salt Lake City.
Director: James Merendino | Stars: Matthew Lillard, Michael A. Goorjian, Annabeth Gish, Jennifer Lien
Votes: 32,788 | Gross: $0.30M
36. Go (1999)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Crime
The aftermath of a drug deal as told from three different points of view.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Sarah Polley, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf, Taye Diggs
Votes: 75,141 | Gross: $16.84M
37. Detroit Rock City (1999)
R | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Music
In 1978, four rebellious teenagers try to scam their way into a KISS concert.
Director: Adam Rifkin | Stars: Edward Furlong, Giuseppe Andrews, James DeBello, Sam Huntington
Votes: 41,333 | Gross: $4.22M
38. Dogma (1999)
R | 130 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loop-hole and reenter Heaven.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Bud Cort
Votes: 228,604 | Gross: $30.65M
39. 200 Cigarettes (1999)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A collection of twentysomethings try to cope with relationships, loneliness, desire and their individual neuroses.
Director: Risa Bramon Garcia | Stars: Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Diaz
Votes: 16,345 | Gross: $6.85M
40. Office Space (1999)
R | 89 min | Comedy
Three company workers who hate their jobs decide to rebel against their greedy boss.
Director: Mike Judge | Stars: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu
Votes: 287,479 | Gross: $10.82M
41. High Fidelity (2000)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black
Votes: 189,731 | Gross: $27.29M
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