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Slacker

Retrospective 2026
© Detour Filmproduction
A young man (Richard Linklater) arrives in Austin, Texas. At the bus station, he gets into a taxi and tells the indifferent driver his theory that the world is made up of endless parallel universes and it is only our limited subjective perception that prevents us from discovering all of them. The film then unfolds in short episodes, linked by one of the ensemble of some 100 players, showing everyday interactions among young adults. Abstruse events (a young man runs over his mother) alternate with absurd dialogue (a young woman sells Madonna’s pubic hair). The format allows for almost anything to be a subject – the Kennedy assassination as well as a band with the programmatic name Ultimate Losers.
“People just wandering around, no history, no nothing.” The term “slacker” was the personification of a generation that was confronted by the putative “end of history” with the victory of the liberal Democrats over the Eastern Block states. Slacker can be considered its cinematic manifesto, with the film’s dramatic structure, dialogue, and assertions expressing Generation X’s attitude towards life. “The underlying order is chaos.”
by Richard Linklater (Director, Screenplay)
with Richard Linklater, Rudy Basquez, Mark James, Bob Boyd, Terrence Kirk, Stella Weir, Teresa Taylor, Mark Harris, Frank Orrall, Abra Moore USA 1990 English 100' Colour

With

  • Richard Linklater
  • Rudy Basquez
  • Mark James
  • Bob Boyd
  • Terrence Kirk
  • Stella Weir
  • Teresa Taylor
  • Mark Harris
  • Frank Orrall
  • Abra Moore

Crew

Director Richard Linklater
Screenplay Richard Linklater
Cinematography Lee Daniel
Editing Scott Rhodes
Sound Design Denise Montgomery
Producer Richard Linklater

Additional information

35mm print: Sundance Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive