It all started in 1999. Adam Sandler, at the hieght of his popularity, decided to help old pal Rob Schneider out by producing DEUCE BIGELOW: MALE GIGOLO. That film was surprisingly a hit so Sandler took the next logical step and produced a film for another SNL buddy, David Spade. JOE DIRT, while not the commericial success 'BIGELO' was did great in DVD sales and has since gained cult statuts. Sandler has continued to produce projects for both Schneider and Spade over the years so it seemed inevitable that the two would end up starring in a Sandler produced film together. THE BENCHWARMERS teams Schneider and Spade with Jon Heder, best known for starring in the worst comedy of the 2000s NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. The three play pals who after beating a bunch of little bullies at a baseball game discover that they could make a living doing so while standing up to bullies in the process. The plot and most of the characters are secondary to the rapid-fire slapstick and gross-out gags, 85% of which hit. When the gags do fail, it's due to Heder. He does well in his role for the most part, but at times it seems like he's still in Napoleon Dynamite mode. While some more backstory into his character's life and Ritchie's (David Spade) life would have made the movie more filling, they still aren't the usual one-dimensional characters the audience is used to seeing in most flicks these days, which is ultimately why I recommend it. 8/10
Review of The Benchwarmers
