The Benchwarmers (2006)

It always amazes (and amuses) me when I read negative reviews of comedies like this one, describing them as 'stupid', 'silly' and so on. I can't believe anybody would watch a movie like this thinking they would get anything other than a ridiculous and intentionally dumb comedy. 'The Benchwarmers' knows what it wants to be and never tries to be anything else.This is one of those love/hate comedy films that some people with find hilarious and other will roll their eyes and switch off 20 minutes in. It will appeal mostly to those who enjoyed the likes of 'Napoleon Dynamite', and Jon Heder is once again hilarious in this film playing a character similar to Napoleon. I can understand why 'The Benchwarmers' isn't everyone's cup of tea, but anybody who enjoys light-hearted, harmless silly comedy will love this movie.

The Benchwarmers is definitely worth a watch if you are interested in some light heated fun. An unlikely trio led by Rob Schneider put a baseball team together and challenge the local bullies. David Spade does a great comedic role as one of the incompetent team mates. The humor effortlessly flows and the film doesn't try too hard to be funny. The look and situations of the characters are a riot. The scene where Spade and Schneider were hitting mailboxes with a bat at the back of a car was easily one of the funniest scenes in the film. Physical and silly comedy when done well is a treat to watch.Despite its humor it also touched on the serious topic of bullying and how its sadly prevalent. It was nice to see the bullies put in their place in the end. It's an enjoyable experience where you don't have to think too much when watching it and enjoy a good laugh.

Gus (Rob Schneider) is a fair ballplayer but he was picked on as a kid. He's now a landscaper married to Liz (Molly Sims) who is only concern about having a baby. Richie (David Spade) is an annoying little video store clerk. Clark (Jon Heder) is the hopelessly idiotic newspaper delivery boy. They come to the rescue of a chubby geek being picked on by a little league baseball team. The three guy challenge and win against the kids team. The chubby kid's billionaire nerd dad Mel (Jon Lovitz) comes up with a tournament idea. The three guys play against all the kids baseball teams for the prize of a real ballpark.This is a really stupid premise. I'm not saying this is illogical or unrealistic. That goes without saying. This is a problem because the 3 guys aren't actually underdogs. They need to be underdogs in a sports movie sense. I'm not sure it's that much fun watching adults beating little kids. And quite frankly, I would just intentionally walk Gus every time.The only saving grace is that Rob Schneider is actually likable in this. He's not playing his usual jerk character. When Molly Sims pops up for the first time, I had to roll my eyes. After Rob plays his character for awhile, I can see the marriage happening. He just needs to play this character in a better movie. This is a poor mess that a late night writing session created. I bet somebody had a little much and thought it would be funny to have adults win against little kids baseball. It's not actually funny and only a couple of physical gags garner any chuckles.

The Benchwarmers could have been so much better. Probably not good, but much better than it was. First of all, if you're going to watch this, you have to force yourself through the first thirty minutes or so, because it's all about young teens and pre-teens being bullied relentlessly and it's painful to watch at times. Their cruelty is played for humor, and a lot of the time it's not even remotely funny, but appalling and offensive. If you've ever been bullied, which is everyone at some point in time in your childhood, it especially offends you. But, after the thirty minutes of hell, it actually gets better. not much, but better enough to the point where you can actually watch it without cringing. Sadly, this is the best part of the movie. The bullies get their just desserts in the end (how shocking) and it's fun to see them pay, almost comical at times, but once it gets to the end, everything turns completely sappy. The bullies are smiling and pitching balls to the kids they bullied and purposely letting them win, and everyone's happy, and they all go out for pizza (speaking of which, this entire movie is really just a giant advertisement for Pizza Hut) but it feels so preachy and forces niceness upon you that is totally unwanted. the humor is totally crass and crude throughout, so why stop and turn it into a happy little cheese fest at the end?? If you're gonna go the crude route, go all out. that's what made certain movies like Step Brothers and Pineapple Express watchable for me, the humor was awful, but at least it was consistent. overall, The Benchwarmers leaves you with a weird taste in your mouth. Actually, my first thought after the movie was, "What the hell just happened..."