Customer Reviews

Slackers (Widescreen/Full Screen)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a college-party movie that has a couple of twists to it that make it unique in the genre. In the majority of frat / party movies, going to class is an afterthought. About 99% of the action takes place outside classrooms, and the concept of attending class & getting decent grades is an afterthought at best.

In this film, the topic of attending class is the primary focus. Or, to be more specific, how to not attend class & cheat the system is the main thrust.

As the movie opens, 3 college seniors are just about ready to graduate. Only problem is, they have bluffed their way all the way to the threshold of commencement. They put more work into clever ways of getting out of doing their academic tasks than most people put into going to school the normal, old-fashioned way.

Another twist in the plot is that this time it's a loser / stalker who has difficulty (to say the least!) getting dates. Usually this role is reserved for the shy, clumsy nice guy who typically gets his chance to shine w/the babes by the end of the film. Not so this time around.

Without question, the highlight of the film is Jamie King as the pure, sweet & innocent but ever-elusive girl-next-door. She actually does not even have that many lines, but her performance overshadows the rest of the cast. She's so adorable that you would think her the last girl you'd ever see in a raunchy film like this one - which in turn makes her PERFECT for the part!

One surprising facet of this DVD is the subtle commentary it gives on cheating. Problem is, once you do such a thing, your credibility goes down the tubes in all other aspects of your life as well. Our 3 obnoxious friends must learn that their actions carry consequences in interpersonal relationships and other areas that are well outside the realm of academic fraud.

In sum, this is an entertaining party movie that's worth seeing for Jaime King's performance. If college prank movies are your thing, this one belongs in your DVD collection.

This movie isn't for everyone. Straight-forward huh? I'd rent it first.

this movie kicks ass!!! its hilerious! Jason is sooo funny! he'll make you piss your pants! Great movie!!

I am a guy who can relate to Slackers. It is a great movie that is sure to become an instant classic. Devon Sawa heads the cast and stands out the most. Also starring is James King (Devon's love interest), and Jason Schwartzman (Devon's blackmailer). The plot is that Devon and his two friends run a scam to pass College. Schwartzman finds out about it and threatens him into helping him get together with King. As the show goes on a lot more laughs come into play. Cameo's include Cameron Diaz and Gina Gershon just to name a few. My favorie scene is between James and Devon at the pool, there you can catch a glimpse of Devon's behind. You can also see it briefly in the locker room scene. Be warned this movie has a lot of nudity...

Slackers is pretty much your average college romp film, only in this case, the bottom line is "Love brings out the best in people, even cheaters." A fairly well cast movie (especially Jason Schwartzman as a quasi-psychotic stalker, trapped in the persona of a campus geek), the story held some definite possibilities, but the movie really doesn't provide anything more than an interesting way to kill about 90 minutes. Not overly side splitting, as was Animal House, but not a complete waste of celluloid either, I found myself laughing out loud during a few scenes (most of which included Schwartzman and cameo players Mamie Van Doren and Cameron Diaz). So...if you're looking for the next academy award winner, this isn't it. If you have an hour and a half to burn, and enjoy fluff movies, this movie will probably sit alright with you. The DVD is devoid of special features, so unless you just have a penchant for collecting campus comedies, I would just stick with renting this one.

When considering this movie you have to ask yourself what your sense of humor is like. What other movies do you like? When watching Kevin Smith's Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Clerks, do you catch the small jokes? Do you get the underlying humor? If so, you'd love Slackers.

The crude humor and outlandish situations are amazingly entertaining, if you are open enough to understand and appreciate them. This movie is on my list of top 10 favorite movies I've ever seen -- and that's a bold statement.

Seeing as it deals with youthful eccentrics searching for love, costars Jason Schwartzman, and presents the idea of stalking from a humorous perspective (a perspective, one might venture a wild guess, not neccesarily shared by people who have actually been stalked), it is tempting (and thoroughly incorrect) to describe Slackers as a raunchier, darker version of Rushmore. In fact, to use such a description would be a strong disservice to both films. For whereas Rushmore is one of the best films of the last decade (and this film most assuredly is not), Slackers is an uneven film that -- while not being all that good -- is still entertaining when taken on it's own terms and certainly is a step above most of the teen-age/college stoner comedies to have come out in the wake of American Pie.

