MovieChat Forums > Loser (2000) Discussion > Huge Inconsistencies in Plot

Huge Inconsistencies in Plot

posted 19 years ago by tickletrunkmail
41 replies | jump to latest

Didn't any of the number of you who profess to love this movie notice all of the major inconsistencies in it? I had a hard time with it because it couldn't stick to its story.

Here are just a few examples:

Paul tells Dora that he never had a cat because he couldn't have pets in his building. What? At the opening of the show he lives in a rural community with his parents. They strongly imply that he has never been away from home. What the hell? When did he live in a 'building'.

Dora tells Alcott that she's 18. Then she's working in a bar. Now, I get that the owner was a sleazeball and she could have lied or he could have not cared. Then later she's trying to get emancipated from her parents but she is already 18. How old is she really.

When Dora misses the train home after her bar shift, she goes through an elaborate plan of calling her mother who actually calls the number back. This leads one to believe that her mother is very protective and does this all the time. Then later, Dora spends the night passed out at Paul's and then another night sleeping over there. Don't you think her mother would have been freaking out? He tells her to call her mother. If she did that, wouldn't she have called back like she did at the train station? Then she goes and stays with Alcott. What is her mother doing all this time?

Why does she list Alcott as her emergency contact if she has an overprotective mother somewhere in the area? If she has enough of a relationship with her mother to call ehr and tell her where she is, don't you think she would list her as her emergency contact?

Does Dora call Alcott, a man that she is having sex with and supposedly in a relationship with, by his last name? Isn't that a wee bit strange? They talk about her listing Prof. Alcott as her contact and Paul writes Alcott on the card for the flowers. Even in that relationship, one would think she would call him by his first name or have some sort of pet name for him.

Paul leaves to get pizza and when he returns, Alcott is there. How did he get there? Did Dora phone him? Wouldn't everything leading up to this make us believe that he would not come and get her? He had already told her he did not want her to move in with him. Why did he change his mind?

Alcott says to Dora that since he's being blackmailed by the guys, he might as well go all the way (ie. have Dora move in with him). How does that make any sense at all? If he is so concerned about getting caught that he will give students A's just so that it doesn't come out, don't you think he would a) not let Dora move in with him b) dump her right away seeing as he doesn't seem to really care about her anyway?

How in the hell does Paul know how to rescue a dying kitten? He said he wasn't allowed to have pets. Now it does seem that he grew up on a farm but farm cats are not the kind to have babies near anyone. He had not worked at the clinic long enough to have learned that.

The list goes on. Can anyone explain any of these to me?

The biggest one is: why in God's name would Dora put up with Alcott? There is not one moment of care or concern shown in their relationship. Even a girl without an ounce of self-esteem will not put up with that kind of extreme disrespect and abuse unless there is a payoff. They didn't show any payoff for her.

That's why this movie stinks. It makes no sense at all.

[–] kelsmclaughlin 18 years ago

She also didnt say she was 18. She said "I'm OVER 18"

[–] duivel 18 years ago

I can't believe all you people. You're all saying: "Just enjoy the movie even though it's completely unrealistic, boring and badly made"? Crazy.

I'll agree with the threadstarter, this really had an awful script and the characters had no credibility whatsoever and they lacked any form of depth. So yeah, bad film. Watchable though, when you're very bored.

[–] bloodygoodlaugh 18 years ago

But, you gotta ask the question:

If you thought the movie sucked, what the *beep* are you whining about it on here for? Just don't watch it again.

I thought it was a great movie; simple, easy to watch, amusing, had Mena in it (one of the best reasons to watch any movie).

Never understand why people feel the need to exclaim that "such and such a movie sucked and here's 10 reasons why!". Don't like it? Don't watch it again. It's not rocket science.

"Yeah, so, she's a dog"

[–] matsimela 17 years ago

I don't understand the attitude that forums such as these should ONLY have positive appraisals of films. I log on to get honest opinions about the merits of a film, not to feel a part of some Pollyanna fan community who never wish to hear anything negative. Dude pointed out some glaring plot holes which at the very least show that someone wasn't doing their job. It's not like he/she just stated the movie blew balls and said nothing else.

[–] XXtuXX 17 years ago

About the Alcott and the grade thing. He's a jerk and is naturally condescending. He'd be that way with anyone. He let her move in to make her stay- it absolutely doesn't mean he likes her or respects her. maybe he jsut wants sex, maybe he wants someone around.

You are assuming that by him making that comment to Dora, that he does not care if people know they are together. he DOES care about people finding out, however, because he told his parents she is his T.A. So, really, he hasn't told anyone and is still embarassed by it. He's still lying to people about the nature of the relationship, so he is still worried. He's obviously doing things and saying things to Dora to make her feel good so he can have a little servant around.

by giving the boys A's, he doesn't EXPECT his secret to get out.Thus, having Dora move in with him wasn't a gesture of goodwill for Dora or a gesture of acceptance that others will find out; it was only a gesture of sex with Dora so she will trust him and he could bone her more.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tickletrunkmail 17 years ago

I was the original poster on this thread. And I just wanted to make it clear that I only watched the movie once. It only took once to see all of those ridiculous inconsistencies in the plot. I didn't notice any of the continuity stuff that other people have pointed out because I only watched it once. I would rather stick a hot poker in my eye than watch that movie again.

