Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most reviewers seem to miss a very important point, July 14, 2005
I am not trying to insult anyone here, but I have read dozens of reviews of this excellent movie, and it seems a lot of folks miss the point.
This is a great movie, and I'll tell you why: it is a very very authentic insight, not into the punk scene in 1980s America (which there was one, but it wasn't very widespread or mainstream), but into adolescence and the transitions into maturity we all have to make. It is a very good study on what happens to the identities we assume for ourselves as teenagers when we discover, in our early twenties, that they no longer fit.
If you haven't seen it yet, you may not want to read this review any further.
Stevo was a poser! I can't say it any plainer than that. He admits it too, so anyone who wastes the energy to type "Stevo wasn't very convincing as a punk," or criticizes the punk scene as portrayed as not accurate, completely miss the point of this movie. They weren't punks! They were teenagers, trying to find an identity for themselves. They knew what their parents and city were offering wasn't for them, but they had no clue what was, so they were trying something out. And for most of them (let us not forget Mike, my favorite character) the whole punk thing didn't stick.
If you view the movie through that lense, it was fantastic. Lillards performance was outstanding. The music was great. The script was very witty and entertaining. And yes, I imagine the punk movement in SLC, if there ever was one, was pretty lame. I know it was in the midwest where I grew up. That doesn't take away from the movie - it makes it more authentic and accessible.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An incredibly pleasant surprise, December 30, 1999
Being an ex-punk (my punk years were 1978-1983) I didn't expect much from this movie. what a pleasant surprise! Rather than the fashion clones most movies portray, the punks were all individuals, no two the same. Matthew Lillard was absolutely brilliant. I agree that he is probably one of the best and most under-rated actors of his generation.The soundtrack was HOT too! They included many of the bands that were part of punk's eclectic mix, including Roxy Music (mother of pearl at that!), all the way through the Dead Kennedy's. The only reason I did not give it a 5 was that the punk scene was portrayed as much more violent than the one I experienced. Then again, I was in San Francisco at an earlier time - perhaps SLC punks were more into thrashing. Even the commentary on the mods was appropriate! The entire film had much more depth and was much more thought-provoking than other more "serious" films I had recently watched. One other caveat - I would have liked to see more women with short hair. Try this movie - it will surprise you!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic coming of age movie with some very funny parts, July 27, 2005
This is a coming of age story set in the 1980's punk scene. I loved the punks in it and I won't engage in the "Stevo is a poseur or not" battle, because that's not what the movie is about (and Stevo gives the answer to that question in the final scene, anyway). Where is a more hilarious place to be a punk that the straightlaced Salt Lake City?
This movie has a lot of lighthearted and very comic moments, intertwined into a deeper story about finding your place in life. The relationship between Stevo and his dad is terrific, and I loved watching the scenes where Stevo railed on him for selling out from his hippie ideals. Stevo had a lot of hilarious and intelligent monologues in the movie, on what ideals are, what anarachy means and how fighting actually opposes anarchy, why UK punk music sucks, and what he plans to do with his life.
Watch this with your parents--everyone should get a kick out of seeing a post-college son struggle with opposing or embracing his father's ideals.
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