Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Downbeat comedy has unlikable character, drinking, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Lousy Carter
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In LOUSY CARTER, "Lousy" Carter (David Krumholtz)—who got his nickname as a kid for being bad at sports—gets an alarming diagnosis: He has a terminal illness and only six months left to live. He currently works as a professor, teaching a graduate course on The Great Gatsby, but he decides that he wants to finish a long-languishing animated film based on a Vladimir Nabokov novel. He gets the idea to invite his student Gail (Luxy Banner) to be a model for the film, with the vain hope that maybe he can seduce her, too. He's also having an affair with the wife (Jocelyn DeBoer) of his best friend/fellow professor, Kaminsky (Martin Starr). Meanwhile, Carter's mother passes away, and he must arrange her funeral, which brings his estranged sister (Trieste Kelly Dunn) to town. Throughout all of this, he sometimes meets with his ex-girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby) to think about his past.
Is It Any Good?
Despite the number of amusing performers in the cast and some humor-rich situations that could have provided laughs, this comedy is more dreary and unpleasant than it is funny. But Lousy Carter is never flat-out terrible. Passing by uneventfully at only 76 minutes, it's watchable: We're just interested enough to stay tuned in to see what terrible thing will happen next. The biggest laughs come when Krumholtz's female co-stars level vicious barbs at him, such as Thirlby (accurately) calling him a "baby man" or Dunn turning one of his seemingly innocent comments into something perverted.
The main problem seems to be centered on the character of Carter himself. He's a "nebbish" (defined as "a timid unfortunate simpleton"), much like the characters that Woody Allen, Albert Brooks, and Noah Baumbach are fond of—the difference here being that Carter is pretty much despicable, with no redeeming qualities. Of course, it's possible to mine comedy gold from a character like that, but Lousy Carter just doesn't seem to be trying. Carter is a creepy cheater (who says he doesn't even feel guilty about it) who's self-obsessed and doesn't even seem to have anything to say about The Great Gatsby. He's lackadaisically presented as-is, and it seems safe to say that most viewers will want to say "no thanks."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way that Lousy Carter depicts sex. What values are demonstrated? Is there consent? Honesty?
Is it possible to tell a compelling story about an unlikable character?
Lousy Carter gets a "new lease on life" and decides to try to finish a long-gestating project. Have you ever had an experience like that?
How does the movie use violence to make its point? Does it feel gratuitous? Shocking? Is it meant to be funny?
How are drinking and smoking portrayed? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 29, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : March 29, 2024
- Cast : David Krumholtz , Olivia Thirlby , Martin Starr
- Director : Bob Byington
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Bisexual Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Magnolia
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 76 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : April 10, 2024
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