Whenever the subject of great filmmakers of the past thirty years comes up, one name that is rarely mentioned despite a solid body of work is Ben Stiller, someone who is undeniably familiar to the majority of us, but who barely receives the attention he deserves for his forays behind the camera, at least not on the level that he perhaps deserves. While most of his directorial efforts have been broad comedies like Zoolander and Tropic Thunder, we often neglect to realize in between these more mainstream works, there are projects that are truly ambitious and warrant our attention. The Cable Guy is a tremendously funny film that remains one of the most ingenious satires of the past few decades, while The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was the very definition of audacity, a misunderstood film that will only grow in estimation once we realize the true scope of its message and the impeccable direction that took this wacky text and made it something quite special. Yet, it is his very first film as a director that shows us what a truly exceptional filmmaker Stiller is, and why he essentially has been given free reign for most of his career, being allowed to pursue some of the most bizarre projects, under the assumption that it would be worth our time in one way or another. Reality Bites is a remarkable film, a risky but compelling choice for a debut that shows Stiller’s immense skillfulness as a director (even before he was doing more complex acting work, mostly being viewed as a broadly comedic actor until that point), as well as a tremendous versatility, not necessarily in the genre but rather style, the fluidity of his direction and earnest attempts to get to the root of Helen Childress’s beautifully heartfelt deconstruction of a very specific moment in American culture being the core of this film and the success that has followed it in the thirty years since its release. It may be neither Stiller’s most engaging film, nor the one that showcases his directorial prowess with the most efficiency, but it is as honest as such a project can get, which is in itself an achievement that proves the film has earned its space in the cultural zeitgeist, into which it is indelible.

It is doubtful that anyone would look at Reality Bites and see it as a perfect film, whether in terms of form or content, which is in itself quite an intriguing concept when we look at what this film represents. Stiller was a novice in terms of direction, and it is undeniably a film that is rough around the edges and may have benefitted from a more assured hand at the helm, we would want something more polished, which is not necessarily the case in this instance, since its these small imperfections that make the film so compelling. Stiller has made quite possibly the definitive text on the 1990s in terms of the American experience – we see this story entirely through the perspective of a group of young adults, ranging from those who have just recently graduated college and are seeking a path into the proverbial real world, to those who are slightly older and seemingly more aware of their place in the world, but still struggle with the same personal and private problems, their more sophisticated, mature demeanour hiding that same childlike sense of panic we all encounter when voyaging into the wider world on our own. Childress (who is the primary author of this material, with Stiller working closely with her screenplay) writes a film that aims to capture the spirit of what it meant to be young at this crucial part in American history – these are people born around the peak of the Vietnam War, coming of age in a world that has supposedly recovered from global tensions but remains fractured in ways that are unlikely to ever be fixed. They navigate the challenges of everyday life, whether it be the rapid changes in society and technology, the battle with diseases (this is one of the first narrative films that openly discusses HIV/AIDS as not being merely a disease spread between the gay community), or simply the shift in identity that occurred in many people as part of their journey towards maturity. These themes are all beautifully interwoven into the narrative, and executed with precision by Stiller, who still adds his comedic touch where it is necessary, some parts being distinctively the work of his unique perspective, driven by a sense of genuine wonder for his characters and the circumstances in which they constantly find one another.

Reality Bites understands the audience that will likely flock to see this film, which is a daring and provocative piece of cinema that captures a very specific mindset, developing it beautifully and with a genuine sense of complexity. However, Stiller constantly defers to the cast to bring these characters to life, which is a smart decision when you have an ensemble populated by some of the most influential actors of their generation, who are ultimately giving some of their strongest early work, enough to push this entire film forward several paces from the cliche-riddled obscurity in which many lesser independent films tend to find their fate. Winona Ryder having both this film and Little Women released within a few months of each other is proof of her versatility, this period being her peak of popularity, but where she consistently delivers on her promise to produce something valuable, regardless of the material. Ethan Hawke is as rebellious as ever as the rambunctious young man who goes from Ryder’s sworn enemy to the source of her affections, while the most unexpectedly moving performance is delivered by Janeane Garofalo, who is simply extraordinary every moment she is on screen. The central trio is tremendous and elevates this material far beyond any expectations, which is a valuable quality considering the simplicity of the story. Stiller has a large supporting role, playing someone who exists at the perfect intersection between youthful naivete and world-weary ennui, while the ever-reliable Steve Zahn has a smaller but not any less substantial role. In both the lead and supporting capacity, Reality Bites is exceptionally well-constructed, creating a memorable tapestry of human lives, brought to life with a blend of humour and pathos, which seems entirely plausible when we consider what Stiller seemed to be doing with not only this story but the characters that reside within.

Demonstrating a well-defined balance of wit and emotional resonance, and driven by a genuine sense of compassion for its characters and their experiences, Reality Bites is a film layered with meaning, and delivered with the most authentic sense of self-awareness imaginable, which gives the film a distinct honesty that has become increasingly rare over the years. For a film that tackles such broad themes, it is surprising that it managed to be this funny – there is a version of this story that is a more straightforward, sobering drama and that is perhaps the more logical one since some of the issues we see peppered throughout this film don’t immediately lend themselves to comedy, especially not in the way that we may expect from Stiller. Yet, there is something so poetic about turning this material into something more lighthearted – it isn’t a matter of trivializing the issues faced by these characters or mocking the very real problems that plagued this generation, but rather trying to understand that life is a series of moments, some more joyful than others, and existing is simply finding a way to balance the joyful from the melancholy, which is the key to a truly fulfilling life since many emotions are inevitable. Stiller does very well with the emotions, never once coming across as overwrought or unnecessarily dense, but instead creating a film that avoids being heavy-handed by knowing the right tone to take at particular moments, which elevates the material and makes it much more endearing in terms of how it looks at particular subjects. It is also notable how the film doesn’t try and conceal its internal roughness and refuses to pretend like it is free of imperfections – in fact, Reality Bites embraces these qualities, harnessing this distinct sense of rawness as it tells this fascinating and heartwrenching story about youth and the challenges that come with coming of age during such a tumultuous era, which form the foundation of many of the film’s more captivating moment.

One of the more captivating debuts of the 1990s, which was already a strong decade for new cinematic voice, Reality Bites is an incredible achievement, and a film that means just as much today as it did at the time of its release, which is far from an easy accomplishment, but one that Stiller nonetheless achieves without much difficulty, proving that he showed promise as a filmmaker from the very start of his directorial career. It’s a well-conceived film that takes a fascinating script and finds the details between many of its moments, developing a bitingly funny but also deeply heartfelt examination of its concepts, each one intricate and well-constructed. There is very little doubt that Reality Bites is a great debut, but we don’t discuss how this is a film that is a defining work of the decade in which it was made, a daring and provocative existential odyssey that looks at the concept of being young in a time when it was not always particularly easy (although it has never been without challenges, as the number of coming-of-age stories produced over the years demonstrates), but still worth enduring, since the lessons learned through these various challenges are always compelling and insightful. As a whole, Reality Bites is an incredible film – funny, meaningful and deeply moving in a way that we may not initially expect. Featuring a terrific cast that does their best to bring these words to life, and driven by a genuine sense of human complexity, this is a major work that earns every bit of our attention, promising a charming and steadfast examination of Generation X and their experiences at a crucial point in their collective development. All of this amounts to a fascinating character study that is equal parts comedy and drama, but an entirely compelling celebration of the human condition, taken from multiple different points of view, each one distinct and worthwhile.