[–] mike-wright-1 17 years ago

okay first of all, i find it pretty hard to believe you only watched this once and came up with all that, unless you watched it with a pen and notepad and your finger on the pause button....

anyway, i've seen the film maybe five or six times and have not really noticed any of this. maybe i'm just a dumba55? but then again, some of the most intriguing films i've seen recently are a french flick called innocence, miyazaki's spirited away, caro and jeunet's city of lost children. with these films my partner and i chat for hours after about them to the tiniest detail.

my point is, when i watch these films, i do so with an entirely different movie brain in. Each to their own and everything, but i really don't understand why you would watch a film like loser, which tries to be nothing it isn't, and spend so much time picking all these holes in it. and then even worse, think "right, i'm gonna get online now and try to spoil these films for anyone who isn't as anal as me". Just a weird approach to life if you ask me.

[–] mlifrevol 15 years ago

I was trying to just go with the movie and all its plot holes and unbelievable characters but I was totally taken out of it when the hospital released a young girl in a coma to a virile young man that wasn't even an emergency contact.

I think I'll stop by the local hospitals and see if I can pick me up one or two.

[–] swedensprettyboy 13 years ago

I was trying to just go with the movie and all its plot holes and unbelievable characters but I was totally taken out of it when the hospital released a young girl in a coma to a virile young man that wasn't even an emergency contact.

I think I'll stop by the local hospitals and see if I can pick me up one or two.

Hahahahahah :D

And as usual in these kind of threads we get the usual crap off "duh if you hate the movie why are you here" well this isn't a fan forum and people might wanna read what someone else thought was horrible about the film.

Its quite entertaining at certain points :)

[–] Chefeetaboopers 12 years ago

I'm a fan of the movie but I do understand questioning plot holes. I myself have questioned some of the things in this movie.

I think I may have some opinions on your ideas of plotholes:

1.) I think when Paul is talking about his building he could have, in fact, been talking about his house. At one of the many places I lived as a kid, which just so happened to be a house, we weren't allowed to have big pets such as dogs and cats. Just because it's not the norm doesn't mean it can't be possible.

2.) If you're 18, you can work in bars with a permit that you can buy. Some states allow people to work in bars. And, if I remember correctly, she says she is over 18.

3.) I noticed the part about her mom not worrying when she was passed out. That was one of the only true things I had a problem with in this movie. My mother is VERY overprotective. If this had happened to me, every hospital and police station probably would have already been called and they probably would have traveled to find me. =P

4.) Perhaps she listed Alcott as her emergency contact because she doesn't want her mother to have to come to NY to help her out and possibly enforce her to leave college. I know my overprotective mom would probably have forced me to come back home if that happened to me.

5.) Some people really don't call each other by nicknames or names. In fact, my Aunt and Uncle never called each other by names at all and they have 4 kids and have been together since I was 3.

6.) I believe that Alcott showed up at Paul's place because he knew that Paul had a thing for Dora. There is also the possibility that she could have told Alcott about them living together or previously about her going to Paul's and they just didn't show it?

7.) I actually have no idea about this one.. I may have to watch the movie again to figure this one out.

8.)I just kind of chalked up him saving the kitten to the fact that he lives in an animal shelter! =P

As for your biggest plot hole: PEOPLE ARE DUMB. My roommates are like them. The girl takes getting called the b and c word, having to do all the the chores while he sits on his butt and play videogames, having to pay rent for both of them sometimes, having to buy all of their food... the list goes on and on and on... And they've stuck together for a year, now. -_-

[–] clownbaby866 11 years ago

1) You can work in a liquor store when you're 18 so why can't you work in a bar? Also, she could've easily lied about her age. Not a plot hole.

2) Do you really think Dora's mom chasing her around looking for would make this a better movie? Is that why you want to see in a movie? Not a plot hole, just you being weird and anal.

3) She calls Professor Alcott Alcott before he decides to take her in and "profess his love" (haha it's a pun). If you notice, she starts calling him by his first name once they move in together.

4) Paul started working in the animal shelter. It's possible they taught him a thing or two in case something happened, or maybe he looked into himself, he is quite the studious person.

And everything else, like Alcott deciding to live with Dora. After seeing him with Kristy, you can kind of get the idea that he has a self-destructive desire for young women and getting himself into trouble. Like he has a "do or die" mentality. Also, he could have done it as a maneuver to get Dora away from Paul, whom she was growing attached to.

Overall, these are not plot holes. I don't think you know what a plot hole is. A plot hole is if a character recalls a memory of going to Disneyworld with his parents when he was 12, but then later in the movie he says how his parents died in a car crash when he was 9, and he is sincere, not lying. That's a plot hole. Obviously those both can't be true. BUT the things you bring up aren't plot holes. The name usage, Alcott's deciding to live with Dora, the roommates being so sucky, etc. These are character flaws, something every human being has. Sometimes people do stupid things. They're not plot holes. Get it straight.

And honestly, anyone who can't enjoy this movie has probably never been in love. This is one of the sweetest, most romantic movies while still being hilarious. David Spade? "Simon Birch. It's about a little goofy kid with problems...it works for me." Classic.

"Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time."

[–] Kariann1 10 years ago

I also thought the movie was both sweet and romantic. Yes, there are flaws but I really liked the lead character. Paul is a well written character. I wanted him and Dora to get together as most expected. I will watch it a second time; however, I was getting sick of his mean, spoiled roommates. In the end, it all worked out.