Lloyd

I have nephews the same age as the main character in this film, & I think they'd spend the better part of this film as embarrassed as I was. But, briefly, here's the plot:

Lloyd is a skinny, red-headed, bespectacled sixth-grader (think of a twelve-year-old Carrot Top & you're dead on) who's so desperate to be popular that he is constantly doing ridiculous things that only get him jeers. He falls in love with the "new girl at school" but she goes for the boy that says, "I'm cute & popular." Furthermore, the teachers aren't entirely supportive of him. At home, his mother gives him pep talks but his little brother, apparently a kind of nine-year-old Cassanova, rags on him as much as anyone. Lloyd falls into a depression until he decides to use the only skill he seems to have, an interest in magic, to turn the tables on one of his teachers at a school function.

It sounds like standard kiddie movie fare, but there are some weird elements to this movie that compelled me to write this commentary. First of all, the kids are not very good actors. An elementary school in a suburb of Los Angeles doing the traditional Thanksgiving story could run rings around these youngsters. The tagline seems to want us to believe this is a story about self-esteem, but beside his queer looks, Lloyd really isn't all that special. The magic he learns from weird special guest Tom Arnold isn't really magic at all - it's a trick played in a movie, reliant on the cameras & editing, certainly not one a twelve-year-old could learn. So his search for self-esteem is banal in the extreme - was the director hoping for an audience of underachievers? & if he got it, wouldn't even underachievers be offended by it?

I was also a little nonplussed by the emphasis on children's sexuality. While obviously not on the level of your average teen "but I've never had sex" comedy, the film seems to spend a lot of time showing children in their early teens (barely out of adolescence) holding hands, kissing for the first time, dreaming about kissing, & talking about it. Lloyd's only friend describes french kissing as "ringing the bell" in the back of a girl's mouth. Oh, doubtless kids that age think about & do things of that nature all the time - it just felt stilted & clumsy to me, especially as Lloyd was completely clueless in that regard. An examination of the whys & hows of early courting, seen though the eyes of an outsider, could have been funny & revealing here.

The most confusing element is the stuff added apparently for adults wanting to be entertained while taking their kids to see the movie. A convenience store clerk with difficult facial hair stares at a movie he's watching at work & says, "I have got to finish film school." Tom Arnold, as a sort of mentor to Lloyd, talks a lot about how fat he used to be. The teacher in the "special ed" class Lloyd is sent to tells the kids he has problems with depression & talks about how an imaginary friend helped him in school, though the classes he mentioned are obviously college-level. Remember, this is not an indie comedy or even a Saturday Night Live franchise flick. This is ostensibly a movie to be viewed by kids in elementary & middle school. (In any event, for a fellow in his 30s, even those parts aren't very funny.)

I remember as a kid, the sophisticated parts of Warner Brothers cartoons might have baffled me, but the stuff for the whole family was funny. Later on, the deeply censored Hanna Barbera cartoons of the 70s were just plain insulting, even to a ten-year-old. But I can't believe that the director of this movie really thought he was talking to kids the same age as Lloyd. Now, I caught this film in the afternoon with nothing else on, & had never heard of it, so it didn't make much of a splash. But I think it's fair to say that some of the reasons it didn't were: a talentless, uninteresting cast; an unambitious focus; & baffling attempts to be funny beyond its apparent audience's years.

Lloyd is a 2001 comedy that centers around an 11 year old boy whose not the most popular kid on the playground, and his attempt to win over his classmates along with his schoolyard crush.

This is a pretty unknown and forgettable film that I thought was kind of charming in a protecting your little brother from a bully kind of way. The central character (Lloyd) portrayed by Todd Bosley is awkward and desperately Seeking validation from others so as to feel like he belongs, which doesn't work so well for him in the beginning, but eventually Lloyd learns to just be himself which ends the film on a high note and makes it slightly endearing. And although there isn't anything all that extravagant about the film, its themes of friendship and being yourself stick out well enough that it's definitely a good kid's film.

Todd does a good job as Lloyd, the star of the show. A not so good looking kid with a desperation to be looked upon as not ugly. The only exception to his good acting is one scene 45 minutes in, where some emotion was required. Depending on your expectation of a child actor you can let that slide. A quick word on the comic performance of Taylor Negron, Excellent.

Slight confusion creeps in when a child desperate for female attention becomes most upset about the situation directly after one girl's obvious attention. As for the excuse he was after one girl in particular, that's just being picky.

It's nice to see a film with some good comedy touches, that are subtly distributed throughout the film. There is nothing worse than the 'This Is A Joke' neon sign that many films use to try and get you to laugh. Not trying to be all meaningful or take itself particularly seriously, this film actually elevates itself above the general cheap riff raff that it would be pigeon-holed with.

I first saw this film when it was on HBO, and since then, I have bought it on DVD so i can watch it whenever i want. Anyway, it is a movie about this oddball in a class of midde-aged kids, who wants to go out with this girl called Tracy. Anyway, the story focuses on Lloyd, and how he keeps doing these inept attemps at winning Tracy's heart. It's a sweet story with a valuable lesson that is "Be thankfull for who you are". Definately worth a look. 7.5/10

Show cases the everyday challenges youth are subjected to during their informative years during school.

A smooth ride throughout the movie from scene to scene. Easy to watch, can hold your attention.

While some parts are indeed a tad bit "cheesey" there's a character in this movie that relates to everyone, weather its the 'ugly duckling', the bully, Ms. Popularity, or Rich Kid, we have all been through these experiences.

Touches on the feelings a child has with difficulties in learning, and needing extra help. There could have been a little more portrayed on the stigma of the "special classes" and how a child is treated once it is known they are attending them.

The brother's character could have been brought out a little stronger in some areas.

There is a positive vibe with the single mother towards her son, countering his feelings of worthlessness.

I liked the movie, and laughed freely throughout.....

I have already suggested this movie to friends and family for their younger school age kids to watch.