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43-491: Childress wrote the initial screenplay on spec in 1990, inspired by the lives of her friends and herself during the U.S. economic recession in the early 1990s . Stiller was hired as director in 1991, but later starred in the film after working with Childress on the final screenplay, which was completed in December 1992. The film faced production delays until Ryder committed to the project, after which Hawke and Zahn were cast. Garofalo

86-464: A Generation X picture, while we thought it was a comedy with broad appeal". The studio placed advertisements during programs chosen for their appeal to 12- to 34-year-olds, and in interviews Stiller was careful not to mention the phrase, "Generation X". The film went on to be a moderate hit for Universal and make $ 20.9 million in the United States and Canada and $ 20 million internationally, for

129-439: A candy bar from his employer. Lelaina was valedictorian of her university and aspires to make documentaries, although initially has to settle for a position as production assistant to a rude and obnoxious TV host. Lelaina meets Michael Grates when throwing a lit cigarette into his convertible causes him to crash into her car. They begin dating. He works as an executive at an MTV -like channel called In Your Face, and after seeing

172-586: A deal and the label opened its roster to the director, who picked only one band: Me Phi Me . RCA aggressively marketed the album and had five tracks on rotation on radio and MTV . The video for Crowded House 's "Locked Out" was updated to include footage from the film. In addition, the video for "Spin the Bottle" by the Juliana Hatfield Three was directed by Stiller and featured clips from the film as well. The soundtrack sold 1.2 million units and reached #13 on

215-441: A documentary she has been working on, wants to get it aired on his network. Lelaina's roommate Vickie has a series of one-night stands and short relationships with dozens of men; her promiscuity leads her to face a very real risk of contracting HIV after a former fling tests positive for the virus. Working as a sales associate for The Gap , Vickie is later promoted to manager and is content with her new job. Her friend Sammy Gray

258-636: A fairly decent reaction, before it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1994, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 18, 1994. The film grossed $ 5.1 million in 1,149 theaters on its opening weekend. Initially, Reality Bites did not perform as well at the box office as the studio had hoped. In six weeks, it grossed $ 18.3 million, more than the film's $ 11 million production budget. Bruce Feldman, Universal Pictures' Vice President of Marketing, said, "The media labeled it as

301-437: A full 10% reduction in that sector. These cutbacks also spilled over into transportation, wholesale, trade, and other sectors tied to defense related durable goods manufacturing. For all of 1991, the United States incurred a net loss of 858,000 jobs, with 1.154 million created in 1992 and 2.788 million in 1993. Other factors contributed to a slow economy, including a slump in office construction resulting from overbuilding during

344-499: A great time". In his review for The Washington Post , Desson Howe wrote, "By aiming specifically—and accurately—at characters in their twenties, debuting screenwriter Helen Childress and first-time director Stiller achieve something even greater: they encapsulate an era". Time magazine's Richard Schickel wrote, "the movie bobs along on this stream of funny offhandedness, never losing its balance. If it's 10 o'clock, and you want to know where your supposedly grownup children are, this

387-449: A one-night stand of Troy's. Soul Asylum 's lead singer Dave Pirner and The Lemonheads ' frontman Evan Dando also made cameos. In 1991, producer Michael Shamberg had an idea to make a film about people in their twenties. He had read a screenplay entitled Blue Bayou , written by Helen Childress on spec in 1990. He liked it and met with her, and she proceeded to tell him about her life and friends, and their struggle to find work during

430-455: A recession in the United States at the time. For three years, she wrote and rewrote Reality Bites , generating 70 different drafts. Childress decided to use her friends, their personalities and experiences as the basis for her film. The film's producers saw the pilot episode for The Ben Stiller Show and approached Stiller to direct it, but not act in it. He signed on to direct in 1992 and worked with Childress for nine to ten months developing

