For a lot of comedian ebook followers, James Gunn’s existence solely actually got here on their radar in 2014, with Guardians of the Galaxy. From there, he would transfer over to DC, the place he now holds the place of Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of DC Studios. Extra lately, Gunn would direct some of the mentioned releases of the previous decade in 2025’s Superman. Nevertheless, for these into indie movies, Gunn could be a extra recognizable identify, having made the beloved cult-classic superhero flick Tremendous, and to a lesser extent, his physique horror movie Slither. After all, for probably the most devoted of cult film buffs, Gunn would make a reputation for himself writing for Troma, penning one of many manufacturing firm’s greatest movies in Terror Firma.
But out of every little thing that James Gunn has labored on, one venture stays comparatively obscure, a mockumentary indie-comedy known as LolliLove, written and directed by The Workplace alumna Jenna Fischer. Right here, Gunn would additionally get a credit score on the screenplay, however most notably, he would step into the lead function, the one time he has ever finished so in his profession. On paper, you’d assume that the film could be heralded as a cult gem, however LolliLove has been misplaced to time, arguably for a very good motive.
James Gunn and Jenna Fischer Make a Charming But Flawed Pair in ‘LolliLove’
Constructed on an absurd premise, LolliLove follows a self-absorbed couple, Jenna Fischer and James Gunn, enjoying exaggerated variations of themselves, as they share their objective with a digicam crew to begin a charity they consider could make a change. The charity, named LolliLove, goals to offer the homeless inhabitants (utilizing the language on the time of launch) lollipops with uplifting messages to assist get them out of the poverty they’ve discovered themselves in. This results in awkward run-ins with the native inhabitants and some violent altercations. Right here, James typically steps into the function of supportive husband, assuring Jenna that no matter occurs, her charity is doing important work.
The film delivered cringe-inducing comedy by way of satire on white saviorism, performative charity, celebridom, and upper-class guilt. But, the movie’s actual energy nonetheless lies within the pairing of Gunn and Fischer, who have been a real-life husband-and-wife duo on the time. Whereas the 2 would separate in 2008, they play exaggerated variations of themselves and their relationship, poking enjoyable at numerous topics as a married couple is oddly endearing when their background. Furthermore, as disillusioned and useless because the charity idea is, it’s laborious to hate the couple themselves, whose dedication to stupidity and one another stays charming.
LolliLove additionally has that DIY spirit to filmmaking that immediately imbues it with a level of admiration. It was Fischer’s solely foray into directing. Within the movie’s particular options, she would describe the method: “I made LolliLove with my ex-husband James Gunn. We shot it with a handheld digicam in our house. I directed, wrote, and edited it. It was a labor of affection… or insanity.” This mentality of filmmaking has led to some nice cult classics, and whereas LolliLove shouldn’t be that, the spirit of what makes a fantastic cult movie is within the bones of the manufacturing.
The Charms of ‘LolliLove’ Put on Off When You Take a Step Again
LolliLove actually has elements in its humor that stay related, maybe much more so, to trendy social discourse, particularly round disillusionment and an oversimplification of points by way of narrow-mindedness; James and Jenna’s vapid and misguided characters really feel like much less of a parody at present than they did again then. But, the success of each events undermines what LolliLove is, with Gunn occurring to work on among the greatest comedies of all time, and Fischer turning into some of the recognizable faces on TV along with her function in The Workplace. The latter, particularly, is such a extra sharply refined satire as compared, to not point out the right comedic pairing of Jim and Pam, that it kills any comedic legacy LolliLove might have had.
The obvious shortcoming of the film now could be how dated its humor is. 2004 was a distinct time, and with how society has progressed since then, a lot of the humor in LolliLove feels exploitative. This isn’t to say that the movie is deliberately mean-spirited, however as a substitute, within the concentrate on mocking misguided upper-class morality, the movie develops an unsavory otherism in the direction of these in want. Though this humor handed in 2004, it doesn’t stand as much as trendy scrutiny. Should you can strategy it with the unique intent in thoughts, LolliLove is a satisfactory, at occasions charming, indie comedy, however why accept much less when you’ve gotten higher from each events concerned?
You’ll be able to stream LolliLove on Prime Video.