Lousy Carter

Lousy Carter might be a reminder that middle age is filled with monotony and unsolvable problems, but that doesn’t mean our movies have to be.

It’s a terrific performance, one that speaks volumes even as it explores the acute limits of Lousy’s emotional intelligence.

Turn the concept of a laugh-out-loud comedy inside-out and you’ll have a feel for Byington’s sense of humor: a sustained cruel hum, the room tone of a crypt.

Even by Byington’s lo-fi standards, Lousy Carter feels ramshackle. It’s got traces of the familiar warm bathos of his sardonic best work. However, like Lousy’s cardigan, it’s all a little threadbare.

Told in just under 80 minutes, "Lousy Carter" made me laugh uncomfortably quite often and then even shocked me at the end.

This low-stakes effort nevertheless proves capable of offering some smart insights into love and death, and a couple of genuinely affecting moments towards the end...

it’s fun watching the actor riff, and I’m still laughing at the phrase “discount for group cremation."

The cast delivers on the sardonic, dry wit of the screenplay. At the centre of it all is David Krumholtz's fantastic performance as the narcissistic, self-involved Carter.

A bleak and cynical comedy about a pretentious loser facing death, at least this misfire put "Lousy" right there in its title.


The deadpan comedy from Austin-based filmmaker Bob Byington features a terrific cast playing ordinary people resisting happiness. David Krumholtz plays the sad sack with a bit of charm, which keeps the audience from turning on the character.