The Benchwarmers

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The Benchwarmers

The Benchwarmers film poster
Directed by Dennis Dugan
Produced by Adam Sandler
Starring David Spade
Rob Schneider
Jon Heder
Amaury Nolasco
Jon Lovitz
Cinematography Thomas Ackerman
Editing by Peck Prior
Sandy Solowitz
Distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment
Release date(s) April 7, 2006 (USA)
Running time 85 minutes
Language English
IMDb profile

The Benchwarmers is a 2006 comedy film that was released on April 7, 2006. It stars David Spade, Rob Schneider and Jon Heder and is directed by Dennis Dugan. It is produced by Happy Madison Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures.

  • Tagline: It's never too late to take a stand.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Richie Goodman (Spade), Gus Matthews (Schneider) and Clark Reedy (Heder) are three grown men and neighborhood friends. Clark and Richie were also the unpopular kids who were constantly bullied by jocks and always benched at the little league baseball games, because of their less-than-stellar athletic abilities and Clark's mental problems. When a nerdy boy named Nelson and his friends are kicked off a nearby baseball diamond by a team of bullies, Gus and Clark chase the bullies away. When Gus and Clark return with Richie to play again and get back their feel for the game, the bullies return and demand that they leave. Gus challenges the bullies to play them for the field, and the three friends win. Later, Nelson's father Mel (Jon Lovitz) -- a billionaire nerd sympathizer -- tells the trio that he's impressed with their win, and explains his plan to hold a round-robin with all the little league teams in the county, plus their team. The winners will be given access to a new multi-million baseball park that he's built. Wanting to capture the spirit and fun they never had when they were kids, the three decide to form the Benchwarmers and join the tournament. They prepare to compete with all the other teams, despite the fact that they're three adults squaring off against kids.

Near the end of the story, Gus is exposed for being a brutal bully as a child, not a victim of bullies like Clark and Richie. He had bullied one child so bad as a kid that the kid -- a dwarf named Marcus -- had to be sent to an institution. With his wife's help, Gus apologizes to Marcus, who becomes the Benchwarmers' third-base coach. At the end of the story, Gus, Clark, and Richie do not play; rather, they let a team of Nelson and other nerdy kids play in the final game, to give them a chance to compete. The final game is played against team with a heartless jock coach (Jerry) who practically torments his players. In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Benchwarmers are losing, 42-0, when Jerry's team throws Nelson of the Benchwarmers a "fat" pitch down the middle. When Nelson hits the ball, Jerry's team lets him score a run while Jerry goes crazy. In the end, all of the kids -- as well as Gus, Richie, Clark, and Marcus -- have fun.

Also appearing in the movie for a few scenes is former New York Yankees superstar Reggie Jackson who plays himself as Mel's childhood friend, and helps the Benchwarmers train.

[edit] Music

[edit] Trivia

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  • This is Adam Sandler's twelfth film as a producer, with friend and frequent co-star Rob Schneider, following The Waterboy, Big Daddy, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Little Nicky, The Animal, Mr. Deeds, Eight Crazy Nights, The Hot Chick, The Longest Yard, 50 First Dates, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and 2006's Grandma's Boy. This is also Sandler's sixth production with other friend David Spade, following Joe Dirt, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Grandma's Boy and an Untitled David Spade Christmas Comedy.
  • The film was heavily promoted by MLB.com.
  • The Benchwarmers also contains numerous references to Sony -- the studio that released the film -- through frequent placement of Sony products (i.e. Sony VAIO laptops and computers, Sony Cybershot camcorders, Sony Playstation 2, etc.).
  • Rob Schneider will play a landscaper again in his next film The Last Guy on Earth.
  • David Spade played a video store clerk in the film Loser.
  • Adam Sandler's wife Jackie and his nephew Jared are in the movie.
  • Sandler was going to play the role of "Marcus" but turned it down because the original actor "did a better job".
  • ESPN Sportscaster Dan Patrick makes a cameo appearance in the movie; he's seen playing poker.
  • The movie is filled with Star Wars memorobilia.
  • Mel has the Knight Rider and original Batmobile cars. He also has a Toyota NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Racing Truck. In the scene where he is driving the Toyota, Mel yells "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Let's Go Racing!" which is a reference to former NASCAR Driver and current FOX Sports Commentator Darrell Waltrip's catch phrase at the start of each race. Waltrip is also affiliated with Toyota, helping them with their NASCAR Truck Racing Program and doing televison commercials for Toyota.
  • Mel's house is the 501st on its street -- a reference to the 501st Legion, a Star Wars Clone Trooper Unit.
  • The line, "If you build it, nerds will come," is a reference to the baseball-themed movie Field Of Dreams.
  • The construction workers running into the clearing to build the ballpark is a reference to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
  • The mock Philip Glass music and time-lapse filming during the actual construction of the ballpark is a strangely out-of-place reference to Koyaanisqatsi.
  • In the outtakes shown during the credits, Jon Lovitz's line "...And I'm reaping all the benefits" is a reference to Lovitz's character in The Wedding Singer.
  • The Dominican baseball player lying about his age so he can play with the little kids against The Benchwarmers is a reference to Danny Almonte in the Little League World Series saying he was 12 when he was actually 14.
  • In the DVD commentary with David Spade and Jon Heder during the scene with Clark eating the squished beetle, Jon explains that it was actually a piece of trail mix.
  • The character Marcus Ellwood is based on a real person, Mark Ellwood from Queensland, Australia. Although the original character does not appear, his persona is reflected through the movie.
  • When Clark tells one of the jocks to "suck it," he is referencing professional wrestling faction D-Generation X.
  • The Swimmer Boy is played by John Farley, Chris Farley's brother.
  • In the film, Jon Heder plays a character very similiar to his character in Napoleon Dynamite
  • The score given in the final game at one point is "42-0". This is a reference to Douglas Adams's "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy"

[edit] Allusions

  • At Shmegmer Stadium, it is mentioned that it has "great aspects from other ballparks". This is indeed the case. It has the legendary facade from Yankee Stadium, the Ivy and Brick wall from Wrigley Field and additionally, a swimming pool, which may be based on Chase Field. It also features a Green Monster to replicate the one at Boston's Fenway Park.

[edit] Box Office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $20.5 million, ranking a strong second in the United States box office.

As of June 7, 2006, the film has grossed over $57 million in the United States box office.

[edit] External links

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