Claim: Ben Stiller directed and starred in a film.

Reality Bites is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller . It stars Winona Ryder , Ethan Hawke and Stiller , with supporting roles by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn . The plot follows Lelaina -LRB- Ryder -RRB- , an aspiring videographer working on a documentary called Reality Bites about the disenfranchised lives of her friends and roommates . Their challenges exemplify some of the career and lifestyle choices faced by Generation X.   The film 's critical reception was mixed , but was successful commercially , grossing $ 20 million in the United States on an $ 11 million budget . Critics highlighted the performances of Ryder , Hawke and Garofalo in particular . However , it has since achieved cult status and has been singled out as one of the films that captured the zeitgeist of the early 1990s grunge scene among 20-somethings , while also bringing attention to various issues that plagued young Americans at the time .