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Loser (2000)

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145 comments in total

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16 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Charming Comedy is No 'Loser'!, 9 December 2000

Author: Ben Burgraff (cariart) from Las Vegas, Nevada

Amy Heckerling's latest teen comedy, 'Loser', is an old-fashioned charmer where nice guys finish first, sweet girls end up making the right choices, and pushy 'users' get their just desserts! Perhaps nobility is passe in films today, but 'Loser' makes a great case for working class heroes who succeed by 'doing the right thing'.

Paul Tannek (Jason Biggs) is a farm boy who wins a scholarship to a college in New York City. Bright, awkward, and shy, and possessing the worst haircut since Adam Sandler's in 'Little Nicky', he accepts his family's celebration of his success with embarrassment, and a fear of failure, but his father (Dan Aykroyd, who is wonderful in his brief scenes) offers simple advice: "Listen to people, look them in the eye. Be a friend, and you'll succeed."

Cut to New York City (which has never looked more beautiful), and Paul's worst fears are coming true. His dress is ridiculed, his roommates are 'too cool' jerks who take advantage of him while dissing him, and his instructors, particularly Professor Alcott (Greg Kinnear, at his smarmiest!) snub him imperiously. Paul is lonely and frustrated, which makes a simple act of kindness by fellow student Dora Diamond (Mena Suvari, in her best performance, to date) take on special significance to him. Diamond is a kindred spirit, although she has been manipulated into believing Professor Alcott loves her, and has become his clandestine lover.

As both of their lives take downward turns (he gets thrown out of his dorm, she loses her waitress job), they develop a platonic friendship (he is far too much a gentleman to attempt to break up a relationship!), and the film becomes a game of guessing when these two terrific people will realize they belong together!

'Loser' features a lot of very funny cameos, by Andy Dick, David Spade, Andrea Martin, Colleen Camp, many others, and, to Heckerling's credit, these 'guests' never detract from the positive message of the film.

This makes a great date movie (particularly if your date loves kittens!), and is a 'feel-good' flick you can enjoy again and again! I loved it, and I think you will, too!

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16 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
A charming and sweet romantic comedy., 17 February 2001

Author: jiangliqings

*** out of ****

Loser is a breath of fresh air considering the amount of vulgar comedies (American Pie, Road Trip, and Scary Movie) that have been released recently. It relies on little sex and profanity, but instead has its success rooted firmly in the acting and charisma of young stars Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari.

The film centers around Paul Tannek (Jason Biggs), an all-around nice guy from a small town who is now going to college in a big city due to a scholarship he's received. His personality is a contrast to most people around him, particularly his roommates, who like to party all night and taunt Paul. Because of his kindness and his apt studying each night, he's considered a loser.

Yet, not everything is bad for Paul. He's met a girl, Dora (Mena Suvari), in his European Literature class, and he develops a fast crush on her. However, he doesn't know that she's secretly having a relationship with the class's teacher, Professor Alcott (Greg Kinnear). After some mishaps involving a party, Paul begins to develop a strong friendship with Dora and his feelings for her begin to go even farther as he wonders if he even has a chance to have a relationship with her.

A warning before watching this film: if you're expecting similar antics from Biggs in American Pie, prepared to be disappointed. Loser is a contrast to that movie. It prefers to develop relationships rather than put in some sort of sex joke, and it's all the better for it. True, there aren't exactly a huge amount of belly laughs in the proceedings, but it's always entertaining, fast, witty, and charming.

As I said before, the movie's success lies squarely on the shoulders of Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari, and they're as good as ever. Biggs nice-guy performance is his best to date and he creates one of the most genuinely likeable and true characters I've seen in movies for a while. Suvari is equally appealing as the role of a girl whose also kind but is mixed up in the wrong relationship. The chemistry between them is strong and the best praise I can give this film is the fact that I cared for their characters and wanted to see them get together.

The other performances are suitable enough. The other standout is probably Greg Kinnear as the professor, whose smug performance makes hims a character easy to hate. There are also appearances from well-known comics like Andy Dick and David Spade, and their brief cameos bring a few good laughs.

Amy Heckerling wrote and directed this film, and while her script may be rather predictable, her direction is still good and she shows the same talent she had in the 80's. This may not be her funniest film, but it's easily the most likeable.

Loser also has other little elements that work to its advantage. The film features a good soundtrack, playing songs that are actually appealing and also work with the scenes and situations it's played along with.

