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

Huge Inconsistencies in Plot


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.

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Dude...wtf...cant you just enjoy a movie? Almost Every movie has inconsistencies...and the ones you listed, i would not consider HUGE, so pull the stick out of your ass and chill out.

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How can you consider these things anything but huge? The entire plot hinges on two of them? That's why this is a bad movie. Oh, plus the fact that it's boring.

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It was a little boring at times, but it was also cute, and it had a really sweet ending.

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exactly enjoy the movie. why don't you become a screen writer or writer in general and come out with a movie that doesn't have any goofs. Besides you aren't perfect so get over it.

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I can't believe it took me this long to think of this, but maybe the "building" he was referring to was the dorm? I remember that my dorm definitely didn't allow pets and I'm sure no others would.

Will the fight for our sanity be the fight of our lives?--Flaming Lips, "The Gash"

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The OP is right. I really liked this movie, but there are inconsistencies in the plot.

I have another one to add: Why did Dora bring up the flowers that she thought Alcott sent her out of the blue after they were back together for at least a few weeks?

Also, it would have been cool to see this gf from high school that Paul was talking about. If she was his only gf, it would be prudent to give her more than just a mention.

"I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration?"
"Dogs and cats living together . . . mass hysteria!"

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For financial aid in the state of NY, you have to be "emancipated" from your parents if you don't want their income on your forms up to the age of 24. As for everything else, yeah they screwed up and made a lot of goofs.

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I agree...if you noticed all of this stuff and it bothered you so much, maybe you need to find another hobby. You are never going to enjoy watching movies if you pick them apart as badly as you picked this one apart. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that anything in your post was untrue, I'm just saying there is no way you could have possible gotten any enjoyment out of it if you spent all this time in continuity analysis and there was entertainment to be found here.

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okay I loved the movie, but that's my opinion, there are goofs, yes, but if you watched it and weren't entertained, and then continued to watch it over and over again and find out everything wrong with it so you could bitch about it on a site like this, you really should sort out your priorities. even if you watched it once and caught everything and hated it, good for you, move on, it's not a big deal.

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About the age - you can work in a bar as early as 18. I know that you can be a bartender at 18, so her being a waitress shouldn't be a problem.

As for the emancipation - she still lives with her parents. Legally, she can still be claimed as a dependant by her parents until she is out of school. Therefore, legally, they are responsible for her and their monetary situation is what drives her financial aid. Pretty much anyone that went to college and had to try and get financial aid knows that.

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Those are all pretty smart...the only one I can think of maybe defending is that you never really see him "live" with his parents, you only see him getting the letter, having the party, then talking with his dad. Of course, the letter is delivered to the house...

This movie does have a lot of flaws, but I've always really liked it for some reason. It has heart.

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did you have any free time left after you posted all that crap? Everyone looks too much in it. It's a light film. A good watch. GET OVER IT! my god.

"And now we'll take a five minute stretch break." "YOUR MOM'S A FIVE MINUTE STRETCH BREAK!"

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Dora doesn't call him by his last name when she tells paul about the flowers
"I was in the hall, I know cuz I was there" Wadsworth (Clue)

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Yeah.. I was gonna have a reply, but it would have consisted of everything faded said. So yeah, its a movie, a light... wait aminute, didn't I just say that was already covered. Well anyway, get over it... every movie has goofs.

To Seek Revenge May Lead To Hell
But Everyone Does It If Seldom As Well

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It's a cute movie, but they could've paid more attention to the plot. There are some glaring goofs (the pizza & movie scene) and plot holes all over the place. Was anyone paying attention?

Frankiegirl - Wadsworth is an English butler. He does not have the word "cuz" in his vocabulary.

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if you want an airtight, immaculately structured & believable plot - why would you watch a chick flick from the director of "clueless"?

it's a bit like complaining your cat won't fetch a stick...

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I think most of your comments have to do with your dislike of the plot ("Why would in God's name would Dora put up with Alcott?"). That has nothing to do with inconsistencies.

