The Benchwarmers (2006)

Director:

Dennis Dugan

Writers (WGA):

Allen Covert (written by) &
Nick Swardson (written by)

Release Date:

7 April 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Sport

Tagline:

Get off the bench and get into the game.

Plot:

A trio of guys try and make up for missed opportunities in childhood by forming a three-player baseball team to compete against standard little league squads.

Plot Keywords:

Team | Baseball | Bully | Baseball Player | Paperboy

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Rob Schneider	...	Gus
David Spade	...	Richie
Jon Heder	...	Clark
Jon Lovitz	...	Mel
Craig Kilborn	...	Jerry
Molly Sims	...	Liz
Tim Meadows	...	Wayne
Nick Swardson	...	Howie
Erinn Bartlett	...	Salad Girl / Sarah
Amaury Nolasco	...	Carlos
Bill Romanowski	...	Karl
Sean Salisbury	...	Brad
Matt Weinberg	...	Kyle
John Farley	...	Swimmer Boy
Reggie Jackson	...	Himself

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and suggestive humor, and for language.

Runtime:

80 min | Philippines:75 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Australia:PG | Ireland:12A | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42005) | Philippines:PG-13 | Hungary:14 | Finland:K-11 | Iceland:10 | Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | New Zealand:PG

Filming Locations:

Chino Hills, California, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

K.I.T.T. from "Knight Rider" (1982) makes an appearance.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Near the end of the film when the Ms. Pac Man game is shown, the sound of the Ms. Pac Man machine is incorrect. The sounds it is making are from a Pac Man game. This is especially noticeable during Ms. Pac Man's demise.

Quotes:

Mel: Have you even known the joys of having children?
Richie: Never had a date.
Clark: Never talked to a girl.

Movie Connections:

References "Happy Days" (1974)

Soundtrack:

Good

You either love these kinds of movies, or you hate them.

I really think that's the only issue with this film. If you've been a fan of Adam Sandler's work (this is a Happy Madison production), you'll like this movie. Not only was it produced by Sandler, but it was co-written by one of his longtime buddies Allen Covert. If you go into this movie not knowing what to expect, that's your own fault. I know this movie won't be received well by critics, but when has ANYTHING that Sandler's done ever been? Ontop of that it features Jon Heder aka Napoleon Dynamite. To me, this was a huge added bonus. I love Sandler movies, and I loved Napoleon Dynamite. Many people feel Heder's a terrible actor, but I think his delivery is hysterical. I found myself laughing throughout this film, and thought it supplied Heder with more great one-liners that will be quoted for the next year. After saying that, some of you might turn your nose up at me and tell me that I wouldn't know what a good movie is, but I enjoy and cherish Casablanca, The Godfather: Part II, and Good Will Hunting as much as anybody, but forgive me if I like to enjoy a little mindless laughter at times. If you didn't like Billy Madison, The Hot Chick, or Napoleon Dynamite, you'll hate this movie, no doubt. But then why would you even go see it in the first place?