Review: ‘Loserville’ is an unsatisfying blend of teen comedy and bullying drama

The teen comedy “Loserville” from freshman filmmaker Lovell Holder offers its audience a SparkNotes version of high school: It skims over relevant details and lacks deep insight when it comes to plot and character. Though there are a few genuine LOL moments, there’s little specificity in the world it sketches or its humor. Even the standard epic parents-free party feels thinly drawn and forgettable.

Daydreaming high school senior Chuck (co-writer Chris Bellant) is on the debate team, movie shorthand for nerd. With his last year slipping away, he has decided to finally try to win the heart of pretty, popular Melissa Mercer (Natalie Hall). He plans to get to her through her sister, Mary (Sarah Jes Austell), who recently has become an outcast after a video of her hooking up with her sister’s boyfriend goes viral. Chuck realizes how troubled Mary is in the wake of the school scandal, and he shepherds her through the halls while he inches closer to Melissa.

Subplots abound, with particular attention paid to the romance between Chuck’s gym teacher (Matt McGorry) and his mother (Darby Stanchfield), and the stress it causes him. But no thread in the story goes deep enough to make the audience care.

“Loserville” is somehow two different movies — a traditional teen comedy mixed with a message-driven drama about the dangers of bullying — without enough connective tissue linking characters or scenes to lend it cohesion.

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‘Loserville’

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Playing: Ahrya Fine Arts, Beverly Hills

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