SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: LOSER

"LOSER"
(2000) (Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Heavy	Minor	Extreme	Minor	None

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	None	Moderate	Heavy

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Mild	None	Heavy	Mild

QUICK TAKE:: Romantic Comedy: A small town student tries to fit in at a big city university where he falls for another student who's dating their professor.

PLOT:

Paul Tannek (JASON BIGGS) is a young man from a small town who's just enrolled in a New York City university. Since he's there on a full scholarship and must maintain his grades, he studies a lot. Such behavior appalls his three roommates, Adam (ZAK ORTH), Chris (TOM SADOSKI), and Noah (JIMMI SIMPSON), who'd rather be partying and spiking young women's drinks with date rape drugs.

Paul tries to follow the advice given to him by his dad (DAN AYKROYD) about being other's attentive friends, but most everyone seems to think he's nothing but a loser. That is, except for Dora Diamond (MENA SUVARI), a fellow student he meets in his literature class. Immediately smitten with her, Paul is unaware that she's dating their thirty-something professor, Edward Alcott (GREG KINNEAR), who turns out to be using Dora just for sex and isn't interested in a relationship.

While Dora attempts to find a way to earn money so that she can continue attending classes, Paul moves into an empty room in a nearby veterinary office to get away from his obnoxious, party-hearty roommates. As he deals with their repeat appearances and strives to maintain his GPA, Paul wonders when Dora will discover that he, and not Alcott, is the right person for her.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Teens who've become fans of Biggs from "American Pie" and Suvari from "American Beauty" just may, as might those who are fans of anyone else in the cast or of teen-based romantic comedies in general.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: The reason was not available, but we'd assume it's for language, scantily clad women, a professor/student affair and some drug use.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: JASON BIGGS plays a small town student who tries to fit in with the other students at a New York City university, but finds that difficult at best. He studies hard, befriends Dora and is generally an upstanding guy. He briefly uses strong profanity in anger.
MENA SUVARI plays a fellow student who's having an affair with her much older professor, briefly works in a strip club (as a waitress) to make ends meet and befriends Paul.
GREG KINNEAR plays their professor and Dora's lover, a cad who seemingly only uses her for sex.
ZAK ORTH, TOM SADOSKI and JIMMI SIMPSON play Paul's party-hearty roommates who don't like him and get him kicked out of their room, but then use him to stage parties where they slip young women date rape drugs to make them more vulnerable. Once they learn that Dora is dating Alcott, they blackmail him for better grades.; MENA SUVARI plays a fellow student who's having an affair with her much older professor, briefly works in a strip club (as a waitress) to make ends meet and befriends Paul.
GREG KINNEAR plays their professor and Dora's lover, a cad who seemingly only uses her for sex.
ZAK ORTH, TOM SADOSKI and JIMMI SIMPSON play Paul's party-hearty roommates who don't like him and get him kicked out of their room, but then use him to stage parties where they slip young women date rape drugs to make them more vulnerable. Once they learn that Dora is dating Alcott, they blackmail him for better grades.; GREG KINNEAR plays their professor and Dora's lover, a cad who seemingly only uses her for sex.
ZAK ORTH, TOM SADOSKI and JIMMI SIMPSON play Paul's party-hearty roommates who don't like him and get him kicked out of their room, but then use him to stage parties where they slip young women date rape drugs to make them more vulnerable. Once they learn that Dora is dating Alcott, they blackmail him for better grades.; ZAK ORTH, TOM SADOSKI and JIMMI SIMPSON play Paul's party-hearty roommates who don't like him and get him kicked out of their room, but then use him to stage parties where they slip young women date rape drugs to make them more vulnerable. Once they learn that Dora is dating Alcott, they blackmail him for better grades.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a quick summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated romantic comedy. Profanity is rated as heavy due to 1 use of the "f" word, while other profanities and colorful phrases (some of them in song lyrics) also occur. Several scantily clad women are seen in a strip club, some nudity is seen in classic paintings and a sculpture, and a thirty-something college professor is having an affair with one of his teenage students (we briefly see him roll off of her in bed and see both in their underwear). Moments of non-explicit but sexually related dialogue also occur.

That professor has a serious case of bad and disrespectful attitudes, as do the protagonist's college roommates who treat him poorly, spike young women's beverages with date rape drugs and blackmail the college professor. Other characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes and some of their behavior may prove to be enticing for impressionable kids to imitate.

