User Reviews

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

Well here we go... another teen/young adult college comedy coming your way, spiced up with a little romance, the usual boy-meets-girl-falls-in-love-but-she's-already-with-someone storyline, and that's really all there is to tell, aside from a few notable college pranks that kinda make you wonder what _you_ did with your time back then...

The acting is alright, teen-movie poster child Jason Biggs as the "Loser" delivers well, Greg Kinnear does a great job in his role as the slick, uppity, self-important, boneheaded college professor with a dirty little secret.... an let's not forget the one and only true reason why this movie just might be for you after all: Mena Suvari!! (Yes folks, I gotta admit that I, for one, will never find true happiness until one fine day I'll get to be with somebody like her.) Cute as ever, she gives a standout performance as the sweet, attitude-laden little grunge girl. Really something to see!

As for the rest of the movie, it's more like "same old, same old..." - if you like Mena Suvari, you're bound to love it, but otherwise, not that I'd tell you not to bother, but just don't expect to be too thrilled because it's really all been done before (and some of it actually by none other than Jason Biggs in some of his better-known flicks).

It's a teenage romantic comedy about a guy that goes to New York to go to college. He's from the countryside and he feels a bit out of context there, because people reject him for his simplicity. It's a simple story, quite realistic, and it's done in a funny and entertaining way (I especially enjoyed the scene when they do a teenage party inside the vet shop, with all the dogs and cats! It was funny!:). There're nice performances from Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari who do the main characters. The soundtrack is appropriated to a teen movie. It's nothing outstanding but it's a nice and entertaining film. I score it 6/10.

Jason Biggs stars as the "Loser" a freshman trying to fit in at New York University. It has the usual likable loser who gets stuck around jerks and tries to win over a girl. It's been done many times before and it's been done better.

Written and directed by Amy Heckerling, this is her first film since "Clueless" (1995). It only has a few funny lines and relies on popular music to make it entertaining. It has very little of the ascorbic wit Heckerling has shown in her other films. The best character was Greg Kinnear as the unscrupulous college professor with great banter. Biggs is his usual likable awkward self. Mena Suvari plays 'the girl' and as usual for Suvari she comes across as annoying and not nearly as smart as her character is supposed to be.

If you are looking for the next "Clueless" check out "I Could Never Be Your Woman" (2007) it better matches Heckerling's potential. Or for a better version of this "Loser" genre, watch "She's Out of My League" (2010) or "Sydney White" (2007).

Although Amy Heckerling (director of "Clueless", "Fast Times at Ridgemont High") tries to create another teen pop film, "Loser" is shallow and boring. The script leaves a lot to be desired, which is most evident in the ending sequence between Jason Biggs ("American Pie") and Mena Suvari ("American Beauty"). Both actors give a lackluster performance, riddled with clichés and stereotypes. Greg Kinnear ("As Good As It Gets") does a fair job, which seems god-like in comparison to Biggs, Suvari, and the rest of the cast. The trio of Thomas Sadoski, Zak Orth, and Jimmi Simpson, who play Biggs' college dormmates, form one of the worst groups of characters in recent film history. Their senseless mockery of Biggs' character borders on the ridiculous. Cameos from Andy Dick ("NewsRadio") and David Spade ("SNL", "Tommy Boy") were entertaining, but were quickly lost in the abyss of stale plot lines and bad acting. The saving grace of this film is the soundtrack, which features some of the year's best like Wheatus' "Teenage Dirtbag" and SR-71's "Right Now".

3/10

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+

Amy Heckerling doesn't quite know what kind of audience she is trying to engage. If she's trying to show high school kids the problems and unexpected strife of college life in a metropolis, then she should have shown that world in a more focused way. If she's trying to be funny and quirky for the older subset than her characters should have been better written and less dickish. Besides being clinically underwritten, it's difficult to figure out who is the lead character, or at least the person we're supposed to sympathize with. Throughout the film we follow Paul (Biggs) and it seems that he is our protagonist. We feel for him when his dorm mates are mean spirited, when the girl of his dreams is misguided, and when everything tries to keep him from getting through school, but he lacks character development. He goes through hard times, but there's no resolution to be seen, and he doesn't change at all. Dora (Suvari) on the other hand has a mess of bad things happen to her, and then she changes her opinion about her relationship with her professor (Kinnear), which means she's the only character who evolves throughout the film. It seems that we should be following her, but then interwoven in her tale is that of Paul's, who just seems like some poor schmuck who never wins. Without any proper direction for our characters, and no change in their behaviors or thoughts on the world, there shouldn't really be any reason for this film to exist. It's trying to show the problems of college students, but it doesn't realistically depict them. Paul's three roommates are also pretty distracting, as they're rich, sycophantic rapists, who don't seem to get much comeuppance until the credits. Besides its plot defects it's also drab and very of its time, making this film a tiring slog.

