Wonderfully offbeat film!

Absolutely the worst movie.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It's the suburban neighborhood of Burnfield in Austin, Texas. Slackers hang out behind the convenience store that is operated by the Choudhurys. Jeff (Giovanni Ribisi) is dating Sooze (Amie Carey). She wants to go to NYC to do alternative art but he refuses to do anything. Jokester Buff (Steve Zahn) works at the pizza joint. Tim (Nicky Katt) is ex-military with anger issues. Bee-Bee (Dina Spybey-Waters) is Sooze's friend. They come looking for Pony who was Jeff's friend and is now famous. A confrontation with the Choudhurys scatters the group. Pony (Jayce Bartok) shows up with publicist Erica (Parker Posey) and find the group. Jeff holds some resentment as he has a different memory of the start of Pony's band.It's one rambling night in the burbs written by Eric Bogosian and directed by Richard Linklater. It has some good actors. For some reason, I keep thinking of 'Waiting for Guffman'. In that movie, Guffman is a red herring and it works better. This movie turns aimless after Pony arrives. He's the goal and the movie loses its emphasis. The movie would be much better to climax with his arrival and end with a complete blowout with Jeff in that parking lot. The last half loses all the tension for me. The movie is 2 hours and could easily lose some of the second half.

According to Thoreau, the masses lead lives of quiet desperation. Which in turn leads to a paralyzing self absorption or self pity that most of us don't recognize until it's too late, if at all. And that is the theme of this extraordinary film.The plot revolves around a group of middle class suburban kids a couple of years removed from high school. Jeff (Giovani Ribisi) is a college dropout who lives in his parent's garage. Tim (Nicky Katt) is a former high school football star who did a brief stint in the Air Force before chopping of part of a finger to get a disability discharge. Buff (Steve Zahn) is a stoner who's life revolves around his next buzz and his next sexual conquest. The trio whiles away their aimless lives drinking at their old high school hangout - a convenience store now run by Pakistani immigrants. In addition, there's Jeff's girlfriend Sooze (Aimee Carey), a budding artist; her friend BeeBee (Dina Spibey), a recovering alcoholic; and an old high school buddy named Pony (Jayce Bartok), now a major rock star who drops by the old stomping grounds while in town for a show. Of the group, only Pony and Sooze have any ambition in life - Pony is well on his way to achieving his dream, and Sooze is preparing to move to New York to pursue her career.Except for those two, and the convenience store owner who is studying to become an engineer, every character in the film suffers from a kind of inertia that prevents them from taking charge of their lives and achieving any meaningful success or happiness. Tim has seen the third world, but has no sympathy for its inhabitants or appreciation for how good he has it. Buff is mired in perpetual adolescence. BeeBee lives vicariously through Sooze, and, despite her own sordid history, cares little for the substance abusers she tends to as a nurse's assistant, .Then there's the liquor store clerk whose life revolves around the local high school football team, and Pony's slutty manager (Parker Posey) the rebellious poor little rich girl who went into the music business against daddy's wishes. Jeff is the one character in the film who is truly sensitive to the plight of others, but he is immobilized by his own self-pity. That is, until one night on the town with Pony when he realizes that he indeed controls his own destiny, and decides to strip away his shackles (represented by his clothes) and move to NY with Sooze. But, ironically, it's too late... Sooze hooked up with Pony while he was experiencing his revelation.At the end of the movie, the Pakistani store owner belittles Jeff and his buddies for being so stupid as to throw away all of the opportunities they are afforded by living in the greatest, most prosperous country on earth. But he, like everyone else, is blind to the desperation of those around him. Desperation that can engulf even the lives of those in the land of plenty. Thanks to the mesmerizing script by Eric Bogosian, the outstanding direction by Richard Linklater, and the performances of the stellar cast, the audience gets the message loud and clear.

This is a great film to me, but it might not be so great to every kind of person. I'd say that it's good for people who have ever felt like no one understands them. If that's how you are, you'll find that some one does understand and that you aren't the only one who feels lost. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is some ultra-sappy drama/romance. It has it's share of dramatic and romantic themes, but the main theme is just different peoples' journeys into their own heart and mind. It's a movie that shows that the author is not afraid to bear his own feelings as if they are comlpetely normal, even thought it's hard to know if anyone else does in fact feel the way you do. For that, I salute the author. The directing was nothing special, but it does the job. The thing I love the most about this film would have to be that if you can really get into the movie, it will take you on an emotional journey because you feel what the characters are feeling. My only warning is that if your emotions are easily influenced by movies, then by the end of this movie, you might feel changed. It's the kind of movie that could make you look at life differently.

There are 72 comments for this movie so I guess this will be 73. It's 1:46 am and I'm really tired so I'm not going to read anymore. I was compelled to open the laptop as the credits rolled; WOW: I wanted to know more.... I read 8 comments; the first 7 were favorable and then there was number 8. It wasn't, so I was inspired to leave this comment to bring the curve up: This movie was very, very well done. The acting was unbelievably good. In fact, I don't believe it was acting. The girl tap dancing and that drunk guy. No way. He really was drunk. That girl really does want to move to NY. This was a true story. Either that or the writer, director, and actors have created something so close to real life that, well, . Let's put it this way. This movie isn't a painting. It's a high resolution photograph. It played well for me since I'm asking myself the questions it raised; this movie may not please a real life upper middle class girl from Bel-Air, but it might.