Slacker

Slacker is currently streaming in the US on fuboTV and HBO Max Amazon Channel, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. Its 7/10 TMDB score, built from 335 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Richard Linklater is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on fuboTV.

There is a reason Slacker keeps coming up in conversation. Slacker gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. Austin, Texas, is an Eden for the young and unambitious, from the enthusiastically eccentric to the dangerously apathetic. Here, the nobly lazy can eschew responsibility in favor of nursing their esoteric obsessions. The locals include a backseat philosopher who passionately expounds on his dream theories to a seemingly comatose cabbie, a young woman who tries to hawk Madonna's Pap test to anyone who will listen and a kindly old anarchist looking for recruits. Richard Linklater and Rudy Basquez lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1990. The timing in Slacker is precise enough that even the throwaway lines land on a second watch. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Slacker is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Richard Linklater's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.