I dont live in that small a town but I believe the theme of loneliness and the character's lack of direction in ones life, knowing where they are going in life, this is what makes this movie really affect many people.
shareI was living in South Texas along the Rio Grande, teaching at a high school with 2400 students, when I first saw this film. It was a remarkable contrast, a wholly different picture of contemporary Texas, and I found it very moving.
But I don't think I paid much attention to the actors. For instance, I didn't recognize Brecklin Meyer as the actor who played the stoner Travis in Clueless. I didn't know who Ethan Embry was. And a couple others had decent careers before and since. So it wasn't exactly the cast of unknowns that I thought it was.