Customer Reviews

Lollilove

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Going into viewing LolliLove, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I admit that I had some concerns that the positive reviews were just coming from fans of The Office who weren't being very objective. But that fear was quickly laid to rest -- this is a very clever and funny film, and I can honestly say that I would enjoy it just as much if I'd never heard of any of the actors. It's very well written (or written/improvised), and the actors do a great job of seeming completely sincere while saying ridiculous things.

Lollilove is definitely a low-budget production, and it shows in some ways. The sound isn't great in some scenes, and the video quality isn't up to what you may be used to seeing in major studio DVDs (shot on film). But that really ended up adding to my enjoyment of the film, rather than detracting from it. This really feels like a documentary, rather than a studio movie posing as a documentary.

The thing that amazes me most about LolliLove is how much talent it really shows. It's easy to look at big budget Hollywood films and think, "I could do that if I had millions of dollars to work with." But LolliLove was made with almost no money, almost no equipment and a relatively inexperienced cast and crew. I look at LolliLove and I can't fool myself into thinking I could have made it -- the only things they had that I don't are amazing creativity and talent.

I think LolliLove is worth checking out not just for fans of Jenna Fischer or James Gunn, but for anyone who likes the mockumentary style of comedy.

This mocumentary is so well done that I found myself having an emotional reaction to it, as if it were a true documentary. Funny, filled with irony and yet socially relevant, this movie is one that everyone should see and will thoroughly enjoy.

This Mockumentary is written, directed and stars Jenna Fischer. Where do you know Jenna from? Why, The Office! I admit I viewed this DVD because I love Jenna on The Office and Lollilove did not disappoint at all. It is similar in the mockumentary sense, but also very different. It is hilariously done and Jenna & her husband, James Gunn, are spot on. There are also great cameos from Linda Cardellini and Jason Segel from Freaks and Geeks.

The context of the mockumentary is a couple who wants to start a charity but the couple (Jenna and James) are somewhat shallow and self-centered. The idea they come up with involves handing out lollipops with uplifting mesages to the homeless and of course being self-serving by featuring James artwork.

I had the privilege of seeing LOLLILOVE at the 2005 Slamdance Festival in Park City, Utah.
I was surprised at how much the audience laughed during the film. Of course, all of the free-flowing ale may have had something to do with that.
The crowd was hysterical! The film is done in a cool home-video style that feels very real. This is one reason that the film has such a fresh feeling to it.

Jenna Fischer and James Gunn do such a great job and are both SO funny in the film. This was a first-time directing venture for Jenna which turned out well. I had the privilege of being in the cast and working with Jenna, so I got to experience her directing style, firsthand. Jenna is a very relaxed director, which allows the comedy and improv. to develop into MORE funny stuff! I knew, at the time, that this film was a labor of love being done with a tiny budget. So, I wasn't sure of what the final film would look like. I think everyone involved is thrilled with the outcome!
I play Kathy Rohl, a "benefactor" of Jenna's misguided charity work!

See LOLLILOVE, if you can!

The best mockumentaries are the ones so deadpan, so serious, that you almost feel uncomfortable while watching it because the situations seem so believable and awkward. That's always the problem with Christopher Guest's films like The Mighty Wind and Waiting for Guffman - they're just absurd enough that you can laugh merrily.

Jenna Fischer and James Gunn did an outstanding job making this a darkly humorous, painful to watch, hilarious documentary. As a fan of Jenna's character Pam on The Office, and after reading an interview with her and finding her to be as funny and sarcastic as her character, I was intrigued when I heard about Lollilove. And I enjoyed it thoroughly. Anyone who is a fan of black humor and deadpan comedy should give this a shot.

