Nowadays, multi-hyphenate author/director/govt producer/co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn is a reasonably huge mover and shaker within the leisure world, however in 2004, he was nonetheless simply getting his profession off the bottom. Positive, he had been working with Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Studios for years at that time, having written “Tromeo and Juliet” in 1996 for his very first official gig, and he had written a profitable screenplay for “Scooby-Doo” in 2002, however he was removed from the skilled and popular culture titan he’s as we speak. In true Troma spirit, nonetheless, Gunn was nonetheless arduous at work on low-budget tasks, and he starred as a model of himself alongside his then-wife Jenna Fischer in her directorial debut, a mockumentary known as “LolliLove.”
“LolliLove” is as indie because it will get, filmed for about $1,500 and shot in and round Gunn and Fischer’s house, with precise footage from their wedding ceremony used as B-roll. The mockumentary options Gunn and Fischer as fictionalized variations of themselves who’re self-obsessed however wish to seem to do good deeds, and the fictional Jenna decides to begin a charity the place she provides lollipops with useful messages to unhoused folks. Troma finally ended up distributing the movie, and like most Troma motion pictures, “LolliLove” has some jokes which might be approach past the bounds of fine style, however there are nonetheless some issues to understand on this odd footnote in Gunn’s profession.
LolliLove is each offensive and hilariously prescient
“LolliLove” is sort of weird to look at in 2025 as a result of the world has modified a lot, and but the sort of self-righteous yuppies that Fischer and Gunn are spoofing are nonetheless virtually precisely the identical. Watching Jenna and James give out their lollipops on digital camera is precisely like watching the untold numbers of TikTokkers and YouTubers who do very comparable issues within the identify of self-promotion. The film’s roasting of people that use charity to additional their very own objectives whereas feeling morally superior is extremely on-point and feels prescient, declaring a societal subject that may solely get exponentially worse with the rise of social media.
Here is the factor: there are some jokes in “LolliLove” that completely don’t cross the poor style check in 2025. James and Jenna are purported to be deliberately terrible folks, however a few of the issues they are saying and the best way they’re mentioned may simply be taken out of context, and the “mockumentary” aspect is missed. That is Gunn and co. at their most deliberately stunning, from a time when he made some jokes that actually upset folks (and finally obtained him fired from Disney for a bit), so “LolliLove” is not for tremendous delicate viewers. If you happen to can deal with a little bit Troma-esque comedy circa 2004, nonetheless, it has some actual laughs and a few nice cameos from massive stars of their early days.
LolliLove is an odd slice of 2004 with some enjoyable cameos
The screenplay for “LolliLove” was written by Fischer and Peter Alton, who additionally narrated the movie, however the film was additionally largely ad-libbed. As a result of tremendous low price range and ad-libbing, there are moments the place “LolliLove” virtually seems like a scholar movie, making it all of the wilder when massive stars seem. Fischer would go on to star as Pam in “The Workplace” solely a 12 months later, and Gunn is now one of many largest names in Hollywood, however “LolliLove” additionally options Jason Segel and Linda Cardellini enjoying variations of themselves as associates of James and Jenna’s who focus on their charity plans. Troma president Lloyd Kaufman seems as “Father Lloyd,” and Judy Greer even seems as a fictionalized “Judy.” It is well-known that Troma helped kickstart Gunn’s profession, however it’s fascinating that it additionally helped give Fischer her directorial debut, and that a few of the couple’s associates helped them out.
Whereas there are issues in “LolliLove” that have not aged properly, there are issues it is satirizing that really feel much more related as we speak, so it should not be utterly ignored. If you happen to’re on the lookout for an fascinating peek into the previous that reveals a few of James Gunn’s comedic Troma-based roots, it is price trying out this unusual little mockumentary on Prime.
