Lousy Carter

Lousy Carter is a 2023 American comedy film written, directed, and produced by Bob Byington. It stars David Krumholtz, Olivia Thirlby, Martin Starr, Stephen Root, Jocelyn DeBoer, and Trieste Kelly Dunn.

Lousy Carter
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bob Byington
Written by	Bob Byington
Produced by	Bob Byington Chris McKenna
Starring	David Krumholtz Olivia Thirlby Martin Starr Stephen Root Jocelyn DeBoer Trieste Kelly Dunn
Cinematography	Carmen Hilbert Lauren Pruitt
Edited by	Kris Boustedt
Music by	Leafcuts
Production company	Americano Brutto
Distributed by	Magnolia Pictures
Release dates	August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09) (Locarno) March 29, 2024 (2024-03-29) (United States)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$11,236[1][2]

Premise

Lousy Carter was once an acclaimed animator as a young man, but has settled into his middle-aged life as a mediocre college literature professor with a cantankerous personality. When visiting the doctor, he learns that he only has six months to live due to a terminal illness. Rather than trying to turn his life around, he tells no one about his diagnosis and simply continues on with his unexceptional life and failed relationships.^[3][4]

Cast

• David Krumholtz as Lousy Carter
• Martin Starr as Kaminsky
• Olivia Thirlby as Candela
• Jocelyn DeBoer as Olivia Kaminsky
• Trieste Kelly Dunn as Sister
• Stephen Root as Analyst
• Macon Blair as Dick Anthony
• Luxy Banner as Gail
• Jesse Singal as Prison Guy

Production

Jay Duplass was originally set to star before dropping out and being replaced by David Krumholtz.^[5] The film was shot in 15 days in December 2021, primarily at the Baker Center in Austin, Texas.^[5][6]

Release

After premiering at the 76th Locarno Film Festival, the film was acquired by Magnolia Pictures for domestic distribution.^[7] The film was released in the United States on March 29, 2024.^[8]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 35 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.0/10.^[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[10]