Roger Dodger

I wouldn't have thought from previews that "Roger Dodger" would have an ounce of romance in it, but it does. The scene between Elizabeth Berkeley, Jennifer Beals (both very good by the way--who would have thought?) and Roger's nephew is incredibly sweet and touching, but without being overly sentimental or cloying. Campbell Scott gives a fabulous performance as Roger, illustrating how broad his acting range is. My only complaint with the movie is its incredibly annoying cinematography. All of the compositions are cluttered and claustrophobic, sometimes so much so that the main focus of the shot is entirely obscured. And this trend toward hand-held cameras needs to be stopped. I think directors feel that hand-held cinematography lends a gritty, realistic point of view to their films, but more frequently it serves only to distract.

But a fairly minor quibble about an otherwise very good film.

Grade: A-

Newcomer Dylan Kidd's first feature is a very refreshing exercise in filmmaking. This is an incredible debut for Mr Kidd. Let's hope his next release will be worth of the promise he shows in this one.

Of course, this film would be nothing without the presence of Campbell Scott. Mr. Scott gets better with every new screen appearance. His Roger is a tragic figure in spite of the front he presents to all the women he tries to conquer. The last scenes of Roger in his apartment are nothing short of magnificent. We get to see the real man then, and it's not funny what we see.

The interplay with the nephew, Nick, beautifully played by Jesse Eisenberg, is the best acting of the year.

The women in the film are brilliant too. Isabella Rosellini is incredible as Roger's boss. The ladies in the single bar, Elizabeth Berkley and Jennifer Beals are true portraits of women that are looking for Mr. Right in the wrong places.

This film is a rarity. Discover it.

Roger Swanson (Campbell Scott) scores every night, he likes to say. However, he has a breakup with his boss and lover (well, duh…) Joyce (Isabella Rossellini), and his 16-year-old nephew Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) shows up, saying that he was looking at colleges in the New York area and decided to give his favorite Uncle Roger a visit. Roger talks a mile a minute, very suave like, and decides to take Nick out on the town in search of sex, which, he claims, is `everywhere'.

A fine, inventive movie, with good acting by the leads. Not many movies would dare to go out on a limb, and this isn't a Hollywood movie (it's distributed by Artisan), but those who have seen it have enjoyed it. Its script, by director Dylan Kidd, is often funny, and could go as Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask Part 2, since Nick is basically naïve and oblivious. However, the script leads into the first problem I would like to talk about.

Although funny at many times, during the many lulls, the drama, which is supposed to ensue, doesn't ensue. I didn't feel touched or sympathetic or anything during the `dramatic' sequences, especially during the end, but at least it goes back to comedy, with the fate of Roger and Nick. The script has many laugh-out-loud moments, however. I love the first scene, where Roger is talking to Joyce, Donovan (Ben Shenkman), and Donna (Mina Badie) at the restaurant, and he's going on all about Darwin and evolution, and the eventual fate of the genders. This is a good introduction to Roger: lots of talk, but he can't back it up, and you can tell he has now idea what in the world he is actually saying.

Scott won a few awards for his performance in Roger Dodger, which I can understand. He totally got into his role, and at times it didn't seem like he was acting, everything was coming naturally to him. An example of that is when he's talking to Nick about different ways to look at women (which is about a 10 minute take), he just keeps on talking and talking like it wasn't scripted. I could almost hear the director laughing in the background. I hope that this bounces his career more, because he is a great actor. Eisenberg was also very good as the nervous teen, he also seemed to know what he was doing.

Another point I really liked was the music. It was crystalline, and it sounded solid, which is probably symbolism for Roger: he thinks he's solid with the women, but he really has as much to learn as the student. He thinks that he knows everything that's there, but he doesn't really, and he figures that out throughout the movie. To be forewarned is to be forearmed, so here I go: if you're a feminist or against sexism, this isn't really your movie. Roger's view of women won't appeal to those, but he does talk about that the female sex will eventually rule the earth and men will be their slave (aren't they already?). If you don't mind, though, it's a very good movie that may not deserve all of the acclaim it's getting but is still better than most of the Hollywood drek that's out now.

My rating: 7/10

Rated R for sexuality and language.

