Rating: Summary: A geek, a freak, and a college professor. Review: Now, having a terrible, terrible guilty pleasure that is the "teen movie" genre, I am normally a rave reviewer of these films. I did not like this movie. I liked the cast, I liked the idea, but I just couldn't get in to the movie. Jason Biggs plays "Paul Tannek," a transplant from the sticks, who is awkward in his New York City surroundings. Mena Suvari plays "Dora Diamond," the "independent thinker" who is having an affair with the Greg Kinnear character, Professor Alcott. This is the preverbal "root for the little guy" kind of film. Paul Tannek is a little geek falls in love with the girl, Dora, who is already taken. And worse yet, the girl is love with the big, mean professor, who doesn't really care about her. Paul does his best to steer the girl away from the professor, while not trying to show how sleazy the professor really is. He plays this wonderfully chivalrous guy, who is completely annoying, not very funny, and downright boring. Boredom was probably the main downfall to this movie. There was a pretty hefty lack of plot. Where you would expect more conflict to begin, it did not. Where there should have been drama, there was not. . . Where there was supposed to be a movie, there was not. There was a great deal of potential in this movie, as the cast was strong, but the movie fell flat. epc
Rating: Summary: (3-1/2 stars) Good, but too many loose ends Review: As far as Jason Biggs movies go, this movie isn't as good as American Pie but it's better than Saving Silverman (like that's hard to do). Although I like the movie, there were some weird things going on. For instance, why did Dora (Mena Suvari) agree to go on a date with Paul (Jason Biggs) when she already had a boyfriend? There were also a lot of loose ends, like when Dora was trying to get financial aid, she couldn't get it because she didn't have a residence. Didn't she miss her subway home earlier in the movie? If she didn't have a residence, then where was she going? Aside from all that, the movie is pretty watchable. A lot of things that happen to Paul probably wouldn't happen in real life'at least, I hope not. And this movie is more of a comedy-drama than a straight comedy, so keep that in mind before you see it. (By the way, it's strange that this movie is called Loser when Jason Biggs seems to play a loser in most of his movies.)
Rating: Summary: awesome movie Review: jason bigg's character is just an all around nice guy! i found this movie to a great romance
Rating: Summary: "L:oser" Review Review: I felt college comedy was actually kind of more of a drama type thing. Jason Biggs is actually a college freshman who isn't fitting in right where he goes. His roommates are really bad guys to hang around with. However, he meets this nice girl there and begins to fall for her because of how they're spending time together as good friends. Unfortunately, she dates their college professor. Luckily, the end is good for them both which is where the romantic part comes in. And the most important thing for Jason Biggs's part was to be himself and make the right choices. I actually feel that I'm in his spot as well at the beginning. I enjoyed how it went with the comedy, romance, and the drama of the two main characters and so I thought it was a very good movie.
Rating: Summary: Likable leads can't overcome otherwise dreadful film Review: Jason Bigges and Mena Suvari are more or less likable in this film, and once you have noted that, there is virtually nothing else good to say about this film. Most of the other characters are intensely dislikable, and just about all the comedy is distinctly unfunny. Director Amy Heckerling previously directed two of the best teen films of the past two decades: FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH and CLUELESS. The latter was an inspired updating and adaptation of Jane Austen's EMMA. THE LOSER is also an adaptation, the plot of being borrowed fairly straightforward from Billy Wilder's THE APARTMENT. Bigges plays the Jack Lemmon role, Mena Suvari the Shirley MacLaine role, and Greg Kinnear the Fred MacMurray. The adaptation of Jane Austen worked in part because it was an inspired idea to reset EMMA in a Los Angeles high school in the 1990s, and in part because the script was so marvelous. The idea of resetting THE APARTMENT at NYU in the late 1990s fails in the first place because it is a really bad idea to remake one of cinema's greatest and funniest movies and in the second place because the script for the remake was so very, very unfunny. EMMA and CLUELESS were dissimilar as art forms (novel versus film) so that they didn't admit of very close comparison; THE APARTMENT and THE LOSER are both comic films set in NYC in the twentieth century, so they compare very easily. And, of course, THE APARTMENT makes THE LOSER look very, very bad indeed. But to be truthful, THE APARTMENT doesn't really make THE LOSER look much worse than it would have otherwise. It just isn't a very inspired film on any level. I liked the characters played by Bigges and Suvari, but after that, there wasn't really anything else recommending the film. In particular, Greg Kinnear's superficial, sadistic, and self-centered professor was especially damaging to the film. So, instead of watching this miserable remake of THE APARTMENT, just go watch THE APARTMENT again instead.