Directed by and starring Jenna Fischer who most people will know from her role in the American version of The Office tv series. Her very natural acting abilities make it very easy to forget that the documentary LolliLove you are watching, is actually a skillfully scripted and directed film. Fischer wrote her directorial debut with Peter Alton and (uncredited) her real-life husband James Gunn (writer of the Scooby Doo films, Dawn of the Dead remake and Tromeo and Juliet and writer/director of Slither) . Gunn also plays her husband in the film as well, and as he has shown briefly in Tromeo & Juliet, his acting is of the same lifelike quality as Jenna's.
Lollilove is about those people who try to do the right thing by devoting themselves to a charity project for all the wrong reasons and without any genuine knowledge or understanding of the badly treated individuals in our society they try to help, and even worse so: without any interest in them apart from the opportunity to show off as a better person themselves. And the saddest thing is that they don't even know or realize this themselves.
A very dark comedy that is never too funny and sometimes gut-wrenchingly showing the mental poverty of those who are looked upon as being well off.
With this film as her debut as a film director, it should only be common sense to be confident that Jenna Fischer has a rich career ahead of her.
The feature film is done justice with a rich collection of extra's on Troma's dvd presentation that would make Criterion proud. A very informative and entertaining audio-commentary by Fisher and Gunn with Peter Alton and producer Stephen Blackeheart (100 million BCfriends, a very detailed behind the scenes documentary and a rich collection of deleted scenes and interviews with the Gunns, but also historic film introductions with James Gunn and Stephen Blackeheart from various Troma films, exclusive footage from the set of James Gunn's Slither and much more.
Also starring Linda Cardellini (E.R., Broke Back Mountain), Jason Segel (CSI), Joan M. Blair (Donnie Darko, E.R.), Lloyd Kaufman (Terror Firmer) and many more, this is a star studded film that would have been a huge hit if it wasn't released by a blacklisted small independent film studio. Do yourself a favor and see this film. Buy it. Enjoy it.
Highly recommended!

Jenna Fischer is a lovely and talented lady with an awsome sense of humor that shines out in this fun independent mockumentary. It's like watching the Jenna and James home movie show with lots of fun little bits thrown in. Plus, its got a great message for the world, and that's always nice. I own it and I love it.

Wow, this movie really hits the spot. Whether you love lollipops or not, the subtle (and sometimes blatantly in-your-face) humor of this short, one hour film is is brilliant! Now I know why I love Jenna Fischer's fun character on "The Office" (U.S. version) and James Gunn. They sell this movie so well it'll make you want to, occasionally, hate them both enough to want to slap them across the head! Jenna Fischer and James Gunn play a married couple who want to give back to the community and all that jazz. So Fischer creates Lollilove, a charity to get the homeless back on their feet by giving each of them a lollipop. In essence, the lives of these homeless people will suddenly turn around and get back in gear because of a lollipop with Gunn's imaginative (and pretty ignorant) art on the wrappers. This movie is definitely smart, so check it out if you are looking for a good mockumentary. It follows the likes of "The Office," but with the more subtle humor of "Series 7: The Contenders," another subtle and smart low budget film.

The whole film has Jenna and James followed around by a camera as they are interviewed about Lollilove as well as their journey to their confident success. Written, produced, and directed by Fischer herself, you will not regret this purchase. Plus, the DVD has tons of goodies in the special features area, so you can have tons of fun even after the hilarity of the movie is over.

This movie was incredibly funny. It is a must-see for any fan of the mockumentary format. Anyone who has ever lived in L.A. or even knows a handful of people from L.A., knows someone like this couple. It is defintiely the kind of movie you can watch again and again. Very cool that they were able to put it together on a limited budget -- it was a lot better than most MAJOR motion pictures.

Director/co-writer/star Jenna Fischer may be the on the recieving end of Steve Carell's self-important antics in "The Office" but in "Lollilove" she plays a role akin to Carell's egocentric boss on that show/ The mockumentary goes after those who think of giving to charity (individuals and companies) as a way to gain attention, as well as mocking the marriage between Jenna and James Gunn (her real-life husband, hilariously playing a germ-phobe who has problems being near homeless people). Since this real life couple play a spoof of themselves one might fear that the film would cave in on itself and lose its edge if the film seemed far too "inside" and come off as its own exercise of attention to its stars. Luckily the film is tightly wound around its premise and nuances of the couple (they're quibles are at times very rich and hilarious) that you feel settled into watching realized characters rather than real people playing characters. A great comedy that deserves to become a cult hit. Definately worth seeking out!