LONERS: Political Satire? Kinda.

Sometimes the best part of a movie is its initial concept. A hypothetical idea brought up over drinks perhaps. Unfortunately, it takes a deft hand to turn odd concepts spat in passing conversation into a viable form of entertainment. Much is the case with Loners. Touted as a political satire, this comically underwritten, narratively overwritten plot means well though never proves a point.

Written and starring Neil McGowan and helmed by relative first-timer Eryc Tramonn, Loners struggles awkwardly to tell the tale of a government project where introverts are forced to attend Lone-Anon, a support group for misanthropes while being tracked through electronic headbands emblazoned with a bright red L to track their progress. The knee-jerk goal being to quell the epidemic of mass shootings generally perpetrated by loners. A funny enough plot to engage interest, but that’s about as far as one might want to invest once witnessing the end result.

When Good Ideas Go Bad

Loners is an “on paper” type of film, where conceptually the notion of government intervention into something as trivial as wanting to be alone works only in the realm of the film. Expecting to be treated to musings about depression and the effects of not making a connection with a fellow human, I was sadly disappointed. Instead, what followed came in the form of an uneven script trying to make a point through characters who are tough to empathize with. Quirky, often grating, anti-social traits amped-up to eleven make the cast astringent to watch. Had, say, Adam McKay or Mike Judge had a go at this premise, maybe the idea could tread water, but the amateurish humor and drawn-out screenplay ruin any lessons made by the finale.

The other issue is just how intelligent Big Brother actually is. The answer, not very. In order to beat the system, the support group members meet socially once a week to fulfill personal space mandates required to rehabilitate the introverts into healthy members of society. A law, if broken, is punishable by violent arrest and being remanded to an off-site prison. Under constant surveillance, it brings into question why the group is not simply taken into custody if all they do and talk about is considered a terrorist act? They are actually being recorded and still, the crooked government never arrests them?  If this was actually explained in the film, the messy plot negated any reason why anyone should care.

Ready. Sets. No.

I’m sure the budget of this film was modest and I will try to be as nice as possible when addressing the set design given that I, myself, spent several years working as a set dresser on low budget films.  The almost stage play set designs are pretty egregious here. Interiors felt slapdash and lazy with one set being nothing more than a room covered in white plastic. The set is even referred to in jest by brilliant character actor Stephen Tobolowsky in a sadly wasted role.

Generic music beds drone on throughout, flattening the already stilted comedy further. The cast, to be fair, is decent enough only to be sidled by corny one-liners and unpunched-up punchlines. Better suited as a Funny Or Die sketch, this venture could have thrived as a short, rather than the one-hour thirty-minute slog it became. Before you think the intent of this review is malicious, let it be known I wanted this to work and this fact stands as the impetus of why I’m being so hard on this movie. I needed more from the concept and was given first-year improv games instead. Watch any scene with Mike (Keith Stevenson), the over-the-top support group leader, and you’ll understand what kind of juvenile comedy this devolves into.

Better Luck Next Time

Understandably, comedy is a tough genre to nail down, especially political humor. Only, this didn’t feel poignant enough in what it set out to accomplish to be a true political satire. Bogged down by caustic characters and a weak narrative, what could have been a hilariously biting look at gun violence, mental health, and a militaristic oligarchy instead never bothers to develop a strong through-line to latch onto. What we are left with is cartoonish people spewing childish dialogue during the Lone-Anon meetings.

The trailer tells you all you need to know and seems to have a stronger impact than the feature itself. A real shame for such a comedically relevant concept. Frivolous in treatment, Loners never understands its true potential.

Is there a political satire you think the Film Inquiry community might want to discuss? Share your recommendations in our comments section and keep the conversation going.

Loners is currently available on VOD.