Movies - Reality Bites

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	Movies - Reality Bites

Reality Bites is a 1994 film written by Helen Childress and featuring the directorial debut of Ben Stiller. It stars Stiller, Winona Ryder, and Ethan Hawke, with major supporting roles played by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn.

The plot is centered around Lelaina (played by Ryder), an aspiring videographer working on a documentary called Reality Bites about the disenfranchised lives of her friends and roommates (played by Hawke, Garofalo, and Zahn), and to a certain degree, about Lelaina herself. Their challenges, both documented and not, exemplify (perhaps too simplistically) the career and other lifestyle choices and issues faced by their generation.

Plot

Lelaina's roommate Vickie (played by Garofalo) has a series of one-night stands and short relationships with dozens of guys, motivated by a fear of being alone compounded by a fear of rejection; her promiscuity leads her to confront a very-real risk of contracting AIDS. Vickie works as a store manager for the The Gap (clothing retailer), a job she was initially reluctant to take, but found that she had a talent for management.

Roommate Sammy (played by Zahn) is gay; he remains celibate, not because of a fear of AIDS, but because forming a relationship would force him to come out to his parents.

Long-time friend, temporary roommate and angry starving artist Troy (played by Hawke) and Lelaina are attracted to each other, though it's an attraction that neither of them has really acted upon as the film begins, one alcohol-influenced event in the past notwithstanding. He's a somewhat successful grunge rock musician at night, while working by day in a series of meaningless jobs, the last of which he loses early in the film. Troy's father, who is never seen onscreen, is dying of prostate cancer; this prompts Troy to remain close with his father when he can.

Lelaina meets Michael (played by Stiller) in what filmmakers call a meet cute scene: in an act of derision, she throws a cigarette into his convertible, causing him to crash into her car. The two soon begin to date. He works at an MTV-like cable channel as an executive, and after learning about her documentary, he wants to get it aired on his network.

The film follows Lelaina as she struggles with her career and is forced to figure out whether it is Michael or Troy she wants.

The cast also includes Swoosie Kurtz and Joe Don Baker as Lelaina's divorced parents, and John Mahoney as a loathsome boss she quickly learns to despise. The film includes cameo appearances from Renée Zellweger, Harry O'Reilly, Andy Dick, David Spade, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dave Pirner, and Stiller's mother Anne Meara.

Reality Bites is set in Houston, Texas (where the screenwriter's high school is located).

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack includes songs by World Party, Squeeze, The Knack ("My Sharona" featured prominently in one scene from the film), Juliana Hatfield, Social Distortion, and two contributions from Crowded House ("Locked Out" & "Something So Strong") in addition to the runaway hit "Stay" by Lisa Loeb which has the distinction of being the only labelless song to ever go to #1 in the Billboard charts. It also includes "Conjunction Junction" from Schoolhouse Rock!, another song brought into the foreground of a film full of pop culture references.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Reality Bites ]

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