S.L.C. Punk! (R)

synopsis

Anarchy in the land of Zion! SLC Punk! is a subversive comedy which tells the story of Stevo (Matthew Lillard) and his best friend, Heroin Bob (Michael Goorjian), who are the only two dedicated punk rockers in God-fearing Salt Lake City, Utah, in the thoroughly Reagan-ized early 1980s. Stevo and Bob have unwittingly graduated from college and are embarking upon a career of beer parties, street fights, and wanton sex in strict accordance with their anarchist credo. This agenda conflicts with the hopes of Stevo's father, a hippie turned attorney, who wants his son to follow in his footsteps to Harvard Law School. Along the way, we're introduced to his "tribe," perfectly realized characters representing various adolescent sects: mods, rockers, hicks, and posers. James Merendino's placement of youthful rebellion within conservative Salt Lake City creates a perfect opportunity to explore choices we all face about expectations of maturity and compliance to regulations. With a great sound track instilling energy into the accurately portrayed world of the early eighties, Merendino utilizes a distinctive style and dynamic performance by Lillard, often digressing into side stories to make a point about the cast of characters of a world gleaming on the surface yet rotting at the core. It is at this core that punk rockers nourish their roots, and SLC Punk! originates a unique vision of growing up in America.