The Benchwarmers [Blu-ray] [2006] [US Import]

I saw this film last night and I can honestly say I haven't laughed so much in ages! Looking at the other review, I can say that I think it's all necessary because it just all adds to the nature of the film. Believe me, I HATED Napoleon Dynamite... It just didn't ring any bells at all. Somehow, Jon Heder acts the same way and it's a completely different effect! Rob Schneider isn't the best one in this film, he's just obviously the main character and he plays it well enough. I agree with "ChibiDragon" about Jon Lovitz, because he's fantastic here... eccentric and arguably the driving force behind the activity in the story line.

So, if you have a sense of humour, you're gonna love this film! It's best watched with a few friends just for atmosphere and yes, it does help if you're an Adam Sandler fan as it's a Happy Madison production. Buy and Enjoy!

...but I did! I watched it as there was not much else on but tbh I wasn't expecting much. I definitely wasn't expecting it to be as brilliant as it was! Ok, so it's not a thought provoking-cutting edge-oscar nominated film, but it had me laughing out loud at parts and gasping in slight horror/surprise at some of the more unexpected ones. The idea is simple and you've heard it all before; 3 self proclaimed 'losers' join forces to get back at those who tormetned them when they were younger, and in this case that just happens to be by beating them at baseball (a sport they happen to have never played). So it sounds ridiculous and like a million other films, but the characters are superbly crafted to be funny and likeable- and the 'baddies' take on typical macho and mean form. But along the way there are some classic moments, and the mentioned simplicity is actually what makes it so enjoyable. An easy watch with a lot of laughs and alot of heart. As long as you don't take it too seriously, then a definite film to cheer you up or just chuckle at with mates over and over again.

I wasn't all that enthused about watching The Benchwarmers, but the film had me laughing from the very start and really surprised me with its home run of an ending, as it featured a really effective twist on an otherwise wholly predictable story. Underdog movies like this are a dime a dozen, but The Benchwarmers is really one of the better ones. With Saturday Night Live alums every where you look (and a little helping hand from Adam Sandler as co-executive producer), this movie has the comedy covered. Sure, it's decidedly juvenile in nature, but guess what? The film's main target audience is juveniles. Whether we like it or not, growing up involves a lot of fart jokes, underwear incidents, and name-calling. The comedy is actually one of the most realistic aspects of the film, if you ask me.

So here's the deal. After watching some bully athletes torment three kids for daring to play some baseball on "their" public field, Gus (Rob Schneider) decides to drag out the old mitt and play a little ball with two of his really dysfunctional buddies, Richie (David Spade), who sports a 3 Stooges-inspired haircut and works at the local video store, and Clark (Jon Heder), a really dumb paper-delivery guy. When the snotty ball players show up again, Gus challenges them to a game - and he, Richie, and Clark actually win, thanks to Gus' baseball prowess. Other challenges roll in, and before you know it local nerd-turned-billionaire Mel (Jon Lovitz) puts together a statewide round robin tournament, with the winner earning a fancy new stadium for his town. All of those who have suffered at the hands of bullies, young and old alike, start turning up to cheer on their "Benchwarmers" 3-man baseball team. Now you might think that, in the end, something happens to Gus and his severely baseball-challenged teammates somehow manage to win the day for all of the nerds and geeks supporting them. You might think that, but you'd be wrong - sort of, anyway. The way the ending comes off is no less corny than the rest of the movie, but it is rather delightfully different and serves to reinforce the message of the whole story.

It's sort of a shame that the movie has to be PG-13, since even younger kids will get a big kick out of it, but I don't know that I would have done anything differently (well, a little less projectile vomiting, maybe). Kids can be as crude as they are cruel (and I can pretty much assure you that your little eight-year-old angel will understand every crude gag in this film). I'm just thankful the beef stew thing wasn't around when I was a kid - if you don't know what I'm talking about, just nod your head and move on because I can assure you it's nothing you would want to have stored in your personal memory banks of childhood. As for the other stuff like pulling someone else's pants down, taking a shot in the groin, losing control of a bat and hitting all sorts of things with it - it doesn't matter how old these gags are, they're still funny, dadgum it (when they happen to someone else, at least). Some of the jokes do get stretched a little too far, but I think I laughed at every one of them.

The film also has a few interesting cameos. I was thrilled when my all-time favorite player, Reggie Jackson, showed up - and he brought lots of comedy with him as he tried to turn the utterly hopeless Richie and Clark into ball players. Molly Sims and Erinn Bartlett add some nice eye candy - even though there's no way, in any universe, that the salad girl would fall for David Spade's mop headed character. Still, it's nice to dream. It's also nice to laugh, and you should be doing plenty of that as you watch this film play out.