(10/18/01)

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NOTE: The screenplays we review are often in development and may experience many rewrites, some could end up being completely different than what is reviewed here. It is our hope that our reviews generate more interest in the film. Thank you.

Theres only one reason I picked up AMERICAN LOSER and read it, and only one reason you should want to hear the results: James L. Brooks, through his production company Gracie Films, for the first time ever, picked this script out of the spec market. Brooks, who's been a hit-maker for years and even gave us THE SIMPSONS, is like a bloodhound with good material. He can sniff it out. Besides one musical-without-the-music debacle, his films have all been superlative examples of a man who clearly knows people and how they act. On the producing end, besides THE SIMPSONS, Brooks has been behind many mega-hit TV shows (TAXI, THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, RHODA) and produced such films as JERRY MAGUIRE, WAR OF THE ROSES and BIG.

Was Jim Brooks right again with AMERICAN LOSER? Yeah, he was.

AMERICAN LOSER is more a play than a screenplay. And I mean that as a high compliment. This script is made up almost entirely with dialogue. Razor-sharp, funny, droll dialogue. People sitting around and interacting! How revolutionary! No one gets blown up, no one shoots a gun, no one is on the run from the law or on drugs. Wow, this Brad Harrison guy is onto something.

Meet Jack. As the title would suggest, hes a loser. Not just a loser, but the loser. Hes a sad-sack nobody without a job who lives out of his car. He hangs out in a bar all day, buying drinks when he can afford it. His girl left him suddenly and it sent his life into a tailspin. He quit his job and set out to write a kids book about a caveman.

As the script opens, he meets Alex, an impressive woman, in the bar. Gathering his courage, Jack approaches and talks to Alex. Regaling her with his self-deprecating wit. Alex is a match for him and they come close to gelling in a weird, perverted way. Alex, you see, is in a loveless relationship with a flaxen-haired stud. They exist, unhappy, at their advertising agency. Alex needs a little adventure in her life. Not to be so safe. She needs, yes, to be a bit more like Jack: leaving everything behind with an f-it attitude.

Heres the plot of the movie. Get ready. Jack tries to get Alex to date him. Can you stand the white-knuckle thrill? To paraphrase Willy Wonka, the suspense is overwhelming.

Also around we find Jacks lesbian best friend who dresses as famous actresses of yesteryear. And his male bud whose flower-shop-owning wife cant stand him.

The running gag is that Jack cant keep a job. A standing bet has started in the bar. Everyone putting money on him losing his job the same day he gets it. This leads to a great scene where hes working in a supermarket, sees Alex, and runs around like a madman trying to hide the fact that hes a stockboy.

AMERICAN LOSER was a refreshing read for me. Our author, Brad Harrison, has a real wit. A dark sense of humor. And it was great to just read something about a few interesting people who interact for long stretches of time. The dialogue flowing and running on and no one worrying about page-counts. Jack is a loser, but hes a knowing loser. Like Kevin Spacey in AMERICAN BEAUTY. If you know youre pitiful youre usually the most cutting on your laughable life. As is Jake. Hes funny and knowing -- picking up a woman with talk about throwing up in a bar -- and that, I guess, makes him a lovable loser.

The plot is pretty old hat. Loser wants winner woman; shes dating a stud who she doesnt really love; loser unlocks her heart -- but not before some pratfalls. Even so, AMERICAN LOSER is a real gas. A simple comedy that makes you laugh and gets away with its third-act slapstick because its done so well. When Alex finally gives into Jack, Jack takes her back to his best friends apartment -- only the best friend didnt tell the Jack-hating wife. After getting kicked out quite literally from the apartment, Alex and Jack go for it anyway -- in his apartment (his car) -- and then the "oh-damn-the-condoms!" scene is brought to new heights.

People weaned on complicated, explosive fare like every action flick out right now might be tempted to call this lazy. I, on the other hand, was just happy for the few laughs and the introduction to a great character. Ive talked about this with screenwriters. The dreaded script about "just a guy." How do you pitch that? You cant. "My script is about this, like, guy and hes, like, funny and everything." Doesnt work. So maybe thats why guys like Jake and scripts like AMERICAN LOSER dont pop up that often.

AMERICAN LOSER, I should note, is not a deep dissection of male-female relations. Its really just a fast-paced, loose-and-easy comedy. But for its humor and its repartee and spot-on quips its a sweet dessert.

A few things didnt work for me. Jack writing a kids book is funny. But I dont like that his fictional character shows up and talks to him. Its not that its not funny -- I like when the character appears and scares Jack half to death -- but it feels too much like yesterdays news. Woody Allen did it in PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM many years ago. And though everyone, including Tarantino, has ripped him off -- it doesnt mean we need another. The idea that Jack was an intelligent man with much talent doesnt strike me as the smart way to go because then this loveable loser is a self-imposed loser. I wanted this to be who he really is: with job, woman, house or otherwise.

Heres something that struck me while reading this: it was the first time in I cant remember when where I read a script and my reaction was: this is something Id want to go out and see. Even when I admire a script, it doesnt mean its something Id actually leave my house and spend nine bucks on.

Heres what Jim Brooks saw: talent. An ease and offhanded talent. This script has the feel as if Brad Harrison wrote it in one day. Started a conversation strand and followed it. Once again, this is praise. Its that seamless.

The only two big problems I have with the script are the title (too much like AMERICAN BEAUTY and what makes him different from, say, a Russian loser?) and Harrisons lax punctuation. (ELEMENTS OF STYLE is like a porno mag for me.) But thats just me...

AMERICAN LOSER doesnt take you anywhere new, but, man, I enjoyed the hell out of it. It was good to just laugh out loud. Comedy scripts are hard to find. Especially one as non-gimmicky as this. (Hopefully this sounds the arrival of non-Farrelly comedy in America again.) So is this ANNIE HALL, MANHATTAN or any other of those glorious 70s, 80s Woody Allen movies? No. But its a comedy script that works, and what else can you say to laud a low-aiming piece?

With Nancy Pimentals SWEETEST THING getting fifty million dollars and big stars, and this being picked up for big bucks by Jim Brooks, maybe something is changing. Maybe. Maybe recent events will lessen all the bullets and fireballs and all those little, no-risk comedies will start creeping out. Well, we can hope.

In the meantime, lets watch where Brad Harrison goes. In my opinion itll be up, and hell be around a while to show us more.

-- Darwin Mayflower.