This is not some Hollywood blockbuster. What this is, is a movie with decent acting, interesting characters and good character development.

I've watched the movie for the fourth time in a year now, which has given me some time to think about it. Yes, those fake "friends" of the lead character are somewhat cringy and the ending about them is unnecessary. But that's the only negative aspect. For the rest of the movie you have a naive but smart girl, and a good guy in a bad world. By the end she let's go of her naivety and Paul gives up on trying to fit in and instead takes a moral stand. This quote from the movie sums it up well:

"It feels like this whole city is one big orgy and if you feel anything for anyone you are a chump".

The chemistry is good and full of heart. It's a good movie to watch if you just want something decent with a friend.

I saw the preview and it looked funny and interesting. Well, most of those scenes were shown in the first 5 minutes of the movie.

The rest was incredibly boring and not funny at all. Mena Suvari's character is the most naive one in movie history. The way she is treated by the college teacher - ridiculous.

And the rest of the movie - well, I don't even remember it anymore.

2/10

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!

Loser is a movie that plot-wise, we've all seen many times before. One likeable character has bad luck or is dealt a bad hand in life, goes from one wacky mishap to another, and ends up at the end of the movie with the girl, the better outlook on life, and his tormentors get their comeuppance.

Loser, however, does so with genuine heart and emotion for the titular character, Paul Tannek, played by Jason Biggs of "American Pie" fame.

He is abused by his college roommates, even kicked out of the house they share because he studies instead of parties. Along the way, Paul gets to know Dora Diamond (Mena Suvari, from "American Beauty", and also of "American Pie"), a quite girl whom is having an affair with their mutual college professor. It's no secret going in that Paul will eventually romance Dora, and all the "jerk" characters will get what's coming to them. But Biggs and Suvari inject a reality into both of their roles that is refreshing, charming, and end up making this movie lean a little into "teen romantic comedy" territory. Both characters are also shown to be intelligent, considerate people, desperately trying to find each other in a world of selfish, insipid, moronic co-horts.

It may seem corny to say it... but this "Loser" is a definite "winner"!

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.

even bfor i saw this movie i was expecting an enjoyable watch, and was not surprised at the least,when i got one. with a really good cast of unkowns and a good main character played by american pies Jason Biggs, who holds the part of good hearted and kind LOSER who ain't used to the life in a city.

good thing bout this film is that it ain't a stupid slapstick film, its good comedy that manages to be pulled out of serious situations that are probly undergone by a rather large population of the college student era, i'm getting at drugs,parties and relations etc. worse thing bout it though is that it wasn't released at the cinemas in the uk and so was missed by a large amount of the public even with the famous Wheatus release.

anyways, rent this one cause its well worth the watch and if u'r a bit of a movie buff theres a cameo part by comedian DAvid Spade, but its only a tiny part that he ain't even credited for. have a good one ad bye for now.

I couldn't have named it better myself. As for people like me who actually were duped into seeing the movie, I have an even better title: STUPID. The only entertainment provided was the sarcastic the I and the other movie goers provided. Beyond being unfunny and boring, it is just plain sick and cruel at times. Mena Suvari isn't hot enough to warrant this crap. At least give us Katie Holmes!

I really enjoyed this film! Its a real and genuine feel good movie which will undoubtedly charm you. Many films you watch once and never watch again, but for me i can watch this film many times and still get that same fuzzy feeling from when i first watched it.

The acting is pretty good, I think pairing Mena Suvari and Jason Briggs was perfect as they'd already worked together in American Pie. The film is also more plot to it than most teen-comedy movies. It may not be as funny as the likes of American Pie, But it has many of its own qualities. Jason Briggs does really well and you end up really liking his Character, He does a really good job at playing Mr Nice and really charming you.

Give this film a watch. You never know, you might just agree with me

How long was this movie? 10 hours? 12 hours? That's what it felt like. What a terrible waste of time this was. First of all, this was an obvious and awful attempt to rekindle some of the inexplicable American Pie hype with Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari. Suvari knows how to act, as she proved in American Beauty, she just didn't do it here. Jason Biggs is the biggest mystery in the film industry right now. How did this idiot get on screen?

As far as the story, nobody gets treated like that in college. I don't care how small the town is that you're from. There are not as many college students with the mentality of a 9 year old that would be necessary to pull all of the stunts that were pulled in this movie. They were real creative with Biggs' character, too. Dress him up like a geek and put a few obscure words into his vocabulary. And yes, they did manage to squeeze in a falling-down-the-stairs scene for him, what fun. Besides that, what about the housing? Biggs gets kicked out of the dorms by his dumbass roommates and then what, he talks his way into turning one room in a veterinary hospital into his personal lodgings? Are you kidding me?!

