Oh yeah... saw it in the theater (nearly empty), bought the DVD twice.
It is one of those films that I would loan out or give a copy to people, and then they would go out and buy it to give to others. I think it is probably at least as popular now as when it came out in what... 2001?
Anyway, what's not to love? Lucid dreaming, esoteric philosophy, tripper rants, cosmic connundrums etc. etc. Pretty muych all of the little monologues are actually given by the people themselves... mostly people from Austin, TX (where Linklater is from). Real philosophy professors, Caveh Zahedi... and of course Alex Jones about to burst. Heheheheh.
A Scanner Darkly was great, and most Linklater films are worth seeing. Even the somewhat sappy romance duology of Before Sunrise & Before Sunset (Ethan Hawke & Julie Delphy reprise their roles in those films in Waking Life) were a step above the typical Rom-Coms of their day.
Movies like Waking Life are rare gems because they don't fit the mold of a typical film. It breaks nearly every rule in screenwriting, has only a rudimentary plot that is mostly hanging on the progressive mood of the film, it is filled with monologues, the main character is mostly just along for the ride... a wonder it was ever made. Wonderful that is.
I love how the girl he meets on the subway stairs responds when he tells her she might be a character in his dream... I've had characters respond that way in my lucid dreams as well.
It is amazing how often things from this film come up in conversations, even when the person hasn't seen the film. The mark of a truly classic film.