Most critics respond warmly to Slacker’s wandering portrait of Austin, with praise clustering around Richard Linklater’s relay-like movement from one eccentric resident to another. The favourable reviews find careful organisation beneath the apparent aimlessness, along with humour and an affectionate, lightly satirical interest in the characters’ beliefs. Several also value the documentary-like style and naturalistic performances, finding that the encounters build a convincing picture of people whose ambitions rarely take conventional forms.
The spread is wide, however, and the lack of a continuing story is the chief dividing point. Even some sympathetic reviews find that interest fluctuates with whoever happens to be speaking, while others see the loose structure as essential to the film’s appeal. The New York Times finds that funny passages eventually give way to monotony; the Los Angeles Times is more firmly opposed, judging the local colour insufficient to make the aimless company engaging.