Line #18 Film/RealityBites


1	[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reality_bites_1994_poster.jpg]]
2
3	->''"Welcome to the Maxi Pad."''
4	-->-- '''Vickie'''
5
6	''Reality Bites'' is a 1994 romantic {{dramedy}} film directed by Creator/BenStiller, about four disaffected twentysomething friends {{coming of age}} in Houston and trying to assess the direction of their aimless lives. The film is widely remembered for capturing the zeitgeist (for better or worse) of 1990s Gen-Xers.
7
8	Creator/WinonaRyder stars as Lelaina, a recent college graduate with big dreams of becoming a successful videographer. She shares an apartment with Troy (Creator/EthanHawke), a {{Grunge}}-rocking slacker, Vickie (Creator/JaneaneGarofalo), a promiscuous Gap-managing snarker, and Sammy (Creator/SteveZahn), a guy struggling with [[ComingOutStory coming out]] to his parents, who are facing similar uncertain crossroads in their lives. Lelaina meets and dates Michael (Stiller), a yuppie who works for an MTV-like television station.
9
10	According to the screenwriter, the title is supposed to be a play on the term "sound bites" (as in "bites of reality"), and not "reality sucks," as is commonly interpreted.
11
12	----
13	!!Tropes included:
14	* BaitAndSwitchComment:
15	-->'''Vickie:''' [Troy]'s weird, he's strange, he's sloppy, he's a total nightmare for women. I can't believe I haven't slept with him yet.
16	* BettyAndVeronica: Troy and Michael, for Lelaina.
17	* BurgerFool: David Spade's OneSceneWonder.
18	--> "Miss Pierce, do you have any idea what it means to be a cashier at Wienerschnitzel?"
19	* ButNotTooGay: Sammy's first boyfriend Lance is introduced to Lelaina, but his face is only shown once in his few seconds of screentime.
20	* TheCastShowOff: Ethan Hawke plays guitar and sings "I'm Nothin'".
21	* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority
22	* DeadpanSnarker: Vickie.
23	* DudeNotIronic: Lelaina's inability to define irony cost her a job.
24	* InformedAttribute: Troy allegedly has a genius-level IQ, but is unable to offer a remotely accurate definition of irony.
25	* LowestCommonDenominator: InUniverse, Michael's [[spoiler:edit of Lelaina's footage]].
26	* NiceCharacterMeanActor: On stage, Grant Gubler is a PerpetualSmiler TV host of a morning show. Behind the scenes, he is a GrumpyOldMan who dislikes and complains about Lelaina for being too smart.
27	* TheNineties: SO much.
28	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Creator/JeanneTripplehorn (Stiller's then-girlfriend) plays a woman based on Creator/CindyCrawford, the host of an {{Expy}} of Creator/{{MTV}}'s ''House of Style''.
29	* PetHomosexual: Sammy.
30	* ProductPlacement: This film has a ''lot'' of product placement and product references in the dialogue, including Gap, BMW, Diet Coca-Cola, Pringles, 7-Eleven (its Big Gulp drinks are seen throughout the film), Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, Evian, Camel Straight cigarettes, Snickers, UsefulNotes/McDonalds (Troy mentions a Quarter Pounder with Cheese as one of life's pleasures), Whole Foods Market, Continental Airlines, Cocoa Puffs, Infiniti (Nissan USA luxury automobile division), Ford Motor Company, and Minute Maid. The sheer number of products seen and mentioned in this film is kinda funny considering Lelaina's anti-consumerism speech at the beginning.
31	* ReallyGetsAround: Both Troy and Vickie.
32	* RichSuitorPoorSuitor: Michael (rich suitor) and Troy (poor suitor).
33	* RomanticRunnerup: Michael's Creator/{{MTV}}ization of Lelaina's documentary does not go over well.
34	* ShoutOutToShakespeare: At one point Troy answers the phone with, "Hello, you've reached [[Theatre/RichardIII the winter of our discontent]]".
35	* TheSlacker: Troy.
36	* StylisticSuck: The ShowWithinAShow at the end of the film, based loosely on the events the characters experienced in the movie.
37	* TakeThat: To MTV and ''Series/TheRealWorld''.
38	* ThrowingOutTheScript: Lelaina pretends to do this -- actually, she's lost her notes and is just reciting platitudes.
39	* WrongGuyFirst
40	* {{Yuppie}}: Michael isn't very bright, but he's a young, successful go-getter who wears suits and has his life in order, as opposed to the dropout Troy.

Context Film / RealityBites