473-622: A result of the recession, the economy shed 1.623 million jobs or 1.3% of non-farm payrolls. The bulk of these losses were in construction and manufacturing. Among the hardest hit regions were the New England states and the West Coast , while the Midwest and South Central regions were less affected. Job losses and unemployment continued to rise and peaked at 7.8% in June 1992. Gross domestic product grew at

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516-458: A resurgent housing market. Strong growth resumed and lasted through the year 2000 . Although relatively mild, the early 1990s recession was the only interruption to economic expansion during the 1990s. House of Style House of Style is an MTV show that premiered in May 1989, focusing on America's growing fascination with the " supermodel " craze. The show focused on fashion, lives of models,

559-536: A scene on top of the Two Shell Plaza building), where the film is set, but most of the interiors were shot in Los Angeles, because it was cheaper to do so there. During filming, Stiller encouraged Childress to be on location and talk with the actors about their characters. RCA met with the film's music supervisor Karyn Rachtman , and Stiller, three weeks into filming, to discuss the soundtrack album. They finalized

602-462: A sleazy boss) and John F. O'Donohue (as a convenience store manager), both cast members of The Ben Stiller Show . Stiller also cast fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus David Spade in an uncredited appearance as the manager during Lelaina's job interview at Wienerschnitzel . Stiller's girlfriend Jeanne Tripplehorn also makes an uncredited appearance, parodying Cindy Crawford and MTV's show House of Style . Renée Zellweger appears as Tami,

645-534: A slow and erratic pace in the year that followed the official March 1991 end of the recession, but picked up pace in 1992. Exports, typically a driver of economic recovery, weakened due to persistent economic problems in Europe and Japan. Perhaps the largest impact on the protracted period of unemployment following the early 90s recession were large layoffs in defense related industries. Cumulative defense downsizing resulted in 240,000 job losses from 1990 to 1992, representing

688-410: A sluggish employment recovery, most commonly referred to as a jobless recovery . Unemployment continued to rise through June 1992, even though a positive economic growth rate had returned the previous year. Belated recovery from the 1990–1991 recession contributed to Bill Clinton 's victory in the 1992 presidential election over incumbent President George H. W. Bush . Throughout 1989 and 1990,

731-414: A worldwide total of $ 40.9 million. The film received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 62% of 60 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.1/10. The site's consensus states: " Reality Bites may be too slick to fulfill its promise as a profound statement on Generation X, but an appealing ensemble and romantic sizzle make for an entertaining dive into

774-431: Is a good place to look for them". When asked in 2007 how well Reality Bites had aged, Janeane Garofalo replied, "I think it means a lot more to people younger than me. I was not the target audience. I was 29 playing a 21-year-old, so I don't think I understand why younger people like it." In 2013, Stiller proposed a television series sequel. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: In 2005,

817-516: Is gay; he remains celibate , not due to a fear of AIDS, but because forming a relationship would force him to come out to his conservative parents. After an impulsive act of retribution against her boss, Lelaina loses her job, which causes some tension with her roommates. Eventually, Vickie's HIV test comes back negative and Sammy comes out to his parents (and he even starts dating) and the two manage to resume their lives. Meanwhile, Lelaina's relationship with Michael dissolves after he helps her sell

860-497: Is very close to what I would probably have ended up as if I hadn't become an actress". Ethan Hawke was at this point unhappy with the direction his career was taking; the actor recalled that his career was in a lull after the buzz from Dead Poets Society had faded. Ryder was a fan of his work and stipulated in her contract that her involvement in the film was dependent on Hawke starring opposite her. Janeane Garofalo knew Stiller from working together on The Ben Stiller Show , and

903-638: The Billboard 200. The album also earned a No. 1 single with Lisa Loeb 's " Stay (I Missed You) ". The soundtrack peaked at number 2 in Australia and was certified platinum. The film's soundtrack includes songs by World Party , Squeeze , the Knack (a remixed version of " My Sharona " featured prominently in one scene from the film), Juliana Hatfield, Social Distortion , and two contributions from Crowded House ("Locked Out" and "Something So Strong"), in addition to

