‘Only posers die, you fucking idiot!‘
I loved Matthew Lillard from the moment I laid eyes on him when I first viewed Scream in the long, hot summer of 1998. While his career never quite took off in the way I think it should have done, he is always a compelling on-screen presence. SLC Punk! is a rare example of Lillard taking on a leading role and, as always, he’s captivating, funny and likeable…
As writer-director James Merendino has conceded, there isn’t much of a plot here. It’s more of a slice-of-life character study akin to the work of Kevin Smith or Richard Linklater. SLC stands for Salt Lake City, and we follow a group of punk rockers led by Lillard’s Stevo and also including Michael Goorjian’s Bob and Jason Segal’s Mike.
This is the kind of film that you rarely see anymore but was very prominent in the ’90s. White kids from middle America falling in love, getting into scrapes and pontificating on the state of things. Merendino’s dialogue is funny and authentic, and while he doesn’t seem to have much to say beyond commenting on what it feels like to be marginalised in suburbia, Lillard’s affable performance ensures that the film remains absorbing throughout. It’s also fun to see perennial villain Christopher McDonald playing against type as Stevo’s genuinely supportive dad.
SLC Punk! would probably be utterly baffling to teenagers now, but for those of us who grew up in the ’90s, much of what happens here will be familiar. The concept of people being defined by the music that they listen to, the clothes they wear, and the people they hang out with is pretty much extinct now. SLC Punk! is like sinking into a lovely ’90s bath.