I can clear up one of your questions though. In most states, you only have to be 18 to work in a bar or sell alcohol, but you still have to be 21 to drink. Also you can legally be emancipated from your parents at 18, but you DON'T HAVE TO. You don't just automatically become emancipated from your parents at 18. Yours and your parents tax forms have to clearly state it.

Also the whole name thing, I always call my boyfriend by his last name. It's funny.

I think you hated the movie and wanted to prove to everytone that it was bad. But basically, it's all relative, and you've kind of come off sounding stupid.

Now please shut up. Thanks.

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I think it was a good movie and anyone who has the time to sit and watch it over and over again to come up with all these flaws would have no life WHAT so ever.

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I like it alot. I just watched it again. I moved back to NY for my love of SNL and once again I'm being douched by people that think they are better than me. This movie really makes me feel like I'm not alone on how some people feel really unwelcome and unfit in the city. But I got nice roomates for a change. Plus it gives me hope that the guy I like might one day like me back.

You like fine cooking? I've got a Swanson's dinner in the freezer with your name on it.

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lol the bit that found funny was when they showed him going to get the pizza, he clearly had a bag with videos in his hand, then in the next scene it shows him going ot the video store, lmao i like the film but thought that bit was funny

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the thing about the cat...he's been working in a freaking vets office for awhile...im guessing they taught him some things.

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In some states (no idea about New York) it is 100% legal for people over 18 but under21 to work at a bar. I live in Minnesota and I was 18 and managing from behind the bar and bartending. So it does depend on the state as far as that goes.

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what they said, especially enjoy a movie.

42gether&1http://tvshowsondvd.com/showinfo.cfm?showID=491

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I could accept these mistakes, IF it wasn't because the movie itself sucked big time... it was even worse than House of the Dead.


--
Been making movies since 1997.

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Totally agree with the OP and Home-Brewed. This movie blew big time. Every character was so over the top. Paul was the nice guy truly in love with the helpless girl, to the extreme. Dora was the sweet but nieve girl, to the extreme. Paul's buddies were slime balls, to the extreme, and last but not least, the Professor was by far and away the most over the top character. The movie was so predictable it was impossible not to know what was going to happen next in virtually every scene.

People are giving the OP a hard time about over analyzing the movie and not just enjoying it, but some of us on these boards can't look past such poor script writing. Some movies are enjoyable becasue they suck so badly. Showgirls, Congo, Anaconda, hell, even the original Ace Ventura was ridiculous, but we enjoy these films because they're so bad BUT they don't pretend to be good movies. They know they're lame, and they go with it. Who can forget the scene in Anaconda when Jon Voight winks at J Lo after being regurgitated by the snake?? HELLO?? Can anything be further from reality then that?? No, and that's why the scene rocked.

Movies like Loser are terrible, because the script and characters are poorly written and predictable, but they still try to pass themselves off as good films.

Check your palates. Get them tested.

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[deleted]

wow, i thought the movie was ok, but not the worst thing ever. come on, live a little for Christ's sake. About the emergency contact issue, maybe she didn't list her mom because she didn't want the mom to know what she was up to. If my mom found out i almost died from a roofie she would take me out of college and lock me in a closet.
overall, the movie's nice to watch once in a while, Kinnear's ridiculously good at being a jackass and I love to watch his bitch people out.

btw- I hate movie critics who whine and moan about how awful a movie was. that post could have been summed up to one sentence but instead you wanted to sound all smart and superior to everyone else so you can feel better about your sad life.

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I think this movie is great, very lighthearted and frothy which is why it's hilarious that you went to all this trouble to pick apart the faults in the plot. Plus the fact that some of the things you said seem to have totally missed the theme of the film - going off to college, not really knowing yourself, being naive, learning about trust, watching out for people who will exploit you (hence the Alcott storyline); thats why Dora and Paul are great for each other cause they're kindred spirits. Their families and ex boy/girlfriends aren't exactly going to be included because the film is about the new phase of their life at college in New York. Go figure.

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