Lately, multi-hyphenate author/director/government producer/co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn is a reasonably large 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 successful screenplay for “Scooby-Doo” in 2002, however he was removed from the skilled and popular culture titan he’s at this time. In true Troma spirit, nonetheless, Gunn was nonetheless exhausting at work on low-budget initiatives, and he starred as a model of himself alongside his then-wife Jenna Fischer in her directorial debut, a mockumentary referred to 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 marriage ceremony used as B-roll. The mockumentary options Gunn and Fischer as fictionalized variations of themselves who’re self-obsessed however need to seem to do good deeds, and the fictional Jenna decides to start out a charity the place she provides lollipops with useful messages to unhoused individuals. Troma finally ended up distributing the movie, and like most Troma films, “LolliLove” has some jokes which can 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 form of weird to observe in 2025 as a result of the world has modified a lot, and but the form 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 digicam is precisely like watching the untold numbers of TikTokkers and YouTubers who do very related issues within the title of self-promotion. The film’s roasting of people that use charity to additional their very own targets whereas feeling morally superior is extremely on-point and feels prescient, stating a societal situation that may solely get exponentially worse with the rise of social media.
This is the factor: there are some jokes in “LolliLove” that completely don’t cross the poor style take a look at in 2025. James and Jenna are speculated to be deliberately terrible individuals, however among the issues they are saying and the way in which they’re mentioned may simply be taken out of context, and the “mockumentary” ingredient is missed. That is Gunn and co. at their most deliberately stunning, from a time when he made some jokes that basically upset individuals (and finally got him fired from Disney for a bit), so “LolliLove” is not for tremendous delicate viewers. For those who can deal with just a little Troma-esque comedy circa 2004, nonetheless, it has some actual laughs and a few nice cameos from large 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 funds and ad-libbing, there are moments the place “LolliLove” virtually seems like a pupil movie, making it all of the wilder when large stars seem. Fischer would go on to star as Pam in “The Workplace” solely a yr later, and Gunn is now one of many greatest names in Hollywood, however “LolliLove” additionally options Jason Segel and Linda Cardellini enjoying variations of themselves as mates of James and Jenna’s who talk about 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 career, nevertheless it’s fascinating that it additionally helped give Fischer her directorial debut, and that among the couple’s mates 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 at this time, so it should not be fully ignored. For those who’re in search of an fascinating peek into the previous that reveals a few of James Gunn’s comedic Troma-based roots, it is price testing this unusual little mockumentary on Prime.
