View Full Version : 25 Movies That Defined Generation X


TMC
11-07-2022, 01:15 AM
https://www.looper.com/1084827/movies-that-defined-generation-x/

BY CHRIS HODGES/NOV. 6, 2022 1:15 PM UTC

There are no definitively agreed upon years to define any given generation, but the people who comprise Generation X are generally considered to be those who were children in the 1970s and 1980s, entered their teen years in the '80s and '90s, and were adults around the time of the millennium (via Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Generation-X)). Other nicknames for that demographic are the "latchkey generation" — because they often came home to empty houses and had to use their keys to let themselves in — and the "MTV Generation," as many of them grew up alongside the cable network, which defined pop culture in this era (via BridgeWorks (https://www.generations.com/insights/generation-x-101)).

Gen Xers are often associated with cynicism, as they grew up in a time where the values of capitalism were heightened and it felt like everything was seen as a commodity or marketing opportunity for the Baby Boomer generation that preceded them. At the same time, things like the AIDS epidemic and the rise of drug use also contributed to the sense of malaise that Gen Xers often felt.

But it's not all bad news, as Gen X was also the generation of great indie films (https://www.looper.com/877704/best-indie-movies-of-all-time-ranked/), the introduction of home computers/the internet, and a thriving economy (for a time). And all of this — the good and the bad — informed the films that were made by and/or for Gen Xers, so these are the ones that best represent the various aspects of Generation X.


Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Do the Right Thing

Reality Bites

Swingers

Empire Records

The Goonies

Trainspotting

Wayne's World

Singles

Heathers

Poetic Justice

Clerks

Hackers

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

The Lost Boys

Dazed and Confused

Fight Club

St. Elmo's Fire

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Office Space

Boyz n the Hood

High Fidelity

Slacker

Say Anything...

The Breakfast Club