aahari5 Being a fan of the punk rock and heavy metal community, I decided to check out SLC Punk. I can honestly admit that the film had a lot more depth than I had imagined it would. The film raises a lot of questions about loyalty and how long one can hold onto their beliefs as time passes.At the start of the film Steveo and Heroin Bob, played by Matthew Lillard and Michael A. Goorjian, are dedicated punks determined to spread their anarchist message in the highly conservative Salt Lake City. Their social circle has grown quite large with devoted followers. Steveo's parents are proud former hippies who have since become wealthy lawyers, an act by which Steveo accuses them of selling out. Over time, SLC's punk ring starts to dissolve with Steveo, Bob, and Trish as some of the few remaining punks, with Steveo beginning to question his own beliefs.Steveo mentions in the film that in order to be a true punk you cannot simply draw on a band's lyrics or how they dress, but you must truly believe in the code of anarchy which he firmly abides by. As the film progresses, though, he starts to see the negative aspects of this lifestyle. A fellow punk has a mishap with LSD and ends up homeless with brain damage. His girlfriend is caught cheating on him causing him to attack the man she was sleeping with. These events make Stevo question his beliefs and make him wonder if he is truly a punk. At a party, he falls in love with another girl and stays with her even after she points out these flaws. After a tragic event happens following the party, Steveo gives up the punk lifestyle and returns to college and thus himself, "sells out" and describes himself as just another poser.Ultimately I think SLC Punk's message is that, simply, people change. It doesn't matter how devoted to something someone is, they will likely move on in time. To remain frozen in time in an ever-changing society is futile and one must learn to expand their knowledge of society and life in order for their views to stay relevant. In the end I think that this film teaches great lesson on finding yourself and discovering what kind of person you will become.

FlashCallahan Two punks in the eighties, decide they want to change things in their life and along the way cause a little anarchy in some places, and good Karma in others.Forget the fact that the cover says Sid and Nancy meets John Hughes, that couldn't be further from the truth.If you mix a little Boogie Nights, with Prick up your Ears, you get what in turn is this, a mildly diverting drama with excellent characters and Lillard breaking the fourth wall in what is arguably his greatest performance.They are basically slackers, who argue with peers and superiors and cause a little bit of trouble. Some of the characters are interesting, Schweiger and Segel are standouts, others, random people doing random acts are not, become a little boring and a little too ironic, because after all, the late nineties was a time for ironic movies and left-field characters.The ending is mighty predictable too, one dying, and then the other pursuing his Fathers dreams for him.Watchable, but you'll get a screaming sense of Deja Vu

thesar-2 My supervisor all-but forced me to watch this "punked" out movie. He even gave me a lesson in "Punk Groups" in which I asked him to name some, well, more main stream punk bands to get a feel for his type of music. Well, it turns out, not only his taste in music (or the groups he mentioned,) such as Green Day and The Offspring, happen to be in my top bands of all time, so does his taste in movies.I wouldn't go as far as I would say I loved SLC Punk…but damn, it was really, really good.The movie was a complete surprise to me, refreshing, original and a great kick-start (that unfortunately, never happened) to Matthew Lillard being a front-runner/lead star. The movie had humor, heart, tension (man, you never know when one of the punks/posers were going to burst out into insane violence) and awesome dialogue, including some wonderful talk-to-the-screen dialogue.It's self-described punk and obvious rebel, Stevo (Lillard) and best mate "heroin" Bob (Goorjian) against the world and their dysfunctional families during the last summer of their so-called "freedom." What makes this movie rise above a typical comedy about out-of-control teens, is Stevo's consistent need for answers to his "why, why, why" questions on where he fits in the universe, or the dump SLC (or Salt Lake City) he lives in, and if anarchy is the key. He mixes true rebellion, comedy, deep thoughts and actual maturity through his antics. That, my peers, is really hard for any written character or live actor to do. Lillard did it brilliantly. He made us root for him, despite his flaws, insecurities, revolts and violence.I remember being almost (I said ALMOST) the same age as these kids during the time this was set. This took place in 1985, while I didn't start high school until 1988, and that's where the majority of his "groups" emerged, such as nerds, punks, Goths, posers, etc. They were all present in my school. True, I did try to "fit in" to one of the many groups, obviously doing my own self-discovery and probably coming out more of a poser than any particular group. Let me clarify: that was my Freshman year in high school.Something changed when I returned for my Sophomore year. And I have remained the same since: I simply did NOT care anymore. I saw too many people attempting to join this group, hang out with those punks, dress in all black, etc, etc. Something clicked in me that this was all a waste of time, and I needed to be me and to hell with the rest. Needless to say, I was very unpopular with a great majority of my stuck up fellow students. I did NOT care. So be it, as Hard Harry would say.This led me to appreciate a film like this. Like them, I saw people come/go, try to fit in, move on. This was all real life, even though I wasn't one of the punks. (Honestly, I resembled Mike (the enormously hilarious Segel) the most, without the violence, that is.) Sure, the movie can be depressing (and enormously violent) at times, but at very least the writer/director Merendino apparently never asked you to look too deep. As soon as it went that direction, he would pull the rug with either humor or the growth of Stevo.So thanks to my supervisor for the recommendation – despite you being part of "THE MAN" or "system," you can come up with my highly recommended movies.Side Note: No spoiler – but someone dies in the movie. It's meant as a heart-breaking scene, and it is, somewhat. But…damn, her/his throat pulses up and down (despite the white/powered face, indicating overdose) and faster than someone on coke, the caffeine kind, that is. (Although…) They did add some special effects to this movie, such as to the Donner Family scenes, so why not do something with that incredibly obvious flaw. Try and get past that, and I see very, if at all, few flaws with the rest of the brilliant movie.

metal_man1789 I'm not even going to begin to talk about whether or not this flick is "truly punk". I'll tell you what it is: it's a heck of an awesome movie. Sure, you have to be at least a little familiar with the punk scene to thoroughly enjoy it, but hey! Who isn't? Steve-O and Bob are one of the best screen duos ever, and if you've ever been to a public high school than you KNOW these guys. Heck, you might even be these guys, but whatever. The true mastery of this film lies in it's ability to seem preachy but not actually be preachy at all. There's a big "be yourself" message in here, cleverly disguised (or not) under all the "be a punk" stuff. And Mathew Lillard proudly provides cinema one of the best crying scenes in all of history. If that scene doesn't at least choke you up a little bit than you have no soul. Punk or not, this film deserves to be seen.