Slackers (film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Slackers

| image = Slackers.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Dewey Nicks

| producer = Erik Feig
Neal H. Moritz

| writer = David H. Steinberg

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Joey Altruda
Venus Brown
Justin Stanley

| cinematography = James R. Bagdonas

| editing = Tara Timpone

| studio = Screen Gems
Alliance Atlantis
Original Film
Slackers Productions

| distributor = Sony Pictures Releasing

| released = {{Film date|2002|2|1}}

| runtime = 86 minutes

| country = United States{{Cite web|work=AFI Catalog of Feature Films|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/62564-SLACKERS?sid=301b576e-142f-46f8-98b2-dcef28a83326&sr=10.336704&cp=1&pos=0|title=Slackers|url-status=live|publisher=American Film Institute|location=Los Angeles, California|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200224075037/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/62564-SLACKERS?sid=301b576e-142f-46f8-98b2-dcef28a83326&sr=10.336704&cp=1&pos=0|archive-date=February 24, 2020}}

| language = English

| budget = $14 million{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=slackers.htm|title=Slackers (2002) - Box Office Mojo|date=2002-02-14|accessdate=2011-07-06}}

| gross = $6.4 million

}}

Slackers is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Dewey Nicks and starring Devon Sawa, Jason Schwartzman, James King, Jason Segel, Michael Maronna, and Laura Prepon. Its plot follows a nerdy college student who blackmails a group of young men with his knowledge that they have cheated throughout college, and uses it to get closer to a young woman he is obsessed with.

The film was released on February 1, 2002 and grossed $6.4 million worldwide at the box office. It mainly received negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Best friends Dave Goodman, Sam Schecter, and Jeff Davis have spent almost four years at Holden University scamming their way through college. During one exam scam in their final semester, Dave meets Angela Patton and asks her out while writing his phone number on her exam sheet. Ethan Dulles (who calls himself "Cool Ethan"), a nerdy student who is obsessed with Angela, observes Dave and grows jealous. Ethan takes her exam question sheet after Angela leaves and uses it to blackmail the guys into setting up a successful date with Angela for him. The guys set Ethan up in multiple situations in an attempt to convince Angela to like him, while Dave tells Sam during their research that Angela is no more important to him as any other scam they have done. Ethan fails to attract her after frequent confrontations based on his delusional behavior, immaturity and flouting of social norms.

While trying to convince Angela to go out with Ethan, Dave and Angela develop a mutual attraction. After telling Ethan that he has failed to convince Angela to go out with him, Ethan reveals to Dave that he has been obsessing over Angela for quite some time. He reminds Dave that he still intends to get Dave and his friends expelled if they fail him. Angela and Dave go on an impromptu date after a study session. Ethan finds out and follows and records them. Dave and Angela share a romantic swim and lovemaking session, which Ethan records. He shows the tape of Dave and Angela making love to Sam and Jeff to establish that Dave intends to keep Angela for himself. Sam and Jeff, unhappy with Dave's dishonesty, hand over their research on Angela. Ethan shows the file to Angela, telling her that Dave and his friends were actively stalking her. Dave punches Ethan in the face, but Ethan thinks he won Angela.

After a falling out with everyone, Dave returns to the dorm and admits to Sam and Jeff that he honestly cares for Angela. After making amends, the guys sabotage Ethan's job interview with a law firm and, during the final exam, as Dave confesses the to Angela in front of the whole class about his years-long practice of cheating. Jeff plants an answer key in Ethan's backpack while tipping off the teaching assistant proctoring the exam. The men get expelled, but Dave and Angela get back together, and Sam ends up in a relationship with Angela's roommate, Reanna Cass. Jeff falsifies their diplomas from Holden University after Angela and Reanna graduate. Ethan, miserable that he lost Angela forever and got expelled from college after it was revealed he was stalking her, continues to work his dead end restaurant job, as he continues to pine for Angela and nurse a hatred for Dave.

Cast

{{Cast list|

Devon Sawa as Dave Goodman
Jason Schwartzman as "Cool" Ethan Dulles
Jaime King as Angela Patton
Jason Segel as Sam Schecter
Michael Maronna as Jeff Davis
Mamie Van Doren as Mrs. Helen Von Graaf
Laura Prepon as Reanna Cass
Joe Flaherty as Mr. Don Leonard
Leigh Taylor-Young as Valerie Patton, Angela's Stepmother
Sam Anderson as Charles Patton, Angela's Dad
Jim Rash as Head T.A. Philip
Retta as Bruna Jackson
Cameron Diaz as herself {{small|(uncredited)}}
Gina Gershon as Woman at Trendy Club {{small|(uncredited)}}

}}

Soundtrack

The film has a few tracks from Handsome Boy Modeling School (Prince Paul & Dan The Automator), including "Holy Calamity" and "Rock & Roll (Could Never Hip-Hop Like This)". It has a symphonic instrumental performance of "Baba O'Riley" from The Who playing over the opening credits, as well as an A Capella performance of "The Sign" by Ace of Base (sung by a college choir) during a scene.

Release and reception

= Box office =

Slackers opened at #11 in the box office with $2,785,283, the 11th highest-grossing opening film of the weekend,{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2002W05/|title=Domestic 2002 Weekend 5|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 11, 2020}} and lasted only two weeks in theaters before it closed on February 14, 2002, with a domestic total of $5,285,941 and $1,127,974 internationally, for a worldwide total of $6,413,915.

= Critical response =

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|10|3.3|105|Another teen comedy with little on its mind but moving to the next gross-out gag, Slackers strains for laughs and features grating characters.|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{rotten-tomatoes|slackers|Slackers}} {{Metacritic film prose|12|28|access-date=27 March 2025}} A few critics noted the dialogue as a positive,{{cite web|last1=Cline|first1=Rich|title=Shadows On The Wall|url=http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/swslacke.htm|accessdate=20 August 2014}} but not sufficiently good to warrant attention.{{cite web|last1=Turner|first1=Matthew|title=View London|url=http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/films/slackers-film-review-2874.html|accessdate=20 August 2014}}{{cite web|last1=McGuirk|first1=Margaret|title='Slackers' simply an embarrassment|url=http://www2.cincinnati.com/freetime/movies/mcgurk/020102_slackers.html|website=The Cincinnati Enquirer|publisher=Gannett|accessdate=20 August 2014|archive-date=21 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821004237/http://www2.cincinnati.com/freetime/movies/mcgurk/020102_slackers.html|url-status=dead}}

Philip French commented that "Slackers makes American Pie look like The Importance of Being Earnest."{{cite web|last=French|first=Philip|title=Slackers|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,714055,00.html|work=The Observer|accessdate=5 March 2012}}

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film a zero out of four stars and described the film as "a dirty movie. Not a sexy, erotic steamy or even smutty movie."{{cite web|title=Slackers|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/slackers-2002|publisher=Roger Ebert|date=2002-02-01|accessdate=2018-01-31}}