Product Details

• Actors: Joseph Rye, Francis Fallon, Elyse Ashton, David Goldman, Alex Lange
• Directors: Doug Cawker, Lech Kowalski
• Writers: Doug Cawker, Howard Roth
• Producers: Doug Cawker, Catherine Bourdeau, Howard Roth, John Rhode
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Mvd Visual
• VHS Release Date: March 16, 1999
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000INGP
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,895 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Andrew Duncan, Chord Magazine
Somewhere between the British drug saga "Trainspotting" and the grunge love of "Singles" lies Born To Lose, a movie based on the Los Angeles music scene.

Product Description
This shoestring film provides a neo-realistic glimpse into the dreary punk periphery of the Los Angeles music scene. The story focuses on the underground band, "The Spoilers," and lead singer, Stevie Monroe's odyssey of nihilism. As Stevie submerges himself in narcotics, everything around him falls apart, including his band and relationship with his girlfriend.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars none of these reveiws are talking about this film!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, August 14, 2005

By	Deborah Ayala "thundersfan" (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Born to Lose (DVD)

This is not the Johnny Thunders documentary ''Born to Lose: The Last Rock N Roll Movie'' This is another punk rock doc. Do not get confused. The Thunders film is very hard to get. Your lucky if you get a 3rd generation copy of it for $100.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oh yeah, pour some sugar on this., June 3, 1999

By A Customer

More fun than an afternoon at IHOP reading the paper, less fun than having your toes flossed by a geisha girl named Mindy. Finally a real depiction of Punk Rock, not a sad Hollywood gelled hair ripoff. Buy it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SHOESTRING PUNK ROCK GEM!, June 28, 2002

By	"peppydoe" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Born to Lose (DVD)

"With a title like "Born To Lose" you can't expect this film to be a light sunny romp. What you get is a dark and gloomy look at the life of a struggling group of musicians trying to have some fun. They lurch from gig to gig, having their share of problems with drugs, money, women and just life in general. It has the raw feeling of real life without getting sentimental or preachy. The lead singer of the band, played by Joseph Rye, has a wicked drug problem that is almost as bad as his acidic personality. Like Johnny Thunders for sure. He's not the sort of person you want to have around unless you enjoy watching train wrecks or following ambulances. I can't say I ever felt bad for him after all the crap lands his way because he is his own worst enemy. But I did feel like it was real and I got involved with the struggle. There are a number of references to the Dolls and Thunders, besides the film title... "Looking for a new bass player that sounds like Billy Rath." Although this is the story of an LA based band not NYC like the Heartbreakers. Lech Kowalski's new film has a title that is very similar to this one (Born To Lose: The Last Rock & Roll Movie) and they deal with similar themes. But it would be a shame to miss this one because of the similar names. This film was released before the Kowalski picture and owes nothing to it. Similar but different. If you like one, you'll like the other.