With standout performances, excellent chemistry between the two leads, Loser is a great date movie and one you certainly cannot pass up if you're a fan of both Biggs and Suvari. This is definitely the most pleasant surprise I've seen in a long time.

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16 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Amusing and honest college movie, 26 February 2001

Author: Rourke (darren@rankingsoftware.com) from Melbourne, Australia

Unfairly condemned by the critics, this movie worked for me as a comedy and as a somewhat dark look at the mores of college life. Our hero may be branded a loser, but he's definitely a believable three-dimensional character (with a heart of gold, naturally). The story takes for granted some unethical and potentially unsettling behaviour, and allows the characters to rise above it.

Lets you smile throughout, and gives you some insights into contemporary life on campus without resorting to cliches.

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12 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Not as bad as people say, 28 October 2003

Author: samari_garvin-1 from Picton, Ontario, Canada

I don't know why people like to bash this movie, it is a nice little remake of the 1960 classic "the apartment" where in a businessman sells out to his bosses so they can use his apartments to have affairs with other women, but when one attempts suicide in his house, it happens to be the one he falls in love with, the same story is evident here, Biggs plays the role well, and Suvari could play Shirley MacLaine in future remakes, the same with Kinnear and MacMurray, this could become one of those films that could get young people involved into the classics.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
One of my summer favorites, 20 July 2000

Author: moviebuf-49 from Las Vegas,Nevada

I liked this movie alot I found it to be very funny Jason Biggs in a role better than the one he had in American Pie and his American Pie Mena Suvari also has a great part and the roommates are pretty funny i was lucky enough too catch this movie on a sneak preview and it is on my list as a summer favorite.

Grade:A

It's also a great date movie.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Hits a little close to home, 28 July 2000
Author: Filmjack3 from United States

I have always been the outsider as a teenager (why do you think I have hundreds of movies on my comment list), so I can relate to this film. Not because I have gone to a college from a far off land and am not familiar with the area. But because I have always known what It's like to not always get the girl, always to be alone and to have such low self-esteem you make eeyore from Winnie the Pooh look like Richard Simmons. So I can sympathize. But saying did I like the entire movie, no. Because the main heroine (Mena Suvari) knows who is the right one in her life (her choices are the teen Jason Biggs and a married professor Greg Kinnear) and takes too long to find out who the right one is (I am not revealing who that is). While she and Biggs are likeable characters, they also make dumb choices in the dating game. Sort of like Boys and Girls which came out last month. Yet, I can reccomend this film to teen film fans, Everclear fans, or fans of writer/director/co-producer Amy Heckerling's work (she is of Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless fame). Just don't go into it looking for a way to find better love. B+

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Predictable, but still very entertaining, 2 August 2000

Author: ninfragile2000 from Cleveland, OH

Yes, Loser is a very predictable film. Plotwise, it follows most other romantic comedy type movies. But still, there is enough here to make it stand out somewhat. Granted, being better than most teen romantic comedies isn't much of an accomplishment, but Loser is a good movie, even though I knew what was going to happen.

I thought Jason Biggs played his part as Paul very well. He had the loser-like goofiness that inspired quite a few laughs, but you could also tell how much the character loved Mena Suvari's character, Dora. Greg Kinnear is also very good as Professor Alcott, Dora's love interest at the beginning of the movie. When all is said and done, Paul comes out as a winner, not a Loser, because he realizes that you don't have to fit in with everyone else to be "cool." That's what really sets this movie apart from lots of other recent teen movies. It does have a point. Obviously, it's not extremely deep, and it won't change your life or anything, but it's still good, and it makes the movie very worthwhile.

I think that lots of people didn't like this movie because they were expecting something along the lines of American Pie, given that both Biggs and Suvari were in that. If you're looking for American Pie, you will not like Loser. Although billed as a comedy, there are some times when it's downright serious, especially further into the movie. If you want non-stop gross-out humor, Loser is not for you. If, however, you want to see a good romantic film, that's funny at times, but serious at other, just like real life, then I think you will enjoy Loser. Yes, the basic plot is quite familiar, but there's enough extra stuff to keep it interesting and make it stand out from the crowd of bad teen comedies that have been around lately.