Various characters drink and smoke, while two students briefly get into a fight. Should you still be concerned about the film and its appropriateness for those in your home who wish to see it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific examples of what occurs in the film.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: A man at a party drinks a beer.
Paul's roommates participate in a TV drinking game where they drink many shots of liquor based on what happens on the show.
Chris complains that Paul never comes back to their room with a "sixer" (a six-pack of beer).
People drink in strip club.
To try to fit in with his roommates, Paul returns with a six-pack of beer.
We see people drinking in the strip club again.
Alcott makes a reference to a "coked out" singer.
We learn that some unseen student is in a coma from drinking and/or drug use.
Adam buys some beer.
Paul's former roommates spike various young ladies beverages (with date rape pills that we later see) at a party (where others also drink) in order to take advantage of them later. During one such moment, Noah states that he's too "wasted" to "operate heavy machinery" (a demeaning reference to an overweight woman). Among one of the recipients is Dora who hallucinates from the drug and Paul later finds her the next morning, having nearly overdosed from that drug (requiring a visit to the emergency room).
Dora has a drink in front of her at a play.
Adam drinks a beer and he and his pals are upset that the drugs they've slipped into women's beverages are having no effect (because Paul switched them with Gingko pills).
We see Paul's father with a beer.
During the closing credits there's a "whatever happened to" bit that includes onscreen text stating that Noah tried new party drugs on himself and is now relearning how to tie his shoes.

BLOOD/GORE: A man in an emergency room has some blood on his head.
Paul and Dora find a newly born kitten still in its gooey looking birth sac and work to cut it open before the kitten dies.
A student's nose is a tiny bit bloody after accidentally being hit as a bystander during a brief fight.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Alcott has both not only for having an affair with Dora, his teenage student, but also for otherwise repeatedly treating her badly/in a demeaning fashion, being conceited and agreeing to give Paul's former roommates good grades to keep quiet about him and Dora.
Paul's three roommates are repeatedly disrespectful and demeaning to him (and others). They tell him that no one likes him; they ridicule him for studying so much and get him kicked out of their room by lying and acting like he's the troublemaker (among other things they do to him).
They also later spike various young ladies beverages with date rape pills at a party in order to take advantage of them later. During one such moment, Noah then states that he's too "wasted" to "operate heavy machinery" (a demeaning reference to an overweight woman).
One of Dora's waitress coworkers tells her to wait until the patrons get drunk before she accepts large bills for their payments (thus they won't remember what they gave her and she can then keep the change for herself).
Dora pays a homeless woman to act like she's a dorm official while talking to her mother on the phone (to explain why Dora isn't coming home for the night).
We hear that Alcott told emergency room officials that he didn't know Dora after she was admitted there (despite her having him as her emergency contact).
Paul's former roommates decide to blackmail Alcott about his affair with Dora (to get good grades in exchange for keeping quiet). They later try to get Dora to help them do that to other professors (she just walks away).
Trying to keep their date as cheap as possible, Dora steals a baguette from a street storefront and then sneaks with Paul into a Broadway play after intermission without paying.
Alcott continues to have a bad attitude toward Dora (after he agrees that she can stay with him) and he treats her like a servant.
We see a female student coming out of Alcott's office and the way in which he's acting (to Paul outside the office) suggests that he's having an affair with her as well.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Paul rushes Dora to the emergency room after he discovers her nearly overdosed the morning after a party (where someone spiked her drink with a drug).
Paul and Dora find a newly born kitten still in its gooey looking birth sac/membrane and work to cut it free before the kitten dies.

GUNS/WEAPONS: None.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "I don't give a f*ck what you think," "Hitting it" (sexual), "Such a little sh*t," "Screwed" (nonsexual), "Shut up," "Screw everything up," "This is whack," "You will tap some hide" (have sex), "Bitch," "You pretentious bonehead," "Sucks," "This sucks," "This blows," "Chicks" (women) and "What the hell are you doing?"
Paul's roommates participate in a TV drinking game where they drink many shots of liquor based on what happens on the show.
Chris dances and repeatedly spanks his own butt.
Dora pays a homeless woman to act like she's a dorm official while talking to her mother on the phone (to explain why Dora isn't coming home for the night).
We hear that Chris and/or the other roommates played practical jokes on Paul such as resetting his alarm clock and gluing all of the pages of his textbook together.
Paul's former roommates spike various young ladies beverages with a date rape pill at a party in order to take advantage of them later.
Dora announces that she's going to sell her own eggs to make money (so that she can stay in school), but she never ends up doing that.
Trying to keep their date as cheap as possible, Dora steals a baguette from a street storefront and then sneaks with Paul into a Broadway play after intermission without paying.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): Various songs include the lyrics, 'You're a teenage dirt bag," "Give it to be baby, uh huh, uh huh," "Do a little dance. Make a little love. Get down tonight," and "You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals, so why don't we do it like they do on the Discovery Channel?" as well as the words d*ck, ass and damn.

