A thought–provoking and, for the most part, amusing take on the complex world of teenage angst and anti-establishment values. Punk, as many other rebellious subcultures, is intricate, full of confusion, certainty and contradictions (hell, the whole world is), and the better you understand that, the more you can appreciate this movie.

If movies like _Go_ and _Trainspotting_ operated as coming-of-age films rooted in 90s alternative culture, this does a similar thing for the 80s punk scene. Given that one culture evolved out of the other, they all feel somewhat similar in tone and aesthetic. Still, writer/director James Merendino has a strong vision, capturing the punk spirit through fast editing, terrific needle drops, kinetic camerawork and an IDGAF attitude pretty authentically. It also doesn't shy away from satirizing some of the more juvenile, shallow aspects of punk, which leads to a lot of (sometimes subtle) moments of dark comedy. The performances are all great and the two main characters are interestingly defined, though some arcs I found to be quite predictable. There are some other structural choices I'm not crazy about (e.g. introducing new characters 40 minutes in; writing out one of those characters 10 minutes later after a pretty elaborate set-up), but I'd say this is still pretty essential for this genre of film. Sure, it doesn't pack as much punch or depth as _This is England_, but it's a lot of fun. 7.5/10

i quite enjoyed this. it wasnt super gripping and compelling at some points, but the further in we got the more i enjoyed it. lillard is fantastic, but that's not a surprise. theres undoubtedly immaturity in steevo and much of what we hear from him is beyond biased, but i think it adds a lot of relatability to him. hes working out who he is and realizing that with time that will change. i think i would've struggled to get through this if not for lillards performance, he really held it together for me

Such a classic. I've loved this movie since it was released, and it still holds up. _SLC Punk_ is a drama, not a comedy. Sure, there are funny moments in it, but the story itself is serious. The best comparison I can make is to _Trainspotting_, which was released two years prior. The big difference is that _Trainspotting_ dealt with heavy subject matter from start to finish, whereas _SLC Punk_ has a few heavy moments, yet is mainly concerned with being fun. Set in the 1980s, the story follows Stevo - played by Lillard - and his friends. We get to meet all of these colorful characters, as we weave through their day-to-day life. The cast really is the lifeblood here; in less-capable hands, the movie would fall on its face. Another great component is the soundtrack. What a fantastic selection of punk music from the 1980s. So many reasons to enjoy this. If you like movies from the 1990s or if you are into punk, this is a must watch.