#Jennifer Lien as Sandy

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

𝔖𝔩𝔠 𝔓𝔲𝔫𝔨! (յգգՑ) 𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔫 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔡𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔟𝔶 𝔍𝔞𝔪𝔢𝔰 𝔐𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔬

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : SLC Punk! (1998)

When I first saw the film Scream, many aspects of it stood out to me and stuck with me, but one of the main things that left an impression was the performance of Matthew Lillard.  The cast was stacked with talent, but he definitely stood out... in fact, he stood out to the point where I felt the need to see what other movies he’d been in.  That small bit of curiosity led me to one of my favorite films of the 1990s, SLC Punk!

It’s 1985 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and best friends Stevo (Matthew Lillard) and ‘Heroin’ Bob (Michael A. Goorjian), two of the main members of the Punk scene in the desolate city, have just graduated from university.  Their goal is to cause anarchy in the city by way of nihilism, chaos and hi-jinx.  As the summer progresses, the pair navigate their way through parties as we learn about their social circle : Mike (Jason Segel), a seemingly straight-laced young man with a brooding intensity; Mark (Til Schweiger) an enigmatic foreigner with lots of money and drugs; Sandy (Jennifer Lien), a free spirit that Stevo has feelings for; Trish (Annabeth Gish), an older member of the community that Bob deeply admires; and Sean (Devon Sawa), who finds himself a beggar in the fallout of a bad acid trip and mental hospital stay.  The Punks explore their interactions with the Rednecks, Mods, Neo-Nazis, New Wavers, Rockers, Heavy Metal Guys and more via diplomatic gestures and fistfights.  As the days go by, Stevo finds himself more and more jaded as the scene splinters apart, his father (Christopher McDonald) pressures him to apply for Harvard Law School, and his friends begin to grow apart.  Despite his best attempts, Stevo is finally forced to face some harsh realities and make difficult decisions about his future. 

The use of a society easily identified by tropes works very well in this film, with the aforementioned social circles representing different social and economical statuses, vastly different sets of morals, political stances, and more.  The Punk community seems to be fueled by rebellion in the search of personal validation, rather than looking inward.  Their scene was developed through seemingly drastic actions and stances, and in what we learn will play out as the scene’s death rattle, their final action is inaction, maybe even anti-action.  The juxtaposition of the Punks being well-educated and able to back up their stances with empirical statements and their complete willingness to solve problems with violence is an engrossing one.  

The anti-American sentiment in search of an ‘alternative’ version of the American dream is displayed in the form of violence against Rednecks, using Ronald Reagan as a symbol of the ‘enemy’, squatting rather than taking part in the traditional housing market, and so on.  Even characters like Mike show that the seemingly ‘square’ kid can feel a complete disconnect from ‘square’ society, often resulting in shocking explosions based in pent up frustration and a deep dedication to those whom they connect with.  The occasional glimpses of Stevo using lawyer-like tactics in his narration puts an interesting hue on the proceedings, as it plays against his clear refusal to let go of the Punk scene.

The classic punk rock covers altered to make the opening titles is a perfect mood setter.  The cast is absolutely stacked in this film, with many members of the young ensemble moving forward to bigger and better things.  Narratively, the main story is relatively thin, but it provides many opportunities that skew into highly entertaining and informative vignettes or flashbacks.  Much of the costuming is on point across the social groups, with a personal favorite of mine being ‘Heroin’ Bob’s Travis Bickle-inspired costuming.  The soundtrack is banger after banger, many of which became personal favorite songs.

Matthew Lillard displayed all of the potential in the world to be a breakout star with the charisma, comedic chops and emotional range that he brings to this performance.  Michael A. Goorjian displays equally dynamic comedic timing, jarring attitude swings, and a gifted ability to run off long monologues with minimal effort and maximum realism.  Jason Segel puts his prowess of subtle yet easily readable intensity on full display.  Til Schweiger throws such a quirky dynamic into the film that he basically steals a solid ten minutes or so of it away from the main narrative, turning it into a small showcase of his Mark character.  Adam Pascal brings a wonderful upbeat energy in his brief appearance, while Devon Sawa plays the other side in the form of a devastatingly sad portrayal of a fallen innocent.  Annabeth Gish brings a wisdom to her performance that couches her as a sort of earthbound goddess of the scene.  Jennifer Lien interjects a freedom of spirit that has no regard for the emotional impact it has on others.  Brief appearances by Christopher McDonald, James Duval, Summer Phoenix, and childhood Stevo/’Heroin’ Bob portrayals by Christopher Ogden and Francis Capra round things out.

In a world of films based on comic books, SLC Punk! seemed to be way ahead of the curve.  At some point, I need to go check out the source material, but I love that I have this film in my collection to enjoy whenever I like.

[eyeofhorus237]

SLC Punk! is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James Merendino. The film is about the young punk rock fan Steven "Stevo" Levy, a college graduate living in Salt Lake City. The character is portrayed as a stereotype of a vandalist punk in the mid-1980s. Many events and characters in the movie are allegedly based on real life, although they may have been exaggerated.