I saw this movie back in 2002 at the Austin Film Festival. It featured the first two films from the up and coming actor Jesse Eisenberg, who as we all know is up for Best Actor for his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" at this years Academy Awards. Eisenberg had a supporting role is his other film "The Emperor's Club" that starred Kevin Kline.

Watching this film I was struck with a bit of déjà vu. Eisenberg's character of Nick is a fast talking, awkward computer geek. Go figure. Then when you start to look at all his other roles, it seems he has contracted "Michael Cera Syndrome". He has seems to play the exact same character in every film he is in. So I guess its no surprise that he was nominated for his work in "The Social Network" since he has been slowly perfecting the role for almost ten years. On the other hand Campbell Scott gives a remarkable performance as Roger, an even faster talking, New York City copy writer for an advertising firm. He is nicknamed Roger Dodger for his ability to talk is way out of anything. He is a single womanizer almost on the level of Charlie Sheen. One day he is visited at work by his nephew Nick. At Nicks request he gets a crash course on picking up women he won't soon forget.

This film also stars a trio of talented actresses. Isabella Rossellini plays Roger's boss whom she's having an affair with. Jennifer Beals and Elizabeth Berkley play the women they meet at a night club. Coming off the infamous "Showgirls" disaster, Berkley was actually in attendance and took questions about her role in this film. The audience was quite respectful.

While Roger uses every trick up is sleeve to manipulate women and boost his ego. Nick is so truthful and pure hearted he always seems to be a wet blanket on Rogers plans to get them some action. This also makes Roger come off as more of a creepy sleaze ball than usual. The opening scene features a very interesting discussion on the ever declining need that women have for men. It's a theme that plays out quite well during the film. While the last part of the movie goes to some pretty dark places and things start to get all too real. Can Roger change his ways? Will men serve greater purpose in the future? This movie was directed by Dylan Kidd and won Best Feature at the very first Tribeca Film Festival. It was also the first movie to be shot in New York City after the September 11th attacks. The DVD is loaded with some pretty sweet special features so pick it up!

Meet Roger Swanson, the world's most arrogant and chauvinistic SOB. To him, women are inferior and are to be regarded as conquests. Yet as appalling and thoroughly unlikable as Roger is, he's played by Campbell Scott, who's so good that he makes Roger a person who is quite literally addicting to watch.

After getting dumped by his boss, Joyce (Isabella Rossellini), the ultimate player Roger is more than a little peeved. But when his nephew shows up at his office asking for advice on women, Roger takes it upon himself to show the 16 year old how to be the ultimate womanizer.

Needless to say, this film is about Roger. Unless the performance was pitch-perfect, the film would fall flat on its face. Fortunately, indie-film king Campbell Scott is playing him. Campbell Scott is dynamite. With a razor-sharp wit and an arsenal of one-liners, pick-up lines and other assorted ways of getting sex, Roger is compulsively watchable. There's really not much that he says that hasn't been said before, but Scott is so stunning that it doesn't matter. His dialogue is electric, and Scott attacks it with relish. Yet as darkly funny as some of the things he says are, Scott understands all facets of Roger. His scenes with Joyce are some of the most telling about Roger, and arguably some of his most well-acted. He still has the same penchant for one-liners and shocking views on women, but Scott delivers it with anger and frustration.

His co-stars are great as well. Jesse Eisenberg is terrific as his nervous nephew, Nick. He's young and naiive, and Roger is more than happy to enlighten him. Their two targets, Andrea (Elizabeth Berkley) and Sophie (Jennifer Beals) are terrific. Both are gorgeous, and are totally into Nick (and to his surprise, not the least bit into Roger). Andrea has a wit to match Roger's, while Sophie is nice and falls for Nick. Isabella Rossellini is also solid as Joyce, Roger's boss, who is more than a little annoyed with him when he won't let their affair end.

Dylan Kidd has a terrific script. Unfortunately, this was shot on a hand-held camera, which is not the way to shoot it. However, this was probably due to budget constraints. The only scene that doesn't work is the final one. It's out of character for Roger, and thus rings false.

Yet this film is all Campbell Scott. The cast and script may help, but this is his movie. And Campbell Scott is unforgettable in a performance that in a perfect world, would have garnered him an Oscar. We can only hope that in the future the prestigious award will finally come his way.