Rating: Summary: CUTE CUTE CUTE! Review: Well this movie isn't a masterpiece, but it does make for a good laugh. Personally, I like the undertones the movie touches on that COULD be made into a whole other movie. I mean... young college student+good-looking lit. professor? Good stuff..def. movie material. The kitten litter makes this movie extra cute... it reminded me of when I was dissecting a cat for biology and found fetal cats complete w/ the chorion, amnion, and placenta. It was kind of awkward seeing it in a movie however. A question though... was the featured college def. NYU?? It fits the context and is $35K a year. Could the movie be mocking NYU for it's hefty price tag? I think so. (They didn't give me a scholarship! argh!) Well enjoy the movie... I would def. watch it again.
Rating: Summary: Cute, maybe too cute - coming of college-age flick Review: Other than the relatively benign and flip manner the script deals with the serious issue of date rape drugs, the movie is entertaining. The acting is good, it is filmed and directed very well, and the script features mostly non-canned dialouge (even if the plot itself is wearily familiar). No one else has said it and I believe it's worth mentioning: the music is great!
Rating: Summary: Almost Winner: Flawed But Hard to Dislike Review: "Loser" .... What an unappealing title! That's what I thought first, and still I believe that with another word(s), the film could have received better chance of being watched. At least, it's Amy Heckerling's film, and she is the director of terrific "Clueless." But THAT was a clueless title, too. "Loser" is, of course, a blaff title, and Jason Biggs's character Paul, coming from country to New York City with a prop borrowed from "Fargo," finally wins. Wins the heart of Dora (lovely, cute Mena Suvari), and supposed to win our heart, too. But before that, he let himself suffer too much, and that's the point we find it hard to accept. During the first several days of some college life in New York City, Paul, being too nice, finds his study interrupted by other noisy, party-loving roommates; finds his bed ruined by a broken waterbed; finds his textbook glued (by you know who); and, being fooled by them, finds himself virtually evicted from the dorm to find his room among a hospital for cats and dogs. Even Jason Biggs' good-natured personality cannot help there. But still, we know he is going to be a winner, and wait. Here comes Dora, clad in a flashy costume but with a heart of diamond. And waiting turns out worthwhile, for the chemisty between Mena Suvari and Jason Biggs is strong and hearty enough to carry the whole show. Of course, they don't know each other well at first, but WE know they will be attracted to each other sooner or later. Biggs & Suvari, both so good in "American Pie" (though they got different parters: Suvari with Chris Klein, and Biggs with ... pie), they deserve special mention here as one of the best couples that captured our heart on the big screen. Amy Heckerling, however, takes too much time before the final payoff. Dora loves a pretentious college professor Greg Kinnear, who uses and wastes her love at every opportunity he can find. The teacher-student relations have been explored in various forms in movie history (from Doris "Teacher's Pet" Day to Drew "Never Been Kissed" Barrymore), but Heckerling is brave in depicting this controversial relation straightforward. But the film somehow ends up with unsatisfactory results, making selfish Prof. Kinnear just another foil he played several times since remake of "Sabrina," and making Suvari look foolish to be deeply attracted to this unpleasant follow. And worst of all is, hey, Paul, why do you help this guy out? With some moody photography of New York, "Loser" is a fairly enjoyable fare, but not without troubles. But the two leads are so good and likable that if you like this kind of romatic film with slight comedy touch, you may love it. I find it very hard to hate the film (though really wish I hadn't known Mena Suvari's marriage beforehand), and if not as good as "Clueless," "Loser" is, in the long run, almost "Winner." Almost. There's some cameo appearances including Dan Aykroyd and David Spade, but the original cast of Broadway musical "Cavaret" is a real treat. Yes, it's the wrong act shown in the film, and Paul and Dora, who must have sneaked in the theater, are sitting at an expensive table! Guys, you usually get caught before sitting there, I'm afraid, but, okay, I shut up, for we can briefly see Alan Cumming as Emcee. And the inside of the subway is, according to my material at hand, shot in Toronto, because of Jason Biggs' tight schedule.
Rating: Summary: Charming and fun. Review: Well, I don't really have much to say that others haven't already gone over. This film is about a farm boy hick who gets overwhelmed by city life and falls for a cute, almost sickingly sweet girl who appears to be some sort of goth-grunge hybrid. My favorite part of the movie, though, were the bad guys, the loser's three room mates. I found it hard to get mad at them just because they were so rotten they were actually very funny.
Rating: Summary: A fun movie to watch Review: I enjoyed this film. I thought it was well written, and all of the actors did a wonderful job. It was also superbly directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless, Look Who's Talking), and I watched it more than once. Jason Biggs gave one of his best performances. He basically plays an extremely naive guy who moves to NY to go to college, and he dosen't quite fit in. He meets a lovely young girl who is having an affair with one of her college professors. Anyhow, the two bond, and eventually fall in love. Very funny movie! Highly recommended!
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