A “hang-out movie,” as the genre-bending Quentin Tarantino put it, is one that primarily focuses on likeable individuals in a seductive environment. They typically exhibit a lack of a compelling plot, a lot of conversational banter, and an air of profundity. The top 10 “hangout” movies, as chosen by Ranker users, are listed below for your viewing pleasure.
1. Dazed And Confused (1993)
Director- Richard Linklater
A little Texas hamlet celebrates the start of the summer vacation because the 1976 school year is over. First, though, the Seniors are eager to pursue the Freshmen, who they may subject to ruthless hazing, which for guys takes the form of no-nonsense spankings. The baseball team members must play that evening before the celebration, when alcohol will anaesthetise their seat sting, so any attempts at escape are foolish and pointless for them. When Randall “Pink” Floyd, the senior quarterback, requests that the lads be kind with Mitch Kramer after his foolish sister really makes the request, Fred O’Bannion, a senior year repeater, adds aggravation to his rumoured fervour for paddling the remorseful.
2. Clerks (1994)
Director- Kevin Smith
The day isn’t going well for Dante Hicks. He is instructed to report to work on his day off while working as a clerk in a tiny convenience store. According to Dante, every day ends in tragedy, and today is no exception. He learns through the newspaper that Caitlin, his ex-girlfriend, is getting hitched. His current girlfriend turns out to have a little more sex experience than he initially imagined. The hockey game he has that afternoon and the wake for a friend who passed away are his main worries. Randal Graves, a friend of his who works as a clerk in the video store next door, despises his job just as much as Dante does.
3. The Big Lebowski (1998)
Director(s)- Coen Brothers
The epitome of a Los Angeles slacker is Jeffrey “the dude” Lebowski. Two irate hired heavies break into his house one day and pee on his rug because they think he’s another Jeffrey Lebowski, a wealthy from Los Angeles whose wife owes some people a lot of money. When the guy visits the other Lebowski to seek compensation for his dirty rug, he is caught up in his namesake’s issue. Instead, he is given the opportunity to work for a large sum of money as a mediator between Lebowski and the people holding his now-kidnapped wife.
4. The Breakfast Club (1985)
Director- John Hughes
Five stereotypical high school students must spend the entire Saturday in detention as they try to understand their mistakes. A group of five complete strangers—wrestling athlete Andrew Clark, spoilt daughter Claire Standish, neurotic oddball Allison Reynolds, smart Brian Johnson, and rebel without a cause John Bender—will have to stay put for the next exhausting eight hours and fifty-four minutes and pen an essay of at least a thousand words describing who they believe themselves to be. The five strangers with nothing in common now have no choice but to wait, and possibly in the interim, look past appearances as the calm library of Shermer High School transforms into a chilly prison.
5. What Do We Do In The Shadows (2014)
Director- Taika Waititi
Four nocturnal flatmates, Vladislav, the Lord Byron want tobe; Viago, the frilly dandy; Deacon, the rebellious youth; and Petyr, the ancient blood-sucking devil, invite a documentary team to capture their daily life as they prowl the streets of Wellington, New Zealand. As if adjusting to modern society weren’t challenging enough, the group’s chemistry will be thrown off when the pack transforms Nick, their human prey, into a new vampire.
6. Lost In Translation (2003)
Director- Sofia Coppola
American movie actor Bob Harris is well past his prime. He travels to Tokyo to perform in advertisements where he meets Charlotte, the young wife of an outside photographer. Bob and Charlotte are the perfect, if unlikely, travelling partners since they are bored and worn out. Bob is putting up with a subpar American marriage while Charlotte searches for her place in the world. They experience what it’s like to be an American in Tokyo both individually and collectively. The cultural and linguistic contrasts between Bob and Charlotte and the Japanese cause bewilderment and amusement. As Bob and Charlotte’s bond grows stronger, they understand that their time spent visiting Japan and one another must soon come to an end.
7. Friday (1995)
Director- F. Gary Gray
Craig Jones was sacked on Friday for stealing cardboard boxes. And that’s before lunch. To make matters worse, the rent is due, he despises his controlling girlfriend Joi, and his best pal Smokey owes the neighbourhood drug dealer money. As the hours pass, Jones and Smokey witness the full spectrum of urban life—including crackheads, shootouts, and excessively sexy pastors—all crammed into one single, incredible Friday.
8. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Director- Jim Jarmusch
A very depressed underground musician reconnects with his tenacious and enigmatic girlfriend among the picturesque desolation of Tangier and Detroit. Their long-lasting romance dates back at least several generations, but her wild and rambunctious younger sister suddenly shatters their hedonistic nirvana. As the contemporary world implodes around them, will these wise but frail outsiders be able to survive?
9. American Graffiti (1973)
Director- George Lucas
Curt, Steve, John, and Terry, four school pals, wave farewell to their carefree life as teenagers on the final evening of summer vacation as they do so against the backdrop of early 1960s Modesto, California. The longtime friends, who are on the cusp of maturity, will embark on their first adventures in real life over the course of one hot, long September night. They will also encounter intense emotions like love, want, and disappointment, and finally, they will come to see the world in a new way. The boys travel the town’s vibrant streets in their gorgeous cars while a fugitive blonde figure in a white 1956 Ford Thunderbird adds to the thrill of this extremely memorable night. The boys’ activities centre around Wolfman Jack’s nonstop Rock ‘n’ Roll disc jockey programme and Mel’s brilliant Drive-In. Nothing will, however, be the same again when daylight arrives.
10. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Director- Richard Linklater
Jake Bradford, a star pitcher in high school, enters college as a freshman in Texas in the fall of 1980 and moves in with other members of the team. He runs across numerous teammates, including Billy, who shares a room with him and goes by the nickname “Beuter” due to his Deep Southern accent. He drives around the university in search of women with Finnegan, Roper, Dale, and Plummer.