The story is almost painfully familiar. Jason Schwartzman is a disturbed college student with a massive crush on the sweetly attractive James King. In order to trick her into not only noticing him but eventually going out with him, Schwartzman blackmails three cocky cheaters into helping him con her into giving him her affections. Unfortunately, the head cheater is played by Devon Sawa who, while not being half the actor that Schwartzman is, is much better looking and as such, King immediately falls for him and he falls for her and the rest of the movie deals with how to deal with Schwartzman. As said, none of the movie's particular plot points are extremely clever and a lot of the humor falls flat. Particularly annoying is the director's need to pad out the film with the same boring fantasy sequences that seem to pop up in all stoner youth comedies nowadays. Scored to kitschy pop standards from the early '70s (the type of stuff these slackers wouldn't be caught dead listening to in real life), these fantasy sequences are filled with unoriginal takeoffs on better films and tend to stop the action dead -- not good for a film that feels overlong to begin with.

Still, for every dead spot, there's a bizarrely inspired joke or a skillful performance that'll pop up unexpectedly and these good moments are so inspired and provide such a strong pay-off that the viewer is almost left feeling as if he's being rewarded for managing to make it through the bad moments. It's as if the director is saying, "Sorry about making that 20th joke about flatulence, here's a little Jason Schwartzman to help ease the pain." Certainly, Schwartzman is the film's main strength. Playing yet another eccentric, overly intelligent stalker-type, Schwartzman creates a character that is 180 degrees the opposite of his starring turn in Rushmore. He brings a manic intensity to his creepy role that is fascinating to watch -- both because of the skill of his performance and because of the fact that this is a rare actor who is willing to push against all self-imposed limits while on screen. The audience finds themselves tolerating a lot of uninspired bits just for the chance to find out what Schwartzman's going to do next. Schwartzman pulls off a minor miracle, giving a perfect comedic performance as a character who, when you actually get to the heart of the matter, isn't all that funny. However, Schwartzman is not the sole redemption to be found in this film's cast as James King, while stuck playing a symbol (the "good girl"), still manages to be very sweet and adorable (in the best sense of the term) as the unwitting object of Schwartzman's affections. For this film to work, you have to be willing to buy that so many people would be willing to make idiots out of themselves to win the heart of one, individual woman and luckily, King manages to embody that woman, much in the same way that Cameron Diaz helped to lend some credibility to the far superior There's Something About Mary. As for the star of the film, Devon Sawa doesn't get to display the flair of wild comedy that distinguished his work in Idle Hands (truly the only role to give him a chance to definitely distinguish himself from the current crop of 20-something pretty boys wondering around Hollywood) but he's still a likeable enough protaganist. If he doesn't get a chance to be as interesting as Schwartzman, he also doesn't allow this film to turn into Freddie Prinze, Jr. vehicule either. And while most of the direction is rather uninspired, there are still a few moments of inspired lunacy that'll either annoy you or leave you in hysterics depending on your taste in humor. (A bit with a singing gym sock is probably the best example of this.) These bits of inspired lunacy are too few and too far between to make up for the fact that this is -- overall -- a rather uneven mess of a film but, for what their worth, they're there and they certainly make the film a bit more interesting than most of the shlock being churned out nowadays.

Slackers isn't a great film. It's probably not even a good film. But it is a film with some great strengths to go along with its far too numerous flaws. If you're in the mood for this type of film, there are definitely worse ways to lose 90 minutes of your life.

I know alot of people say it but if I could I would give this zero stars. Yes it really is that bad.

I was in the video store when I came across this and it looked interesting and it said on the cover it was better than American Pie, so I said what the hell and took it home and put it in my player.

This film was awful!!!!! It just tries to hard to be better than other teen movies like American Pie and Road Trip. The plot is dreadful there are rubbish actors and it just makes it a really annoying film to watch.
I cant even remember laughing to one thing in this movie because it was all so forced. There was no standout moments, and I cant believe that people are even rating this higher than 2 stars.

If I can remember correctly its got the typical teens, the nerd, the cool ones, a fat guy, a sexy girl, and alotta other girls that are in the film but dont really do anything.

All I have to say is dont even rent it. Just stay away because if you even touch this movie it will haunt you for a long long time.

This movie breaks away from the humdrum. Keeps you on your toes and lets you know, it is possible to still enjoy a cheap laugh or too. Sawa and "cool ethan" are the stars, but James King steals the show. Her beauty and charismatic presence are undeniable at pivotal parts of the show. I will watch this again!

It's got my vote. Mercifully, it only runs for about 80 minutes; but it is long and painful 80 minutes.It is an unrelenting series of unfunny, mean-spirited "gags" without a shred of narrative cohesion and not a single likeable character. If you enjoyed movies like American Pie, There's Something About Mary, Road Trip or Van Wilder; avoid this stinker at all costs, it is nothing like any of those films.