Zero Charisma

There is no need, what so ever, to have a knowledge of or background in computer gaming or board game role playing to enjoy this fine movie! The theme of the movie is built around gamers and their circle of fellow players who happen to be slightly socially inept and the clash of ego.

Scott - the game master or grand master - fulfills his ego by lording over his fellow players while creating his own world in the 'game'. Because outside of the 'game' he is a nobody, no real friends, no social life, no job. He is bossed around by his elderly grandmother and his mother (who abandoned him early in his life). Why the mother shows up in the story - you'll have to watch the movie! Then Scott finds his imaginary world and his marginal home life kicked out from under his control - he is lost - but determined to prove himself which only creates more chaos in his emotional world. He seems to learn his lesson about himself - but does he in the end?

The movie is a finely acted indie flick that addresses some element in many people and is told in such a way that you sympathize with these lost souls. There aren't any truly laugh out loud moments but some moments to chuckle at this collection of odd but well meaning people.

Sam Eidson does a fantastic job playing Scott, an old loser with an old school nerd gimmick. Living with his Nanna, but thinking he's a big shot. "Because I'm the game master, that's why," says the bumper sticker on his unimpressive car. Scott takes the audience with him on his descent from lowly loneliness into the abyss of public embarrassment via a myriad of burnt social bridges. Scott's ugly demise at the hands of Miles, played brilliantly by Garrett Graham is a thing of comic beauty. Scott's futile attempt to maintain his reign over his nerdlings falls short. Katie Folger is a bright spot, playing Kendra, Miles' girlfriend. "The gods must be avenged," as Scott would say, and you must watch this movie to find out if Scott has the last laugh. Highly recommended by The Zeus and Tom Show.

Whether you've grown up with table top role playing games (RPGs), or have only looked upon it with the eyes of an outsider (including those of you who've only played computerized RPGs), I think you'll find this movie very entertaining. The humor and pathos of ZERO CHARISMA are presented with loving and honest insight, so that even if your impulse is to laugh at the "pathetic losers", you will be hard pressed to not also find some resonance of the characters' actions and feelings in your own life.

The respectful and subtle presentation of the character motivations and interactions is more akin to the geek/nerd trope presented in RUSHMORE or (the very excellent) WHITEBOYS, and not at all like the outsider's take in NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (though if you're a fan of that film, you'll find equally ridiculous behaviors and situations to guffaw over in this movie...they're just a little more layered).

There's no need to go into the story in any depth, as the logline of this film is all you need to know going in. It's a good movie, although I may only think it's a 10 because I've played D&D for thirty years...and I recognize that this movie is celebrating that at the same time that it shines a light on the negative aspects of giving up Real Life for a fantasy world that we can control.

Well I watched this because I tremendously enjoyed gaming as a kid, before the internet and Playstations it was great. Is this a geek movie for geeks, nerds gamers or whomever? Yes in some aspects - I started watching it with my girlfriend who can happily watch the Avengers and whatnot but changed movie, the game references just went over her head so I watched it later myself. In the end however really at it's core to me it reflects people, their obsessions, their behaviour and interactions. The Game is a catalyst really and the movie proved more thought provoking than I expected, and more seious, the cast were good and incredibly awkward at times which provided the laughs. Zero Charisma was apt. Enjoyable enough however although I'd certainly recommend only to those who don't mind their geekery.

This was a really funny little film, and one that you should definitely see if you like tabletop games or nerd culture in general. The characters of this film are perfect representations of the kind of people you meet if you are into this scene.

Sam Eidson is completely spot on as the overweight fantasy loving neckbearded manchild Scott and is a perfect caricature of the overbearing control freak Gamemasters that I have met many times. Watching him alienate everyone around him is painful to watch but at the same time hilarious

A very funny film, and one that actually manages to captures how socially stunted and unbearable these people can be.