Plot: What’s it about?
Paul Tannek (Jason Biggs) comes from a small town, but soon he finds himself with the masses, when he travels to New York to attend college. He is by no means a social success, but he thinks he can handle the city slickers and win over some new friends. But his dreams are shattered when he arrives, since his roommates despise him and he can’t seem to find time to himself. If his roommates aren’t playing loud music or gluing his book pages together, they’re trying to set Paul up so he will be kicked out of his dorm room. Paul tries to keep his head on and study like he should, but his grades have slipped a little in his English class. His teacher, Edward (Greg Kinnear) has no intent on helping him out either, as he has a bad attitude and is having issues with his younger girlfriend, Dora (Mena Suvari). After Dora gets fired from her job in a strip joint and Paul gets the boot from his dorm, the two forge a bond of sorts and try to help each other out. It seems as though both have little to lose, but can they manage to beat the odds and experience true love?
Call me a sucker if you will, but I always break down and view all the teen comedies. I know the acting isn’t always even good, the writing is basic and predictable, and all sorts of flaws emerge, but I always have fun while viewing them. Such is the case here with Loser, which stars Mena Suvari and Jason Biggs, with Amy Heckerling on board as writer and director. The cast seems to fit their roles well enough and while the acting isn’t classical by any means, the characters don’t call for much depth. The storyline is pretty basic at heart, but then again, who watches a film like this for complex twists and intense character development? The jokes work more than they bomb, which is always good and some amusing cameos add a lot to the film’s effectiveness. I was pleased to see Steven Wright in a small role, but several other good cameos also pack in some laughs. This is by no means the pinnacle of teen comedies, but it does stack up well against other recent entries. If you like this type of film, then by all means, give Loser a spin and you’ll have a night’s worth of entertainment booked.
At the helm of this film is Amy Heckerling, who has some experience when it comes to teen aimed pictures. Her work here is more than solid, but it fails to hit the levels of some of her previous work. Loser offers a lot of laughs, but this won’t be a film remembered in the same sense as the finest genre entries. A little too much crude humor seems to be the main flaw, but that isn’t all bad, as that material supplies plenty of laughs in the end. This might not be a movie that helps define a generation, but it is more than worth the time, as it is very funny and that accounts for something. Other Heckerling films include Clueless, Look Who’s Talking, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, Johnny Dangerously, and Fast Times At Ridgemont High. The cast is led by Jason Biggs (American Pie, Boys and Girls) and Mena Suvari (American Virgin, American Beauty), both of whom turn in solid efforts. The cast here also includes Steven Wright (Natural Born Killers, Half Baked), Andy Dick (Road Trip, In The Army Now), Greg Kinnear (Mystery Men, Nurse Betty), Colleen Camp (Election, Three Wishes), and Dan Aykroyd (Trading Places, The Blues Brothers).
Video: How does it look?
Loser is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also packed onto this dual layered disc. The image is very sharp and clean, which provides a lot of detail and allows the film’s colorful visuals to shine. The colors look rich and bold at all times, with no bleeds or other errors and flesh tones seem natural as well. The black levels appear well balanced also, which opens up the detail and lets the colors stream across the screen. No compression problems surface either and the print seems very clean, another superb transfer from Columbia/Tristar.
Audio: How does it sound?
As per usual with teen comedies, the main audio power comes from the pop rock soundtrack. The soundtrack comes off very well here and in one concert sequence, really uses the surrounds to effective ends. The rest of the audio is more subtle though, which means the material is never forced into the surrounds. The sound effects come across in fine form, while the dialogue is crisp and at a proper volume at all times. The disc also houses 2.0 surround tracks in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You’ll find a five minute promotional featurette, some talent files, a music video, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
