How to Stop Being a Loser (2011)

Very well executed

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It's funny how there are so many apparently individual IMDb users who are rating this film as something that deserves to be up there with The Godfather and The Empire Strikes Back whereas users on other sites overwhelmingly rate it with the lowest numbers possible.Comedies should either make you laugh or at least be satisfyingly witty. Not this one. The script was definitely a one-pass with no adult supervision, random scenes were thrown in for no reason, the "twist" was pointless, the resolution was unsatisfying as it had no prelude and none of the characters were consistent - only Craig Conway managed to be the same person from beginning to end.The cinematography was unimaginative, the sound was regularly at whisper level and the director and editor seemed to be working on two different projects.It's also important to highlight that the vast majority of celebrity appearances were so fleeting that it is PAINFULLY obvious that they are only there to slap on the poster in order to con an audience into picking up the DVD. Producers - if you're going to do that, at least give us a decent story to watch!I'm not a basher of independent film. I love decent low-budget stuff but it is important to balance out all these rave reviews with the truth.Oh, and whichever critic allowed themselves to be quoted on the poster as claiming this was "laugh out loud clever" needs a career change. There were two or three smile-worthy moments at best.

I actually got bought this film as a joke! (my flatmate thinking he was funny - think about the title) so I went into it without knowing a thing. I thought it was MAD funny and I actually found myself caring about the lead, James, in his plight to win over the girl of his dreams. (maybe I am a loser after all!) By far my favourite character was the physiatrist who pops up throughout which leads to a BRILLIANT twist at the end I genuinely didn't see coming. The funniest scene is one I can't really describe on here, but look out for a drunken sexual encounter that left me giggling so hard I had to rewind the DVD! Great fun, highly recommended.9/10

Just picked this up on DVD and was really pleasantly surprised by how imaginative and funny it was. I really liked all the characters and their relationships with each other and the way human story really shone through the humour. I especially loved how the large cast really melded well together and bounced off each other. This was aided by some hilarious cameos that I did not expect but really liked. As a lover of comedies in a similar vein i really thinks it stands up with films like Hitch and The Hangover. All in all i really enjoyed the film and felt it was one of my favourite comedies of 2011. i think it is a great example of tight streamlined filmmaking and i look forward to seeing more of the cast in the future. 9/10

I have an idea how difficult it is to make an independent film but at the same time you always have to remember that the general people who go to the cinema don't care, all they're interested in is being entertained. After all they pay the same for a movie ticket to a tiny Brit film as they do for a ticket to Transformers! So when I went into an insider screening of HTSBAL at Showcase I tried very hard to see through they eyes of someone who doesn't know the work that goes into these projects. I'm not sure if I managed that but what I am certain of is that I thought this film was quite brilliant, hilarious as it is heartfelt, the humour balancing perfectly with the character development and the story exposition. The performances were all round strong with no exception and the chemistry between our principals Phillips, Conway, Atkinson and Leonidas was great, I know three of them have worked together again and this comes as no surprise to me. Plus the outtakes at the end had me rolling, I love it when films do outtakes. I think I may actually have to check it out one more time.