“I am a punk rocker. No big secret. I’m sure I’ve gone into my whole reason as to what attracted me to lifestyle, but even if I haven’t, Im gonna skip over that. When I first saw this movie, I was already well established as a punk. This film didnt “”convert me””. Rather, it reaffirmed everything that I believe about what it means to truly be punk.
What I love about the film is that it feels very real. While the characters may seem over the top to the casual observer, they’re really quite grounded. Our trusty narrator, Stevo (played by Matthew Lillard), is one smart and logical guy. The boy has a lotta heart and wit and has a reason and a purpose behind everything he does and believes in. I love that he’s not just rebellious for the sake of being rebellious. If you want an example of his cleverness, this is one of my favorite scenes in the movie, an essay about fights and why they are a part of the punk rock culture.
It’s the fall of ’85. Salt Lake City. Stevo and his BFFF, Heroin Bob (it’s an ironic nickname because he’s relatively straight edge and afraid of needles), have just graduated from college and have no clue what they’re gonna do with the rest of their lives.
There’s so much that makes me feel like the movie could have been about me. Hell, I still feel a lot of that confusion and disillusionment that drives Stevo. A lot of his thoughts and beliefs line up pretty \m/ perfectly with mine. For exhibit A, I give you his rant about posers.
The cast is fantastic. Matthew Lillard carries the movie with such grace. Today I’m freaking out because I never realized that Jason Segel is in this, as a pretty substantial character. Devon Sawa’s also got a fun (yet depressing) scene stealing role. And there’s a great pit part for Adam Pascal.
I have such an urge to show this movie off to everyone. It’s made an appearance at a previous bday movie night. Perhaps it needs another soon. Although it’s an odd movie to watch with a crowd. It starts off really light and funny and then takes a few turns. But my God, I love this movie so \m/ much.”