Biggs and Suvari have no chemistry on screen, and she can't play the part of a reject like she tried to in Loser, it doesn't fit with her iconography. Terrible acting, a terrible story, and a director who did little more than point and shoot, all adds up to a ridiculous film whose stupidity borders on being offensive.

guess more than half of the audience of this movie was expecting "american pie 2" or something.. well it's not! "loser" is more drama than comedy, so if you're expecting jokes after jokes thrown at you, well be prepared to be disappointed.

overall, the movie's quite entertaining. a bit slow, though, and yes, oh-so predictable. but it does have some good times. go see it.

Only good part was the non main characters and the music

This is a simple modern version of "The Apartment", something which everybody who's ever seen it will see. There's a hint to it. Mena Suvari's character's name is Dora DIAMOND. Billy Wilder's co-screenwriter on many of his classic films name is I.A.L. DIAMOND. A coincidence, i think not. But overall it's a decent teen-comedy, but NEVER NEVER compare it to The Apartment.

6.5/10

As an old movie fan, I've dealt with many successful and unsuccessful remakes of old movies I like. The Heiress, Charade, the list goes on and on. However, in all of these cases the movie was touted as a remake, and not sneakily re-written in some kind of hope that no savvy viewers would realize what they were watching.

I have a secret love for stupid teen comedies, so I watched Loser expecting a brainless fiesta. Imagine my outrage when I realized I was watching a horrendous remake of my favorite movie of ALL TIME, "The Apartment." In shock, I watched as characters, situations, and whole sequences were lifted wholeheartedly from Billy Wilder's beautifully dark and comic parable about the value of morals in a faceless urban society.

What shocked me the most is that Amy Heckerling has never copped to this being a remake. I have watched DVD special features, read reviews, and even searched here for some word from Ms Heckerling, but there is nothing. I am not so troubled by this being a mediocre at best remake than by it being so shadily remade. Until I read the comments from my fellow IMDb posters, I had not even read about anyone else realizing the similarities.

If you're interested in watching Loser, do yourself a favor and watch the Apartment instead. You will feel uplifted and rewarded as a film goer and a human being. (Note: Amy Heckerling is an old movie fan! I have seen her doing interviews in tributes to directors like Frank Capra and Billy Wilder himself! So this remake was NOT an accident OR a coincidence!)

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.

...it should be pointed out to those fervently defending it as "new" and "fresh" that this is a faithful remake of Billy Wilder's masterful "The Apartment", made back in 1960 and a Best Picture winner. The main difference is that the original was set in a large office building rather than a university. Jack Lemmon plays the lead; three co-workers of his keep pushing him out of his apartment so they can carry on illicit affairs, while he falls in love with the elevator operator who is dating his boss.

Those of you who enjoyed "Loser" will probably enjoy the original even more - fresher, funnier, edgier and darker. If "Loser" stood by itself, it wouldn't be a bad movie, but most critics naturally compared it to its superiour inspiration leading to a lot of negativity.

Amy Heckerling, a once knowing director who could describe the youth of America's feelings in just one word or creatively written scene has shown with Loser that she has lost her touch. She is clearly out of her element, showing what "real life" for students is like. Assuming she would have the same luck that she had in making two successful movies surrounding high school life in California, she figured she would be graced similarly by making a film about turbulent college life in New York. Her conjecture was wrong, to say the least. Parts in it such as interesting cameos appear, which is not characteristic of Heckerling's directing. At other times, obvious traits of hers shine through, like original catch phrases (this movie's phrases failing the pop culture test), showing she still believes she has the luck she previously had. The film is poorly set up. A touching beginning of the movie shows how Biggs' character acts kindly with his family portrays how nice of a person he is. But as the movie progresses, it begins to hurt to watch it, knowing such a decent human being is being kicked around by scum. The antagonists play too large a role in this movie, in both Bigg's central plot and Suvari's side plot of her struggles with her life in general. The film tends to follow the villains more closely than the two main characters, transforming the film into their story, which is now what it should be. The film work on the movie is slow. The action makes the camera move around it, changing angles frequently. Scattered references to using actual cinematography are used in the film, but not often. Many plainly lit interior shots and naturally lit outdoor shots leave the eyes to guess at what is to be looked at. Excited interior shots are over-hyped with party atmosphere lights. Heckerling's luck has (hopefully just momentarily) dried out and needs a refresher in the basics, namely which a story centers around: the protagonist or the antagonist. Quite plainly, "Loser" can be missed.