I first saw subUrbia in probably 1997, and since then I have shared it with countless people and watched it plenty myself. Its not the sort of movie that you can put in, and then not really watch, to me it requires a bit more concentration. At th same time, the events that unfold for the characters in this movie always strike me. Another major bonus with this film is the issues it takes the time and consideration to cover, sexism, racism, classism, urban sprawl, the third world, and more... Its not a movie for people that don't want to see that ugly side of humans, but then all too often in day to day life the suburbs serve to show the ugly side of humans. Not a movie for children, and I wouldn't watch it with my grandma! Its a powerful and real story of life past high school, but not dealing with college. Of life feeling stuck, trapped, sometimes defeated in your current place, here suburbia. Its not a movie that offers a ton of hope, but its a powerful movie nonetheless!

If "Dazed and Confused" was the 'high' then "SubUrbia" if most definitely the 'down'. It's basically the flipside of "Dazed and Confused", where youthful hedonism has been replaced by 20-something boredom. It's a post-college movie where characters have found themselves unfulfilled in every capacity. It's a pack mentality, where you hang-out with the same gang from high school only to find you've out grown each other and resent one another's ambitions because you know you yourself lack the impetus to do anything constructive with your life. These characters are losers in every respect, clinging on to their high school way of life, reluctant to take initiative and move on. They constantly put each other down, bicker and make efforts to humiliate, yet the depressing thing is they have no one but each other. This is a quality film that remains one of Linklater's most under appreciated efforts. No one has the ability to present young characters with the insight, skill and craft Lanklater possesses. He is truly one of America's finest filmmakers working today and "SubUrbia" is a great film that still holds up.

I consider this one of Giovanni Ribisi's greatest acting roles... because it is so real. The entire cast portrays this in the way that I think many 20-something-year-olds can relate. I know that when I had all of my friends watch it, they could see themselves in many of the characters. It showed us that we are not the only young adults, living in suburbia and our mother's houses... thinking about the things that we'll never do with our lives. Steve Zahn gave his usual comedic act, without taking away from the seriousness of the film. I believe that this is much easier to relate to than the earlier Dazed and Confused, because it shows the American Dream in action... that series of hopes that are easier said than done. What is wrong with us?