THE BENCHWARMERS
US, 2006, 80 minutes, Colour.
Rob Schneider, David Spade, Jon Heder, Jon Lovitz, Craig Kilborn.
Directed by Dennis Dugan.
Rob Schneider’s comedies are an acquired taste (box-office indicating that there is an audience out there), generally lower-rung, dumb and dumber type comedies. This one gets away with a little more because it takes a stand against bullies and bullying and that can’t be all bad - as well as taking as its sports theme America’s love for baseball. Which does seem to mean that if baseball is not your sport and you have a low tolerance level for corny jokes, bodily function jokes, and some general silliness, then you will have to give it a miss.
Schneider is actually the most sensible of the group, the hero, but David Spade does dumb routines and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) is terrible and irritating. Jon Lovitz, as the justifiably smug millionaire who finances a baseball team of misfits to beat the bullies, provides the best comedy.
1.The audience for this kind of film? American? Young? Male? The Dumb and Dumber aspects of the comedy? The baseball background? The theme of bullying?
2.Authentic locations, the town, the shops, the houses, gardens, baseball pitches? The musical score?
3.The standard of the comedy, Rob Schneider’s type of comedy? David Spade? John Heder as Napoleon Dynamite? Jon Lovitz and his sardonic comedy? The jokes, sport, bullying, bodily function jokes expected in this kind of film? How successful?
4.The trio, their relationship, dependence? How well was each developed as a character? Their interactions? Supporting each other? Their experience of bullying? The Dumb and Dumber aspects of their characters? The baseball scenes, their ineptitude? Even with the team, the farcical aspects – for baseball-watching fans?
5.Gus, age, gardening, wife? His being the most sensible of the three? The background of bullying, his defending the kids? The possibility of the team? His own past, the secret, his own bullying? Its being eventually exposed? His apology? His support of the group, the teams, the kids? Their success and victory?
6.Richie, working at the video store? The jokes at the video store? Dumb, unable to play well, relationship with Gus, with Clark? Ineptitude in playing? The bullying, the ultimate success? Clark, really dumb, the one-liners, his stupidity, slapstick comedy? How successful?
7.Mel, his coming across the group, his lifestyle, his lack of modesty about his success, the billionaire, his experience of bullying? His son? The family? His putting up the money, the establishing of the team? His supporting them?
8.The fathers, pride in their sons, the games, continuing the bullying, encouraging their children? Gus and his stand against them? The building up of the team, the clashes, the games?
9.The theme of the underdogs, especially with the theme of bullying, their training, gradually improving? The odd group of misfits – and the audience meant to laugh at the aspects of their being misfits? Audiences meant to cheer them on, their ultimately winning?
10.The credibility of the plot – a baseball fairy tale? With dumb touches? But an encouragement to people who feel themselves put down?
