Richard Linklater captured the exuberant, naïve and acerbic intellectualizing of teens and twentysomethings not only in Before Sunrise, but also in Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Suburbia and Waking Life. He wasn't the only filmmaker to portray the sometimes pretentious, but always vibrant, intellectual and emotional discourse of Generation X. Here are a few other movies that will talk your ear off, in a good way.
Diner (1982)
Kevin Bacon, Daniel Stern, Steve Guttenberg
Barry Levinson's breakthrough movie wasn't about Gen X (it resonated more with baby boomers), but his chronicle of a group of college-age friends in 1959 Baltimore is easy to relate to for any generation. Like The Graduate 15 years prior, it perfectly captured the "What the hell do we do with our lives now?" conundrum that plagues all people in their early 20s. In its own way, the template for everything that follows on this list.
Singles (1992)
Bridget Fonda, Matt Dillon, Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick
Cameron Crowe's ode to Seattle is painfully, perfectly '90s, with its flannel-clad cast and cameos by members of grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Like grown-up versions of John Cusack and Ione Skye from Crowe's high-school romance Say Anything, the titular singles fumble their way through relationships, making sure to dissect every minute detail while wearing some totally cool ripped jeans.
Kicking and Screaming (1995)
Josh Hamilton, Olivia D'Abo, Parker Posey, Chris Eigeman
Noah Baumbach's unsung classic about post-collegiate panic finds its main characters still living in the town where they went to school, hanging around their alma mater as if they'll be transformed back into students by osmosis. This ought to be required viewing for all college seniors about to head into a world of debt, instant nostalgia and dwindling job prospects.
Chasing Amy (1997)
Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee
Back when Ben Affleck was still sort of cool, he played a comic-book artist who seduces a lesbian in Kevin Smith's strongest, most assured film. Rather than just depict a drooling heterosexual fantasy, Chasing Amy examines (and overexamines) relationships from a surprisingly mature perspective, but still includes enough of Smith's trademark crude humor and appearances by Jay and Silent Bob to appease fans of Clerks.