Alternative/independant cinema has, for the most part, been filled with thinking and talking movies - because of budgeting restrictions, not much else can be done. Slacker is not just another one in the pile, it is probably the ultimate in thinking and talking movies. With no central character and no storyling, Slacker is nothing but conversations and events observed by the camera - as people pass eachother, so does the camera. Each mini-story has a wholly different conversation or scenereo, like brief snippets of dozens of peoples' lives. The conversations vary from profound to absurd to no conversation at all. Topics include dreams, conspiracies, the homeless, Scoobie-doo and much much more.
When you watch a lot of films, sometimes there's something put in the background and you wonder "What the hell was that all about?" Slacker answers the question repeatedly as it passes between lives. At the same time though, there are some characters or events you would like to follow a little longer but don't get to. The characters are a vast assortment of the slacker generation, from a JFK geek, to Auto Mechanics, to the slut, the t.v. junkie, and the coffee house crowd. Also thrown into the mix is an assortment of atypical older generation folks (who really make the movie).
Slacker is definitely not a high-budget movie, apparent through grainy shots and background noise often drowning out the actors. The script, at the same time, can be exceptionally weak and exceptionally strong, the attempt to diversify the content a bit too apparent. The acting assortment, obviously, is not going to be on par with that of a Robert Altman film, but is often surprisingly good... and just as often excruciatingly bad. For non-pro actors, however, especially for those with the long speeches, it is amazing that most of them got their shots in one take.
After the first hour you begin to grow tired of the movie, though, mainly because you suspect something crucial is missing from the movie. It's not the plot, or a lead character, it's music, and the lack thereof. A soundtrack would really help the pacing of the movie and move it along some more.
Slacker is on of those curious films that you watch simply for the sake of watching. You have no reason to watch it, you might not even want to, but you're bored and nothing better is on t.v., so why not watch a bunch of people like yourself?