feeldb

Reality Bites

1994 · 98 min · Director: Ben Stiller, Ben Stiller ★ IMDb 6.6 · 58,447 ratings

Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)

In this study of Generation X manners, Lelaina Pierce (Winona Ryder), the valedictorian of her college class, camcords her friends in a mock documentary of posteducation life. Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke) is her best friend, a perpetually unemployed musical slacker. Vickie Miner (Janeane Garofalo) is a manager at the Gap who worries about the results of an A.I.D.S. test, while Sammy Gray (Steve Zahn) has problems grappling with his sexuality. When Lelaina meets Michael Grates (Ben Stiller), an earnest video executive who takes her homemade video to his MTV-like station, she must decide what she values - the materialism of yuppie Michael or the philosophical musings of Troy.

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Emotional fingerprint

Reality Bites (1994) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Nostalgia 30%, Empathy 25%, Humor 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure

  1. Humor20%
  2. Love10%

AI estimate · no viewer votes yet

How we measure

AI estimate

Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.

Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.

Why it feels this way

The strongest emotional signals are Nostalgia, Empathy, Humor. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance. AI estimate.

Is it worth watching?

Consider this title if you are looking for Nostalgia, Empathy and Humor. Its IMDb rating of 6.6/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 68/100.

How did it make you feel?

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Emotional journey

AI · from subtitles
  • Sadness
  • Empathy
  • Humor

Not enough subtitle evidence

No dominant emotion

Dominant emotion: Humor

Dominant emotion: Sadness

Dominant emotion: Empathy

Dominant emotion: Tension

Dominant emotion: Love

Sadness
Empathy
Humor
Emotional journey Emotional intensity over the film’s runtime, from quieter to stronger on a fixed 0–1 scale. Hatched intervals have insufficient subtitle evidence. The table provides the values.
Ending hidden

Dominant emotion

Intensity dips around 8 %, then peaks around 78 %, then dips around 98 %.Ending hidden

Emotional journey
%Approximate minuteDominant emotionOverall intensitySadnessEmpathyHumor
2.5 %≈ 2′Humor35 %10 %15 %33 %
7.5 %≈ 7′Humor35 %9 %14 %31 %
12.5 %≈ 12′Humor37 %8 %13 %32 %
17.5 %≈ 17′Humor39 %7 %11 %38 %
22.5 %≈ 22′Humor40 %6 %13 %38 %
27.5 %≈ 27′Humor41 %14 %23 %31 %
32.5 %≈ 32′Sadness42 %22 %30 %25 %
37.5 %≈ 37′Humor45 %26 %35 %25 %
42.5 %≈ 42′Empathy49 %35 %44 %22 %
47.5 %≈ 47′Empathy47 %32 %41 %23 %
52.5 %≈ 51′Tension42 %22 %31 %25 %
57.5 %≈ 56′Tension47 %26 %36 %24 %
62.5 %≈ 61′Empathy54 %30 %48 %24 %
67.5 %≈ 66′Empathy54 %25 %48 %22 %
72.5 %≈ 71′Tension58 %35 %49 %18 %
77.5 %≈ 76′Love63 %48 %53 %12 %
82.5 %≈ 81′Tension58 %45 %44 %12 %
87.5 %≈ 86′Love49 %38 %36 %16 %
92.5 %≈ 91′Sadness45 %31 %35 %20 %
97.5 %≈ 96′Love43 %25 %30 %24 %
Riches to rags

Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.

Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.

Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.

Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.

Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.

Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.

AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗

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Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers

Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.

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Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.

Cast

Janeane Garofalo

Vickie Miner

Steve Zahn

Sammy Gray

Ben Stiller

Michael Grates

Swoosie Kurtz

Charlane McGregor

HO
Harry O'Reilly

Wes McGregor

SN
Susan Norfleet

Helen Anne Pierce

Joe Don Baker

Tom Pierce

JR
James Rothenberg

Rick

John Mahoney

Grant Gubler

EM
Eric Morgan Stuart

Damien

BD
Barry Del Sherman

Grant's Produzent

CL
Chelsea Lagos

Troy Groupie

BB
Bill Bolender

Truck Driver

HC
Helen Childress

Waitress

DP
David Pirner

Phineas

Andy Dick

Rock

Details

Written by
Helen Childress
Type
Movies
Released
1994
Runtime
98 min
Country
United States
Ratings
★ IMDb 6.6 · 58,447 ratings
Feels mostly
Nostalgia
Data updated

Where to watch

Also on

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Data: JustWatch · Wikidata

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Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.