The character of Stevo is based on the life of writer/director James Merendino, although the character is named after Stephen Egerton, originally known as Stephen "Stevo" O'Reilly, who played for the Salt Lake City punk band Massacre Guys, and eventually joined the L.A. bands Descendents and ALL. SLC Punk was chosen as the opening-night feature at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.[2]

Merendino created the film based on his experience growing up in Salt Lake City. Although the film is not autobiographical, Merendino has said that many characters were based on people he knew.[3]

Plot

The film outlines the daily lives of two punks in Salt Lake City, Utah in the fall of 1985: Stevo and his best friend, "Heroin" Bob; Stevo narrates the film. The nickname "Heroin" is ironic, as Bob is afraid of needles and actually believes that any drug (with the notable exception of alcohol and cigarettes) is inherently dangerous.

Stevo and Bob go from party to party while living in a dilapidated apartment. They spend much of their time fighting with members of other subcultures, particularly rednecks. Stevo has a casual relationship with a girl named Sandy, while Heroin Bob is in love with Trish, the manager of a head shop, but reluctant to ask her to become his girlfriend.

The two of them are shaped by their experiences with their parents. Stevo's parents, now divorced, are former hippies who are proud of their youthful endeavors; however, Stevo is revolted by what he perceives as their "selling out" by becoming affluent Reagan Republicans, which they lamely try to justify. Stevo's grades are excellent, and when his father—a lawyer with a Porsche and a penchant for younger women—sends an application to Harvard Law School and Stevo is accepted, he nevertheless rejects it because of his beliefs. By contrast, Bob's father is a paranoid, drunken wreck who mistakes his son and his friend for Central Intelligence Agency operatives, and chases them away with a shotgun when they visit him on his birthday.

Stevo begins to see the drawbacks of living the punk life. Sean, a fellow punk, is a drug dealer who once attempts to stab his mother while under the influence of an entire 100-dose sheet of acid, before being taken away by the police; Stevo later finds him panhandling on the streets with some obvious mental issues.

While Stevo understands that his relationship with Sandy is casual, he's still enraged when he discovers her having sex with another man, and savagely beats him, later loathing himself because his action contradicts his own belief in anarchism. His social circle begins to drift away, as Mike leaves Salt Lake City to attend the University of Notre Dame. Stevo falls in love with a young rich girl named Brandy (Summer Phoenix), who points out that his anarchistic clothing and attitude are more of a fashion choice than an actual political philosophy. Rather than being offended, Stevo takes the criticism thoughtfully and they passionately kiss.

At the same party, Heroin Bob complains of a headache (induced by Spandau Ballet's "She Loved Like Diamond" playing on a stereo), and is given Percodan, which he consumes after being told the pills are simply "vitamins" that will help his headache. The accidental drug overdose kills him in his sleep, seemingly justifying the aversion to chemicals he previously espoused in a diatribe delivered to Stevo. When Stevo discovers that his best friend is dead, he breaks down completely. At the funeral, he appears with a shaved head and changed clothing, and decides that he's done with his punk lifestyle. He decides to go to Harvard, and suggests in the narration that he marries Brandy. He notes in his closing narration that his youthful self would probably kick his future self's ass, wryly describing himself as ultimately just another poseur.

The "Tribes"

The film features several cliques presented as "tribes." The film focuses primarily on the punk tribe, but includes several others as well:

Punks: Stevo, Bob, Sean, Megan, and Mike belong to this tribe, although Mike doesn't dress the part. The punks are rivals of the mods, Nazis and rednecks.

Mods: Mods wear suits and ties, and they ride scooters. They're generally the rivals of the punks, but the character John the Mod acts as a diplomat who freely moves between the tribes. In the beginning of the movie, the mods are trying to buy acid from Sean.

Rednecks: Rednecks are rural Utah folk who wear trucker caps and flannel, and drive around in big trucks. Punks hate them for their conservative views.

Neo-Nazis: Neo-Nazis are white power skinheads who wear pseudo-military fatigues and Nazi armbands. Punks and mods are shown to be predatory towards the Nazis.

The Heavy metal Guys: They have long hair and flannel. Not much else is known about them, except that Stevo explains that they are predatory toward the New Wavers.

New wavers: They are people who dress like New Romantics and are said to be the least threatening of the tribes. They are described as being "the new hippies." Every Tribe is predatory to the New Wavers.

Cast

Matthew Lillard as Steven "Stevo" Levy

Michael A. Goorjian as "Heroin" Bob

Jason Segel as Mike

Annabeth Gish as Trish

Jennifer Lien as Sandy

Christopher McDonald as Mr. Levy

Devon Sawa as Sean the Beggar

Adam Pascal as Eddie

Til Schweiger as Mark

James Duval as John the Mod

Summer Phoenix as Brandy

Christopher Ogden as young Stevo

Francis Capra as young Bob

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SLC Punk! (1998)