Roger Dodger (2001) from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

Roger Dodger is a compulsive smooth talker, one of those guys with a theory about everything, and a cynical belief that anybody can be talked out of anything. In the opening scene if the film, he is dumped from a relationship with a sophisticated older woman who is also his boss. To the extent such a jaded man can be shocked or hurt, he feels those emotions, and does not take the rejection gracefully.

NUDITY REPORT

Flora Diaz, as the "last resort" prostitute, is topless

At about the same time, his 16 year old nephew shows up on his doorstep, and ol' 40ish Roger Dodger undertakes to give the lad a one night crash course in how to get laid in New York City. They have about a forty minute conversation with two young eligibles (Jennifer Beals and Elizabeth Berkley), during which the two sophisticated ladies take a real shine to the nephew for his sincerity and smarts. The kid has a chance to take advantage of the two. They are reasonably enthusiastic about his sexual education, and his uncle has played bad cop to make it look like the nephew needs a place to stay. The nephew, however, is a good person and can't bring himself to use dishonesty as a tactic.

DVD info from Amazon

  • Commentary by director Dylan Kidd and director of photography Joaquin Baca-Asay

  • Commentary by director Dylan Kidd, Campbell Scott, and Jesse Eisenberg

  • Director's preface to the special features

  • Examination of a scene: Opaline

  • New York at Night: The Roger Dodger Walking Tour with Jesse Eisenberg

  • deleted scene

  • Player's Guide to Scoring with Women

  • Widescreen anamorphic format, 1.85

As the evening progresses, Roger shows the kid how to prepare for the later stages of an evening's hunting expedition.

  • Penultimate step: what to do with the passed-out women late in the evening. The kid fails this test as well, allowing the gorgeous knockout to pass out fully dressed and unravaged.
  • Last step: the assembly line bordello.

In the final 15 minutes of the film, cynical Roger has to redeem himself, at least partially, to prevent his nephew's life from going in the wrong direction.

Pretty good flick! Not much happens, other than what I just told you. It is very chatty, but the conversations sound like real people talking. Roger, the kid, and the two ladies are characters who seem to say the things that those characters really would say in that situation, and the things they say are interesting and sometimes challenging. Helluva good first film for auteur Dylan Kidd, and a tremendously full featured DVD.

The Critics Vote

  • General USA consensus: more than three stars. Ebert 3/4, Berardinelli 3/4, Entertainment Weekly B+.

The People Vote ...

  • The box office was only $1.2 million, despite some good word of mouth in NY and LA

 
The meaning of the IMDb score: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence equivalent to about three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, comparable to approximately two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, equivalent to about a two star rating from the critics. Films rated below five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film - this score is roughly equivalent to one and a half stars from the critics or even less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. (C+ means it has no crossover appeal, but will be considered excellent by genre fans, while C- indicates that it we found it to be a poor movie although genre addicts find it watchable). D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Any film rated C- or better is recommended for fans of that type of film. Any film rated B- or better is recommended for just about anyone. We don't score films below C- that often, because we like movies and we think that most of them have at least a solid niche audience. Now that you know that, you should have serious reservations about any movie below C-.

Based on this description, this film is a C+. Although it feels like a play more than a movie, it is a witty and interesting look at the battle of the sexes.

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