Superior slapstick gets the humor going in ‘Benchwarmers’
This movie is better than I expected. ‘The Benchwarmers’ is a Saturday Night Live-esque concoction targeted for teenage+ boys. Translation: this is a movie full of slapstick, frivolity and crudeness. It’s no surprise that most of the nation’s critics panned the movie (studios didn’t even screen it), for high art this ain’t. But for me, good slapstick goes a long way. I went into the movie with low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised by a pretty good addition to the Adam Sandler library.
No, Sandler didn’t direct or star in the film. But he was a producer; he contributed to the script, and suggested Jon Heder (the “Napoleon Dynamite” man himself) for the role originally written for Chris Farley. The movie has the flavor of “Billy Madison” and “Happy Gilmore,” though it brings “Revenge of the Nerds” and “Animal House” to mind. This is a story about nerds vs. jocks, the bullied vs. the bullies.
The movie begins with two men who grew up ‘bullied’: Gus (played by an unusually likable Rob Schneider) and Clark (played by an unusually inconsistent Jon Heder). Gus is the most normal guy in the story, while Clark’s brain seems to still be 11. The two notice a fight going on at a nearby baseball field, between young jocks and nerds. Before you know it, Gus and Clark are playing the jocks in a ballgame for rights to the field. Gus realizes that they could represent and inspire all bullied kids by actually competing against little leaguers. Richie (played by a perfectly restrained David Spade) is recruited, and the three begin their sporting crusade.
Baseball works as a plotline backdrop, though, and any sport would’ve worked. This is less a story about baseball than it is a story of the social injustices of adolescence. So if you want a lot of good baseball in your movie, you may want to look elsewhere.
Highlighting ‘Benchwarmers’ is a wonderfully geekish Jon Lovitz; his suave creepiness strangely gave weight to the movie. His character inspired the funniest art direction I’ve seen in a while – a house decked out with Star Wars statues and vintage cars from TV shows like “Knight Rider.” Lovitz plays Mel, an ultra-rich nerd who guides the benchwarmer team into a competition of higher stakes. Lovitz is perfectly cast as an omnipotent nerd, stealing many a scene.
Obviously, I liked this movie, though I understand why many don’t and won’t. Yet I was able to see a movie with two buddies and laugh life away for an hour and a half. I’m even more convinced that comedy is both the most difficult and worthwhile genre to create. Sullivan from “Sullivan’s Travels” was right – there is a lot to be said for making people laugh.
Chris Blakesley is a critic at the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to cblakes@gmail.com.