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946-475: The 1980s. Local markets in the New England states, Southern California , and Texas in particular experienced the effects of commercial overbuilding, reflected in the number of bank failures and the proportion of commercial investments held by those banks. Real estate values would remain depressed through 1995, when they would return to growth. In addition, consumer confidence moved at an erratic pace, limiting

989-573: The Film Commission of Texas to fund a location scouting trip to Houston , despite no studio backing, no budget and no cast. The film had been turned down by all Hollywood studios because it tried to capture the Generation X market like Singles , which was not a box office success. When Sher, Stiller and Childress arrived in Houston, they received a phone call informing them that Winona Ryder had read

1032-432: The credits there is an abrupt break where two characters, "Elaina" and "Roy", who are obvious parodies of Lelaina and Troy, have an argument about their relationship. As the "show's" credits roll, Michael's name is revealed as the creator, implying that he has turned the relationship between Lelaina and Troy into the subject of a new show on his network. In addition to Garofalo, director Stiller gave cameos to Andy Dick (as

1075-618: The documentary to his network, only to let them edit it into a stylized montage that compromises her artistic vision. Lelaina and Troy have a heart-to-heart which leads to them sleeping together and confessing their feelings. The morning after, he avoids her, and after a messy confrontation, leaves town. When Troy's father dies, it forces him to reevaluate his life, deciding to attempt a relationship with Lelaina. Troy and Lelaina reunite and make amends once he returns from his father's funeral in Chicago . While we do not see what happens to Michael, during

1118-494: The early careers and young adult lifestyles of Generation X . Four friends who are recent college graduates live together in Houston , Texas . Coffeehouse guitarist Troy Dyer and budding filmmaker Lelaina Pierce are attracted to each other, although they have not acted on their feelings except for one brief, drunken encounter years ago. Troy is floundering, having lost several minimum-wage jobs—the last of which he loses for stealing

1161-527: The economy was weakening as a result of restrictive monetary policy enacted by the Federal Reserve . At the time, the stated policy of the Fed was to reduce inflation, a process which limited economic expansion. The immediate cause of the recession was a loss of consumer and business confidence as a result of the 1990 oil price shock , coupled with an already weak economy. Another factor that may have contributed to

1204-416: The ennui of youth." On Metacritic the film has a score of 67 out of 100 based on reviews from 26 critics. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F. Caryn James, in her review for The New York Times wrote, "Like the generation it presents so appealingly, it doesn't see any point in getting all bent out of shape and overambitious. But it knows how to hang out and have

1247-479: The film is in the works at Peacock with Childress, DeVito, Jenna Bans , Michael Shamberg , Stacey Sher and Casey Kyber serving as executive producers. Early 1990s recession in the United States The United States entered a recession in 1990 , which lasted 8 months through March 1991. Although the recession was mild relative to other post-war recessions, it was characterized by

1290-418: The film's producers felt that her style of comedy was perfect for the character of Vickie. She said that Parker Posey , Anne Heche , and Gwyneth Paltrow were all up for the role. The studio wanted Paltrow, but Ryder supported Garofalo for the role after making a connection with her. Before filming began, Garofalo was fired from the production because Stiller did not like her attitude during rehearsal. Garofalo

1333-412: The film’s dialogue as being ideas and jargon of his own. The defendants attempted to seek shelter under California's anti-SLAPP statutes, but in early 2007 the appeals court denied them SLAPP protection. The suit was quickly settled after Dyer received a written document from Childress stating he was not the person portrayed in the film. In May 2022, it was reported that a television series adaptation of

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1376-436: The modeling industry, and topics such as eating disorders . The show was produced by Edward Christiansen and directed by Joshua Homnick and Steve Paley and during its eleven-year run, featured a variety of hosts, most of whom were professional models, including original host Cindy Crawford , as well as Rebecca Romijn and Molly Sims , whom the show helped make into household names. Following Crawford's six-year run, MTV cut

