Thoughtnami Classics | Three Movies That Defined My Generation

Originally Posted 10/18/07 by Jeff Harris

I'm young (29), but some things make me feel like an old-ass man, especially a lot of shows and movies that have come out as of late.

But if I had to choose three movies that defines MY generation . . . that's kind of tough, especially since I have to pick just three. I know it's a magic number, but it's kind of limited, you know?

I guess I'll start with Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I was a little kid when this movie initially came out in theaters, but as a young teen, this movie spoke to me like no other movie had before at the time. A recent conversation a lot of us mods had in the super extra secret room we have around here really made me appreciate the movie even more. The protagonist wasn't a label, that is, he wasn't a nerd, a geek, a jock, a preppy, a goth, a class clown, a slacker, a drama student, et. al. He was simply Ferris, a guy who pretty much has his life together, or at least had the semblance to realize what life is supposed to be. He doesn't worry, he doesn't panic. He's not trying to get laid or find a girlfriend because, well, he already has a girlfriend. He knew that if you took life too seriously, you'll spend all your time worrying. Good advice, and something that stuck to me to this day.

Another movie that I felt defined my generation is Clerks. Dante is literally stuck in hell, or in this case, a convenience store and has problems from the word go. He has to work a shift on his day off and has to deal with strange customers ranging from an anti-smoking advocate and a guy searching for the perfect dozen of eggs to a pot-smoking duo and a guy "walking the lizard" and dying in a bathroom, a girlfriend who loves him but confesses something that makes him uncomfortable, an ex-girlfriend who recently broke up with her boyfriend, and his best friend Randall, who goes out of his way to distract Dante from the day at hand. In essence, it's kind of the reverse of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. A "Dante Hicks' Day In" if you will. Considering Kevin Smith was a fan of those John Hughes films, I wouldn't be surprised if he had even considered that title. The message in this film is essentially the same as in Ferris, only you see what happens when people, in this case Dante, worry.

If you ever get the chance, watch both films back to back one day, and you'll see what I mean.

I think the final film that defines my generation is The Matrix. This film is pretty much the one that connects my generation to the 21st century, presenting something that is true today: we're all connected to computers, and the lives we presently live on the internet is only an illusion. Anybody that makes a presence on the internet, whether it's forums, websites, blogs and vlogs, and other forms of the new medium could attest and adhere to that general message. It also had the message that we shouldn't truly depend on our connection to computers all the time because the machine could one day turn its back on us. Okay, that's out there, but still, people still don't completely trust their computers.

What three movies defined your generation? No, I'm not asking what are your three favorite movies, but rather which ones defined you and your generation.