Der Pechvogel

Spencer (Jesse Bradford) moves to Los Angeles to start anew. Unexpectly, he runs into (literally!) a car driven by a girl, Melora (Mia Kershner), from his home town who he has admired for years. Voila! She also works at the same advertising firm where Spencer has just signed on as a mail clerk. However, there are complications. To begin, Melora has an on again, off again relationship with a big ad man from the same company. Also, Spencer has a room in an old mansion owned by a gay male couple, who may need him to star in their film project. It is X-rated! Does Spencer have a chance with the lady of his dreams? For those who love old fashioned love stories, this one is a good one! The two stars are wonderfully attractive and funny and the bizarre stream of characters that inhabit the film hit the funny bone, too. The costumes are a bit dismal but the local scenery is very nice. However, a word of caution is advised. There is some racy dialogue pertaining to the gay couple and their pornographic film. While the number of minutes devoted to them is small, those who like good clean fun may be offended. Nonetheless, this film shoots an almost-straight arrow at the heart of those who cherish the timeless tale of love.

Okay, I admit it, I only rented this movie out because Jesse Bradford is in it (which if you ask me is good enough reason alone!) What I got was basically a predictable romance...There are a few amusing scenes in this film (mainly those with Spencer's room-mates) But thats it. The movie relies too heavily on gay jokes and basic plot elements. Best watched for either a Jesse perve, (which is worth it by the way!) Or for an easy-to-watch pretty much brain-less film.

There are elements of this film that surpass the "typical chick-flick" genre.

What shines in this picture are the smaller roles and the writing. Marissa Ribisi and Precious Chong give amazing performances in the "film-within-a-film," and Florence Stanley is, as usual, brilliant.

Yes, it is a treat for the "I could watch Jesse brush his teeth" set, but nothing beats David Krumholtz in his underwear. Even when he's not singing.

I saw this movie on cable on rainy day when there was nothing else on TV, not knowing what to expect but my curiosity was peaked by the talent (Mia Kirshner, Giovanni Ribisi, Jesse Bradeford...script by Melissa Ribisi).

I was surprisingly thoroughly entertained and laughed myself silly. It was funny! It's one of those films that if you live of have lived in Los Angeles, you can appreciate the humor. Kind of like Swingers (I saw Swingers when I lived in NY, and I didn't get the hype, then I saw it a few years later after moving to LA and I couldn't stop laughing).

Not a masterpiece but if you're ever home on a rainy day and should happen to stumble across this one on cable, it's the worth the time.

The stale premise - an innocent youth comes to the big city and against all odds wins the career and girl of his dreams - is not made fresher by such devices as a deceased grandma who keeps showing up to offer sage advice. (The only point of marginal interest is the script's limp switcheroo on "The Apartment": Here, it's the junior executive (Kirshner) who's involved with the boss, while the torch-carrying schnook is working class.) In "King of the Hill" Jesse Bradford had enough charisma to carry a film, a quality that appears to have receded as puberty set in. Or maybe he just gets poor career advice. Certainly he is ill served by drek like "SwimFan," "Speedway Junky," and this one. . .

In a subplot tied with the thinnest of threads to the main story, Spencer's roommates (David Krumholtz and Adam Goldberg) are holed up in a mansion they evidently and unaccountably own, attempting to make an amateur porn film. Watching their mirthless antics I was reminded of the efforts of supporting players Abbott and Costello to shine as a team in "One Night in the Tropics," except neither Krumholtz nor Goldberg would qualify as "the funny one." Even the title is off - Spencer is a clueless naif who never expresses any view of life that would qualify as "according to." The picture seems intended as a lighthearted romp among friends, but the results are just heavy, predictable, and dull.