1419-458: The number of episodes ordered for each year after her departure until the show was reduced to a yearly special and then ultimately canceled in 2000. Other hosts of House of Style included Amber Valletta , Shalom Harlow , and Daisy Fuentes , while ex- Germs / Nirvana / Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear was featured in regular segments during Crawford's years as host. The show was revived for one episode on March 21, 2009, with Bar Refaeli as

1462-481: The real Dyer (a film financier) sued writer Childress, producer DeVito, and director Stiller. Dyer claimed that screenwriter Childress stated on audio commentary tracks that she wrote the story based on her actual college friends and roommates, and that he was then forced to deal with past and potential clients' "inquiries as to whether he was the fictional character" as well as internet users attributing outlandish, caustic, unprofessional and immature quotations lifted from

1505-578: The runaway hit "Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb, which earned Loeb the distinction of being the first artist to top the Hot 100 before being signed to any record label and "Baby I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain . It also includes "Conjunction Junction" from Schoolhouse Rock! , another song brought into the foreground of a film full of pop culture references. 10th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks Shipments figures based on certification alone. Reality Bites went through four test screenings with

1548-513: The script, wanted to do it and that Universal Pictures had agreed to finance the film. After completing several period pieces, Ryder was drawn to Reality Bites because she was looking "for something a little more contemporary because I really wanted to wear blue jeans for a change". She read the script in one sitting while making The House of the Spirits and "found it very true to life." She further speculated in an interview, "I think my character

1591-550: The script. Initially, Childress, working with producer Stacey Sher , had figured out the characters of Lelaina and Troy, but could not come up with a credible character to complete the love triangle. Stiller suggested that he could play that third person. As a result, the Michael character changed from a 35-year-old advertising executive trying to market Japanese candy bars in America to a television executive in his twenties. They also changed

1634-408: The structure of the film. Originally, Vickie, Sammy and Troy had more fleshed out storylines, but Stiller felt that he could not tell them fully and decided to focus on the relationship between Lelaina and Troy. By December 1992, Childress and Stiller had a script that was ready to be filmed for TriStar Pictures , but the studio put it into turnaround . Sher, Stiller and Childress managed to convince

1677-480: The surge in consumption expenditures that is typical of recovery periods. As a result, businesses were reluctant to hire on concerns over the strength of the economic recovery. Ultimately, the recession proved to be one of the smallest and shortest in the modern era, underwhelmed in most metrics only by the 2000-01 recession. The economy returned to 1980s level growth by 1993, fueled by the desktop computer productivity boom, low interest rates, low energy prices, and

1720-426: The title of the film isn't meant to be interpreted as "reality sucks." During the run-up to the 1992 United States presidential election , Childress kept hearing references to "sound bites," which made her think of Lelaina's recorded vignettes of her friends as "little bites of reality." Principal photography lasted 42 days, on a budget of $ 11.5 million. The filmmakers shot many of the exteriors in Houston (including

1763-514: The weakening of the economy, was the Tax Reform Act of 1986 , which lowered investment incentives and contributed to the end of the real estate valuation boom of the early to mid-1980s. July 1990 marked the end of what was at the time the longest peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history. Prior to the onset of the early 1990s recession, the nation enjoyed robust job growth and a declining unemployment rate. The Labor Department estimates that as

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1806-464: Was fired during filming but returned after Ryder stepped in on her behalf. Principal photography lasted 42 days in 1993, with filming taking place in Houston and Los Angeles . Reality Bites received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of Ryder, Hawke and Garofalo. It grossed $ 41 million worldwide. It appeared on some critics' year-end lists for 1994 and 1995 and has since gained cult status for its depiction of

1849-426: Was rehired after Ryder stepped in on her behalf. Garofalo stated later that she has a really poor work ethic and hates to rehearse. Stiller met Steve Zahn through Hawke, with whom Zahn was starring in a play, and he was impressed by how funny Zahn was. The actor went to Los Angeles , California , and tested for the film. He felt strongly about playing a gay character coming out of the closet. According to Childress,

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