Loser (2000)

A college student, branded a loser by his roommates and booted from the dorm, falls in love with a coed who has eyes for their condescending professor.

Director:

Amy Heckerling

Writer:

Amy Heckerling

Stars:

Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari, Zak Orth

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Biggs	...	Paul Tannek
Mena Suvari	...	Dora Diamond
Zak Orth	...	Adam
Thomas Sadoski	...	Chris (as Tom Sadoski)
Jimmi Simpson	...	Noah
Greg Kinnear	...	Prof. Edward Alcott
Dan Aykroyd	...	Dad
Twink Caplan	...	Gena
Bobby Slayton	...	Sal
Robert Miano	...	Victor
Mollie Heckerling	...	Annie (as Mollee Israel)
Colleen Camp	...	Homeless Woman
Andy Dick	...	Another City Worker
Steven Wright	...	Panty Hose Customer
Brian Backer	...	Doctor

Storyline

Is there room in Manhattan for a decent kid? Can a young woman see past a cad to true love? Paul, from rural upstate, comes to New York City for college. To keep his scholarship, he must study hard and do well. That makes him a loser to his partying roommates who connive to kick him out of their suite. He's assigned a room in an animal hospital. In class he meets Dora, a pretty coed who needs a job to pay for school, and who's the very young lover of their sarcastic and selfish lit professor. When Dora is slipped some drugs at a party, Paul nurses her back to health, and a friendship follows. For Paul, though, it's more than friendly feelings. Can they work things out for them to become a truly lucky couple?

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Plot Keywords:

college student | male objectification | male in underwear | condom | toothbrush | 

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Taglines:

Dare to be different

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for drug content, crude sexual material and language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 July 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Loser

Filming Locations:

Lower Bay Station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,008,611, 23 July 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$15,618,626

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,404,706

Company Credits

Production Co:

Branti Film Productions, Cockamamie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene featuring David Spade was filmed in Toronto's first specialty video store Revue Video. Since the store specializes in films (Foreign Language and Classics) other than the ones feature in the scene, the whole look of the store had to be changed.

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Goofs

When Paul gets pizza, flowers and a movie, we see him getting the pizza first. As he picks up the pizza box, he has a plastic green bag in his hand (presumably containing the video), but next we see Paul at the video store, where he is pizza-less. He rents a video, which is put into a green bag and given to him. (This makes sense, since he would probably get the pizza last so it would be hot.)

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Quotes

Paul Tannek: Hey, has anybody seen my toothbrush?
Chris: [from the other room] You can't find it? Shit, you better find that thing, man. Those things can cost up to $2.50.
Noah: [also from the other room] Yeah, and yours has such a nice handle, man.

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Connections

Featured in Hi8 (2012)

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Soundtracks

Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Written by Gianfranco Randone, Maurizio Lobina and Massimo Gabutti
Performed by Eiffel 65
Courtesy of Republic/Universal Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
Courtesy of Bliss Corporation
Courtesy of Warner UK Strategic Marketing/BlissCo s.r.l.
Courtesy of BMG Berlin Musik GmbH/Logic Records
Under license from Bliss Corporation and Courtesy of Polydor K.K.
Under license from Bliss Corporation

User Reviews

A poor treatment for the "Loser"

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).