Reality Bites

A lot has changed between the generations, but Reality Bites asks a question that anyone, of any age, will find familiar: what happens when the life you were promised isn't the life you got?

In a picture full of painful moments, it's hard to decide on the lowest point.

Written with verve and played with grace, Reality Bites is too smart to pass itself off as a definitive statement, but it gets the details delightfully right.

Ryder and Hawke bring crucial authenticity to their roles with effortless appeal. You'll find yourself wanting more of these characters than the movie gives you.

However conventional Reality Bites resolves to be, it is always engaging. Best of all, Ryder has her greatest role since Heathers, once again proving herself a seriously funny young actress.

It's a good example of an anti-establishment comedy crippled by a seeming desire to infatuate the establishment itself. What Reality Bites needs most is a good bite. From reality.

For a lot of us Gen Xers, watching ‘Reality Bites’ now is like looking at an awkward yearbook picture of yourself when you had your worst haircut.

As a depiction of a particular age in a particular country for a specific generation, it is still a pleasant nostalgic trip.

...a fairly by-the-numbers setup that's employed to impressively compelling (and relatable) effect by first-time filmmaker Stiller...

The deeper themes of choosing art and integrity over earning a living . . . felt phony and hollow then, and are nothing short of embarrassing to watch from a modern perspective now.