What's A Slacker Movie?

"Slacker" is a term to describe those individuals in society who have no direction and no reasonable expectations or realistic goals in life. Slackers are those who don't live up to their potential. They drop out of college after a couple of years to spend more time playing guitar. They get a job during college at a bookstore and then continue to work at the bookstore after they graduate because they got a quarter raise. They are waiting for their ship to come in, but the haven't wandered down to the docks to meet it. Most times their ship doesn't travel by water anyway. Many people use this term exclusively with "Generation X'er's". However, the name slacker can be applied to people of all ages, through all times. Slackers aren't stupid, they are just too lazy, depressed, or deluded to do anything about their situation. In Life there are drivers and there are passengers. Slackers are passengers who think that they own the car.

Films that deal with the mundane day-to-day life of these people I have termed "slacker" films.

After the first year of this site's existence, I decided to broaden the definition of slacker films. Just as one cannot describe a style of painting by its subject matter; I should not describe the film genre solely by its characters. In several of the films, particularly those by Van Sant and Jarmusch, the feel of aimlessness is what makes the films qualify as slacker films. Their characters have been set adrift in the world. This sense of wandering is what many slackers feel through most of their lives.

Conversely, I have decided to exclude those films like Beavis and Butthead Do America. Just because the main characters are slackers does not constitute a slacker movie. As one reader pointed out, slacker is not synonymous with stupid.

Please do write to me at lcasto@earthlink.net if you have any suggestions or recommendations. I have already included some films suggested to me.