 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Reality Bites
- Review Date: October 30, 2005
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 1994
Common Sense Media says
Comedy about 20-something slackers isn't for kids.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this film features 20-something recent college graduates who drink, smoke, and sleep around. There are few consequences for their behavior, save for a very mild subplot in which one of the characters takes an AIDS test (she tests negative). However, the characters generally mean well, and parents who don't object to depictions of sex and drug/alcohol use may find their behavior towards each other acceptable.
What's the story?
REALITY BITES opens with a speech in which college valedictorian and fledgling documentarian Lelaina (Winona Ryder) expresses her general dissatisfaction with the world she's about to take on. That vague angst is the most consistent plot thread running through the film as Lelaina and her three buddies Vickie (Janeane Garofalo), Sammy (Steve Zahn), and Troy (Ethan Hawke) labor at worthless jobs, play drinking games, cavort for Lelaina's documentary cameras, and look for love. Lelaina and Troy seem meant for each other, but when she (literally) bumps into an older, slicker television executive (Ben Stiller), a predictable love triangle ensues.
Is it any good?
Boy, oh boy do the characters who inhabit Reality Bites love to talk. They talk about their love lives, their search for meaningful work, their favorite TV shows. They talk about their lame parents, their boring jobs, their slacker friends. It's not that all the talk isn't occasionally amusing; on the contrary, the dialogue is smart and bubblegum-culture-savvy enough to provoke chuckles amongst Gen X parents. It's just that the characters take themselves so incredibly seriously, and never shut up.
Overall, the movie is not without charm or laughs, and although the ending is supposed to be happy, it is rather shallow. Anyone over 25 will find the main characters rather insufferable, while those under 25 might find it dated.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about movies' responsibility. Should movies that target teens and 20-year-olds simply reflect their behavoir -- or does seeing characters drink, smoke and have casual sex on screen glamorize their behavior?
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| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Ben Stiller |
| Cast: | Ben Stiller, Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 99 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | February 18, 1994 |
| DVD release date: | July 21, 1998 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some language, drug content and sensuality |
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