SLC Punk! (1998)
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A punk living in Salt Lake City during the mid-1980s faces the harsh realities of his lifestyle after a tragic loss.
The story
The film follows the daily life of Stevo, a college graduate and punk living in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the fall of 1985. Alongside his best friend, "Heroin" Bob, Stevo navigates a lifestyle of attending parties, living in a dilapidated apartment, and clashing with other subcultures. While Stevo maintains a casual relationship with a girl named Sandy, Bob is in love with Trish. Both men are deeply shaped by their respective family backgrounds, and as Stevo begins to see the consequences of his lifestyle, he must decide what it truly means to be a punk and what he is willing to sacrifice for his beliefs.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the fall of 1985, Stevo and his friend Bob live as punks in Salt Lake City. Stevo's parents are former hippies who have become affluent professionals, while Bob's father is a mentally ill alcoholic. Stevo is accepted into Harvard Law but rejects it to stay true to his beliefs. The reality of the punk life begins to set in as Stevo sees the mental and physical decay of others in his circle. After a violent confrontation with a man who slept with his girlfriend, Stevo's internal conflict regarding his anarchist beliefs grows. His social circle begins to fracture as friends move away. At a party, Bob accidentally overdoses on pills and dies. Devastated, Stevo attends Bob's funeral with a shaved head and new clothes, deciding to leave the punk scene behind. He ultimately accepts a spot at Harvard and marries a woman named Brandy, concluding that his former self was merely a 'poser.'
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Merendino
- Writers
- James Merendino · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matthew Lillard · Steven "Stevo" Levy; Michael Goorjian · Bob "Heroin Bob" Williams; Annabeth Gish · Trish; Jennifer Lien · Sandy; Christopher McDonald · Mr. Levy; Devon Sawa · Sean "The Beggar"; Adam Pascal · Eddie "Mod Eddie"; Jason Segel · Mike
- Genres
- comedy-drama
- Themes
- identity; subculture; coming-of-age
- Tone and mood
- anarchic; melodramatic
- Setting
- Salt Lake City, Utah, in the fall of 1985.
- Premise and plot tags
- punk; independent
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews, praised for its performance and atmosphere but criticized for its structure and lack of 'punk cred.'
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 65% · review count: 57; Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100 · review count: 21
- Production trivia
- The film was chosen as the opening-night feature at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.; The film was based on the director's experience growing up in Salt Lake City.; The film was adapted into a comic book in 1998.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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