You know, it wasn't until Anchor Bay Entertainment reissued The Specials on DVD that I realized just how much I truly enjoy James Gunn's work.  I had never seen the much-overlooked superhero comedy, but it quickly became a classic among my group of friends.  However, I was completely unfamiliar with the work of his wife, actress Jenna Fischer, who has gained fame through her role on NBC's The Office, which I've unfortunately only caught a few minutes of (my weekly television viewing averages to about a half-hour and that's only when there's a new season of South Park), but I heard a lot of good things about her directorial debut Lollilove following it's few festival screenings in 2004 and 2005.  So when I found myself at a loss for material for my film festival, I shot producer Stephen Blackehart (better known to Troma fans as Benny from Tromeo & Juliet and the star of Rockabilly Vampire) an e-mail and within a couple weeks, I had my hands on a screener of the film, which I later learned was set for release through Troma.  Upon popping the DVD-R in my player, I discovered that when it comes to talent, Jenna Fischer and James Gunn are a perfect match.

Taking the persona of a made-for-public-television documentary, Lollilove follows James and Jenna, who portray caricatures of Hollywood humanitarians that are more interested in the publicity and fame that comes from charity work instead of the good deeds and morals it promotes.  Well, at least Jenna is more concerned with those factors, while James is focused on putting out as little effort as possible to please his wife.  Jenna's latest proposal for making the world a better place while reaping all of the benefits is an organization called Lollilove, which plans to distribute lollipops, which feature some inspirational messages and artwork from James, to homeless people, in hopes to bring meaning to their lives.  Of course, with their minds focused more on rubbing elbows with celebrities and not appearing as shallow as they truly are, Jenna and James find themselves on a rocky trail to finding financial sponsors for the project and hit an even rockier slope in their personal lives.  But when the checks finally get signed and the project goes into full-swing, we see just how devoted to the homeless the couple truly is.

Lollilove plays just like those mockumentaries you're all familiar with (Waiting For Guffman, This Is Spinal Tap, and television's Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development), but this one has a bit of a twist.  In Lollilove, Jenna Fischer and James Gunn make a daring move by portraying fictional characters under their own names.  In other words, this is a fictional movie and though James and Jenna play themselves and still photographs and wedding footage are used to provide a more realistic feel to the faux-documentary style,  what you see on screen is not their real persona.  For anyone to risk their own reputation and character to portray such a brilliant satire of the superficial motives that many celebrity humanitarians display is a bold and daring move and Jenna Fischer handles the subject with enough tongue-in-cheek brilliance that Lollilove keeps you laughing, even at the most risqué and decidedly politically incorrect jokes.

But, you must consider the message behind the film when seeing all of the un-PC jokes.  Jenna Fischer is condemning such behavior through biting satire, though through the screening of the film I held, I discovered several people took offense to the point that they missed the message of the film.  Of course, the fact that there was a homeless man sitting at the end of the bar at the coffee shop where I host my festival might have caused this, but what you need to think about when watching Lollilove is that there are people out there that have the same motives for their well-doing and have no honest care for helping the world, other than their reputation.

This satirical look at the world of charity is more effective, considering the fact that Lollilove is truly inspired in it's humor.  With all of the people behind the scenes coming from comedy backgrounds, it's no surprise that the film is hysterical and the performances are gold.  James and Jenna bring a dynamic comedic force and their real-life marriage experiences only elevates said dynamic.  Everyone in the film, be it Hollywood friends (such as Linda Cardellini, Judy Greer, Jason Segal, and of course, Lloyd Kaufman) or less famous associates, bring damn near perfect comedic timing.  Of special note is Joan Blair, who provides one of the most memorable laughs in the film as a falsely-diagnosed anorexic that speaks for Jenna's previous charitable work.  But what really brings the film altogether is the editing by Peter Alton, whose work in documentary filmmaking gives Lollilove the realistic tone that brings it's satire to life.

Simply put, Jenna Fischer has made an amazing directorial debut with Lollilove.  The film is absolutely hysterical and I can not wait to see what she does next.  Hell, I may even break my several year detox from television to put The Office on my must-watch list (okay, I'll be honest... I'll probably just pick up the DVD instead).  I'd say that Lollilove might just be the best film Troma will release in 2006 and possibly the best film they've released this millennium.  This film is definitely a must-see for Troma fans and film fans alike.  I highly recommend Lollilove to anyone who wants a good laugh and has a good love for satire.  The DVD is packed with extras, including several outtakes, MANY deleted scenes, and even behind-the-scenes look at James Gunn's upcoming Universal production Slither.  I assure you, when it comes to comedies and DVD releases, it doesn't get much better than Lollilove.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars