When faced with their imminent demise, most people would probably be pretty upset. However, when Lousy Carter learns that he is terminally ill, his reaction is rather more pragmatic and blasé. As a professor of literature, he teaches a graduate seminar on The Great Gatsby to students who get their facts from Wikipedia and show little interest. He is divorced, has a difficult relationship with his mother and is estranged from his sister. There is no one he particularly cares about and no one particularly cares about him. The only thing he does care about is trying to complete his animated film based on a work by Nabokov. But in general, life already sucks… so why should it suddenly get any better now that he is dying?
In theaters and on digital March 29, 2024 through Magnolia Pictures, this sums up the new film Lousy Carter. Written and directed by Bob Byington (Somebody Up There Likes Me 2012, Infinity Baby 2017), Lousy Carter is a Comedy with a difference. Rather than laugh out loud moments and a feel good atmosphere, Lousy Carter is dry and deadpan. There are no touchy feely moments where life lessons are learnt, and characters are reconciled. The film also takes a much more skeptical approach – some might even say a much more realistic approach to life and death. However, it will certainly appeal to the cynics amongst us.
Bringing it to life, David Krumholtz (10 Things I Hate About You 1999, Oppenheimer 2023) plays the titular character and is great as Carter. And while he may not be a particularly loveable character, regardless he is still relatable and always compelling. That in mind, some of his best scenes are with Gail (Luxy Banner: The One You’re With 2021, Sorry About the Demon 2022); a student who challenges Carter at every point and uses him for her own devices.
Coming in at under ninety minutes, Lousy Carter is a swift but effective film. As well as being an interesting character study, it takes an interesting look at how others perceive us and how those perceptions change, or do not change, when we die. The film also looks at how we treat others and the consequences of those actions. That said, one of the film’s most memorable scenes is a moment in which one character’s treatment of another character comes back to haunt them.
In the end, if you like your Comedies on the more light-hearted side, then Lousy Carter might be a film that you struggle with. This is a Comedy with a dark sense of humor served with a large side of cynicism. For those that find themselves drawn in, it is also worth noting that there is a mid-credits scene. For all matters considered, Cryptic Rock gives Lousy Carter 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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