SLC Punk starts out entertainingly enough as a sarcastic snapshot of the punk-rock scene in Salt Lake City in 1985–complete with mohawks, moshing, and vagu avowals of anarchy. But gradually, the wanderings of Stevo (Matthew Lillard from Scream) and Heroin Bob (Michael Goorjian) turn into a multilayered exploration of character and culture shock. Though he spends his days drinking and mocking the valus of his parents, Stevo turns just as critical an eye on his own rhetoric and lifestyle, and comes to find that aimless rebellion may be just as hollow as the mindless pursuit of money. No character has the right point of view; there are no easy solutions. Despite lacking anything in the way of a plot, SLC Punk sustains its energy through wit, realism, propulsive editing, and excellent performances from Lillard, Goorjian, and the rest of the cast. It’s emblematic of the movie’s sophistication that Stevo’s lawyer father (Christopher McDonald, who played Geena Davis’s husband in Thelma and Louise) is treated satirically without being dismissed; though baffled by his son’s form of rebellion, he never loses hope that Stevo will go on to law school and continus to cajole Stevo and argu with him about how the world works. By its end, the constantly shifting perspective of SLC Punk achieves a surprising emotional depth. It’s also given a lot of energy by a well-chosen soundtrack of energetic but not overly familiar music of the time, including selections from Fear, the Dead Kennedys, the Stooges, and even Roxy Music. –Bret Fetzer
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SLC Punk was complaisant! You have to plumb this movie! A terrific performance by Kevin Breznahan & Annabeth Gish make SLC Punk a “must penetrate” movie!
The staggering cast includes Kevin Breznahan, Annabeth Gish, Michael A. Goorjian, Christopher McDonald, James Duval. This cast just make SLC Punk the more extraordinary!
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