PROFANITY: Including what's listed under "Music (Inappropriate)," there's at least 1 "f" word, 4 "s" words, 2 slang term for/using male genitals ("d*ck" and "wiener"), 3 asses (2 used with "hole"), 1 damn 1 hell, 1 S.O.B., 2 uses each of "God," "Oh God" and "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "My God" and "Lord" used as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: We see various scantily clad women dancing on stage and in cages at a strip joint where Dora works as a waitress (and wears a bra-like top). Some of the women wear thong-like bottoms, thus showing most of their bare butts and one suggestively runs her hand across her own clothed breast. One of the patrons then offers to pay Dora for her panties, but she refuses the offer.
Paul's roommates talk about whether a girl having a pierced tongue means she's a lesbian. One states that it's for another woman's sexual pleasure (oral sex reference), while another states that it's for his pleasure. They then ask Paul which sex prefers pierced tongues, but he doesn't answer.
We see what looks like a porno magazine in the guys' bathroom (seen from a distance and thus without any explicit details), and Paul later sees a partial glimpse of several such magazine covers in Noah's dresser drawer (but again we don't see anything explicit).
Paul finds a used condom in the bathroom trashcan.
We see the scantily clad women in the strip club again.
One of Paul's former roommates talks about nearly "hitting it" with some girl (having sex) and Chris then tells Paul that "he'll tap some hide" (have sex) at a party. After Chris playfully hides some panties in Paul's laundry, he feigns anger and asks, "Are you hitting my bitch?" (having sex with my girlfriend).
Alcott and Dora are having an affair and in one scene, we see him roll off from being on top of her in his bed (we don't see any overt sexual activity but he says that every part of his body is satisfied). We do see him in his underwear, as well as her in her underwear (briefly) and bra.
After Paul tells one of his former roommates that he doesn't need any veterinary medication (upon seeing the guy looking around the pharmacy), another one jokingly chimes in that the other has "slept with a lot of dogs."
Paul's former roommates spike various young ladies beverages with date rape pills at a party in order to take advantage of them later. One of them asks a drugged-up girl what kind of cab she likes so that he knows which one to call "when we're done."
Chris tells Paul (lying about Dora) that "those bridge and tunnel girls sleep around to avoid the commute."
As Paul and Dora walk down the street, they overhear a man on his cell phone talking to someone stating, "You didn't get it from me�Is it burning? Itching? Is there a discharge?"
We see a model in a bikini at a photo shoot.
We see several classic paintings in a museum that show bare-breasted women (one also shows full frontal and Paul comments on what guy wouldn't like a tray of breasts - as one shows bare breasts above a tray). Later, we see a classic statue that shows male full frontal nudity.
We see various women in their undergarments in a stage production of "Cabaret."
Paul stops at a video store to pick up a romantic video for him and Dora and asks the clerk which movie of two that he's chosen would be best for setting the right romantic mood. About "When Harry Met Sally," the clerk asks Paul if he "could maintain a rod (erection) while watching Billy Crystal at the same time" (Paul says no and the clerk tells him not to feel bad since nobody can). About "The Piano," the clerk comments on Harvey Keitel being nude (not seen) and then adds that he's "ninety percent wiener" and that that doesn't work on the small screen.
A woman at a party belittles one of the roommates by looking at him and saying, "Hey that looks like a penis, but only smaller."
We see a female student coming out of Alcott's office and the way in which he's acting (to Paul outside the office) suggests that he's having an affair with her as well.

SMOKING: Noah smokes several times, while miscellaneous characters in several other scenes also smoke.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: The way in which nearly everyone treats Paul who's genuinely trying to be a nice guy and do the right thing.
The affair between Alcott, a thirty-something professor, and Dora, his teenage student and the demeaning way in which he treats her.
Paul's former roommates spike various young ladies beverages with date rape pills at a party in order to take advantage of them later.
Dora announces that she's going to sell her own eggs to make money (so that she can stay in school, but she never ends up doing that).

VIOLENCE: A bit of slapstick material includes Paul falling halfway down the steps of his lecture hall.
Paul accidentally steps on a dog's leg (but the pooch is okay).
Due to Chris and his roommates spiking women's beverages with date rape drugs at parties, Paul punches Chris who then tries to hit him with what looks like a laptop computer, but misses. Paul then punches Chris again and throws him back into a bookcase. We then see that another student was struck on the nose during the fight (as it's a bit bloody).

Reviewed July 18, 2000 / Posted July 21, 2000

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