Pump Up the Volume (1990)

IMDb plot summary: Mark runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens.

Directed by Allan Moyle. Stars Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, and Anthony Luke Lucero.

Pump Up the Volume is a 1990s drama starring Christian Slater as an angry teenager who lets out his angst by running an extremely crass radio show under a pseudonym, but when his rants inspire a student at his school to take their own life, Slater has to figure out what he wants to do moving forward. I had never heard of this film before a friend recommended it to me, and it was a wonderful discovery. It's a great early look at the 90s grunge teen who was just angry at a system, and then at how that anger can have unintended consequences if processed appropriately. While I didn't necessarily *relate* to most of these characters, I sympathized deeply with all of them, and I was very engaged in seeing how things were going to play out. It doesn't necessarily go the expected coming-of-age drama route, and I appreciated that. This one was worth a watch for sure.

🎥 Pump Up the Volume (1990)

📊 Ranked #935/4259 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 78

beat The Wrestler (#2151 → #2154)

lost to The Moustache (#1098 → #1100)

beat The Front (#1617 → #1619)

lost to Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (#1362 → #1185)

beat 35 Up (#1491 → #1509)

beat Under the Skin (#1427 → #1425)

beat DragonHeart (#1393 → #1391)

lost to Summer Stock (#1377 → #1378)

beat Memories of Murder (#1385 → #1384)

beat Monsters vs Aliens (#1381 → #1428)

beat L'Atalante (held at #1379)

beat In Search of a Midnight Kiss (#1378 → #1483)