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American Loser

Original title: Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot
  • 2007
  • R
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Gretchen Mol and Seann William Scott in American Loser (2007)
Trailer for American Loser
Play trailer1:32
1 Video
9 Photos
ComedyDrama

A hilarious comedy about a young man from the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the gold-digging girl who inspires him to try to get it together.A hilarious comedy about a young man from the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the gold-digging girl who inspires him to try to get it together.A hilarious comedy about a young man from the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the gold-digging girl who inspires him to try to get it together.

  • Director
    • Tod Harrison Williams
  • Writers
    • Tod Harrison Williams
    • Jeff Nichols
  • Stars
    • Seann William Scott
    • Gretchen Mol
    • Deirdre O'Connell
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Tod Harrison Williams
    • Writers
      • Tod Harrison Williams
      • Jeff Nichols
    • Stars
      • Seann William Scott
      • Gretchen Mol
      • Deirdre O'Connell
    • 13User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    American Loser
    Trailer 1:32
    American Loser

    Photos8

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    Top cast47

    Edit
    Seann William Scott
    Seann William Scott
    • Jeff Nichols
    Gretchen Mol
    Gretchen Mol
    • Lynn
    Deirdre O'Connell
    Deirdre O'Connell
    • Cynthia
    Kevin Conway
    Kevin Conway
    • Bert
    Jeff Garlin
    Jeff Garlin
    • Lenny
    Denis O'Hare
    Denis O'Hare
    • Mike
    Stephen Adly Guirgis
    Stephen Adly Guirgis
    • Al
    Charlie Tahan
    Charlie Tahan
    • Little Jeff
    Tonye Patano
    Tonye Patano
    • Mrs. Shelby
    Jonathan Ames
    Jonathan Ames
    • Chairperson
    Jayce Bartok
    Jayce Bartok
    • Brian from Boarding School
    Erica Fae
    Erica Fae
    • Receptionist
    • (as Erica Berg)
    Susannah Bianchi
    • Mary - AA Member
    Ian Buchanan
    Ian Buchanan
    • Terry
    Matthew Cowles
    Matthew Cowles
    • Detoxer
    Lars Engstrom
    Lars Engstrom
    • Some Guy #1
    Wynn Everett
    Wynn Everett
    • Saleswoman
    Kevin Geer
    Kevin Geer
    • Older Banker
    • Director
      • Tod Harrison Williams
    • Writers
      • Tod Harrison Williams
      • Jeff Nichols
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews13

    5.43K
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    Featured reviews

    8arun_sathya_2000

    A good effort by "stifler (sp?)"

    I did not believe that this movie is based on a true story till credits started to roll. Sean Scott, "stifler" from the American pie movies has been doing same old college humor based films for which he is been stereotyped into. But this is so him yet not so him. He has taken little of all the characters he plays in his film and made this wonderful character which although you find it funny at times, you start feeling sad, cause he just cant seem to get it right. He channels all his screw ups by sharing them with others making them laugh at them. A good change, yet not totally different, from Sean Scott. Keep up the good work "Stifler"!
    7xearlyxdeathx

    I enjoyed this movie...

    The story wasn't really straightforward (ie: it was a narrative of the character's screwed up life that didn't have a message or a lesson... at least not superficially), but the ride that you get to go on while watching it is really fun... especially because the actor is Seann William Scott, who (whom?) nobody expects anything good out of (b/c of all his mindless comedic roles), yet he totally owns the role... I was super happy to see the clips of the actual character (many apologies for not remembering his name, especially since he so fondly reminds me of the glorious negativity of Bill Hicks) during the credits.... That showed me the difference between the real person and SWS's portrayal, yet it it proved to me how well (do not read "accurately", only read "well", considering SWS is portraying the character dramatically, which almost always, as in this story, embellishes/exaggerates reality) SWS portrayed the character.
    7transporter1492

    Not as shallow as it seems!

    When I first saw this movie on IMDb I taught that it is surely going to be a shallow comic-drama with a nice faced actor. It started in that way too. But when I first saw the way the movie was going I started to feel sorry for Jeff. It does get boring from time to time (that's one minus star) and as much you feel sorry for the guy he starts to annoy you (another one). The plot seems quite unique and it also is a very hard theme for a movie so the director and the writing staff did a very good job. On the other side it could be done better.

    The final verdict is very positive. I must say that I have never seen Seann Williiam Scott in a similar role and he has proved that he is a very good actor he is definitely one of the pros of this movie. This movie gives you something to think about. I strongly recommend you watch it!
    1ukheather

    Not funny

    This is not at all funny. Expected it to be ok from seeing some of his other films.

    Also don't really appreciate seeing dying fish in a movie.....
    10TheTwistedLiver

    Great surprise!

    I have to be honest, I really wasn't expecting much out of this film, I mean, Stiffler in a serious role? but wow was I pleasantly surprised, pleased as punch I would almost say. A truly heartfelt film, you get the sense the writer/director genuinely felt for his subject, which from what I have read about this film is really based on a true story which makes it even more funny in my opinion. The stuff in this movie is so funny it could not have been made up! Really well done with the writing and directing and I think it was the writer/directors debut film? which to me is even more impressive. Some of the scenes had me rolling on the floor with laughter, all in all well worth seeing, great, original and heartfelt, I really look forward to seeing more from this writer/director and I heard a rumor he plays the banjo!

    Best Emmys Moments

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Towards the end of the closing credits, there is a clip of the real Jeff Nichols performing stand up comedy.
    • Connections
      References Rain Man (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Come A Little Closer
      Written and performed by Ray Herrmann and Frank Josephs

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    FAQ15

    • How long is American Loser?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 9, 2008 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Життя як катастрофа
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • This Is That Productions
      • TruEntertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 34m(94 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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