Rating: 8/10

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Further proof of my "Trailers Mean Nothing" theory., 26 May 2003
Author: CaptHayfever from In one of those dog cages

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Time and time again, I've seen trailers for movies that look absolutely awful, but then when I saw the movie itself I saw that the trailer had mislead me completely. Such is the case of Loser. Although promoted as a simple 'two misfits meet & fall in love' story, this film actually has a far more involved plot than that. It's also not a straight light comedy, contrary to popular belief. Loser is a semi-serious dramedy, and it functions incredibly well that way. It also has one of the best romance developments of any movie I've seen. It's a heck of a lot more realistic than the cheese-fests of several decades ago.

I normally don't think much of Jason Biggs. Basically all he's good for is teen comedies, or so I thought until I saw him as Paul in Loser. We finally get a performance out of him that actually has some merit to it. Plus, he has great chemistry with his leading lady.

I also am not a fan of Mena Suvari. Most of her roles lack any depth of character portrayal, and the fact that she usually looks pretty bad doesn't help an actress who often plays "hotties". But as Dora, I see the first Suvari part I've ever actually liked. She really does convey the character superbly, and for once she really looks as cute as the rest of the cast says.

Greg Kinnear pulls off his usual fine portrayal of the sleazy, conceited guy, in this case a professor named Alcott.

Assorted cameos (Dan Aykroyd, David Spade, etc.) fit the situations like gloves and never seem forced like they do in other movies. These were cameos because the actors wanted to do it, not because the director wanted them. The supporting parts, like the roommates, were done well as well. Yes, I realize I just said "well as well".

*small spoilers ahead. very small.*

I hear people complain that the underplot about the drugs was too funny. But those people failed to notice that the plan DIDN'T WORK, which is the reason that the story could be handled so lightly. And I hear people complain about the fates of the 3 roomies. But those people failed to see the comedy at play. For some reason, they have trouble comprehending that Loser is both serious and funny.

Loser is a good movie. No great classic, but enjoyable, worthwhile, and well-presented. Go check it out. But make sure you rent the tape BEFORE you pick up the pizza.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
what a ripoff, 5 August 2000

Author: macrostamen from allentown, PA

Like so many other people, I was led to believe (by the trailers and commercials) that this movie was in the vein, or at least in the genre, of American Pie and Something about Mary. I thought it would be laughs first, romantic twit-fodder second. But it just goes to show that now we're going to have to start STUDYING the trailers -- looking for tricks like this.

If you're a big fan of romance comedies, then this movie might not leave that feeling of pulsing anger when you leave halfway through. Even if you are, though, you might expect some of the latter half of the term "romance comedy". No dice.

To sum the movie up, the producers figured out that it would be profitable to hire the hottest stars (Suvari and Biggs) of the movie that is the reigning king of teen comedies(American Pie - great movie, btw), throw them together (while they're still relatively cheap) along with some advertising and a bare bones movie with something akin to a plot (geek gets out) and script (character types that don't exist in the real world).

The resulting pile of ass is just a drain on our patience and our wallets.

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If Only...., 15 January 2008

Author: from Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Why don't nice guys like that exist in real life? Or maybe they do and are just overshadowed by the nasty ones. Either way, it's a travesty.

I caught this movie on a late-night rerun, and it wasn't exactly what I expected. When I first saw Jason Biggs, I dreaded another 'American Pie'-type teen movie. My main complaint with the 'American Pie' series is that they rely a lot on crude, slapstick humour and placing their characters in wholly unrealistic situations to get a laugh.

Surprisingly, not so in 'Loser'. The humour was more subtle, nuanced, with no proverbial big red flashing signs saying "THIS IS A FUNNY PART, LAUGH HERE". It was more genuine, gentle and affective - yes I mean affective with an a. We laugh empathetically because we know what he's going through, not because he gets caught with his hand glued to his penis.

There are complaints that this movie is somewhat unrealistic, and I agree that the background characters (mainly Paul's dorm mates and the Professor) are pretty one-dimensional at times, but they're the support cast. They're just there to effect (yes, with an e) and support the storyline. Jason Biggs did pretty all right as the nice country boy lost in the nastiness of the city, and Mena Suvari's character complemented his nicely as the girl who makes all the wrong decisions, but is really trying to find her way. And besides, I think it's sad that this movie is considered to be unrealistic because the main character is so nice. Really shows what kind of world we live in if we consider niceness to be unrealistic.

Overall, it was enjoyable, not very complex... a movie you'd watch to wind down from a busy day, or on a rainy evening with nothing to do.

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