SLACKERS (2001)

 

Directed By: Dewey Nicks 

Written By: David H. Steinberg 

Cinematography: James R. Bagdonas

Editor: Tara Timpone

Cast: Devon Sawa, Jaime King, Jason Schwartzman, Jason Segel, Michael McDonald, Michael C. Maronna, Laura Prepon, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon, Retta, Joe Flaherty, Leigh Taylor Young 

Dave, Sam and Jeff are about to graduate from Holden University with Honors in lying, cheating and scheming. The three roommates have proudly scammed their way through the last four years of college and now, during the final exams, these big-men-on-campus are about to be busted by the most unlikely dude in school.

There was once a time when I worked at a video store a Tower video to be exact down in Greenwich Village and my friend Curtis would usually be working the same schedule so that every Saturday night we would get off work and then go see a movie. It was usually us trading who chose the movie, but we generally wanted to see, the same movies and I can’t say that every week there were great prospects. This one I chose this movie so I did see this actually in theaters.

It seems to have everything going for Jason Segel  of Freaks and Geeks, and Devon Sawa who seemed to be in a lot of teen films at the time Laura Prepon from THAT  70’S SHOW, wasn’t a fan of the show but I always liked her delivery and Schwartzman is the reason for me to see this movie thoroughly enjoyed him and RUSHMORE

This film is definitely a romantic comedy that is more misogynistic and in the 1980s would’ve been filled with T & A, an ironic statement the film is from elderly actress Mamie Van Duren. There is plenty of sexual talk even suggested scenes of sex.  After all, it’s supposed to be a college comedy.

The film starts as a con man hustle college comedy before I’m pretty much becoming a romantic comedy. 

This is where the film loses the pizzazz that it had going for it. Which is truly the only thing that sets it apart from many others. The film has strangely a few cameos from people you wouldn’t expect at the time to be in the film, which only makes it more surreal and feel like part of the fantasy.

Seems to be another film in which they make the nice guy or nerd more the villain than the typical male college student who seems more insincere here, Devon’s character who is supposed to be helping Jason Schwartzman due to blackmail actually the girl that he is supposed to be helping him get Jason Schwartzman‘s character just keeps exhibiting more and more strange and creepy behavior throughout, which shows to a certain extent he doesn’t seem to really care about Presley’s character maybe what she represents to him.

I wish I could say that this film is all-around terrible it has some funny scenes, but they are few and far between and maybe not worth going through 90 minutes of this movie is a film that could perfectly be abridged easily.

It also, strangely for a major release comes across as looking a little rough around the edges more than it should. Maybe it’s supposed to represent the scrappy nature of college students, though this kind of looks like a very nice college that these kids could afford, especially with all the scams that they seem to be running. 

Tries, but the characters that really stand out are the ones played by Jason Schwartzman and Jason Segel. So much that you just wish that they could be in a better and funnier film.

Grade: D