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Big opening outgrossed by Jackie Robinson
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| cinematography = [[Thomas E. Ackerman|Thomas Ackerman]]
| cinematography = [[Thomas E. Ackerman|Thomas Ackerman]]
| editing = Peck Prior <br />Sandy Solowitz
| editing = Peck Prior <br />Sandy Solowitz
| studio = [[Columbia Pictures]]<br />[[Revolution Studios]]<br />[[Happy Madison Productions|Happy Madison]]
| studio = [[Columbia Pictures]] <br />[[Revolution Studios]] <br />[[Happy Madison Productions|Happy Madison]]
| distributor = [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]
| distributor = [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]
| released = {{Film date|2006|04|07}}
| released = {{Film date|2006|04|07}}
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==Reception==
==Reception==
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] it scored 13% based on 71 reviews, with the site's consensus reading, "A gross-out comedy that is more sophomoric than funny, ''The Benchwarmers'' goes down swinging."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Benchwarmers Review|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/benchwarmers/|url-status=live|access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 25 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Benchwarmers|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-benchwarmers|access-date=2021-08-31}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com |title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "Benchwarmers, The" in the search box |publisher=[[CinemaScore]] |access-date=March 7, 2021 }}</ref>
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] it scored 13% based on 71 reviews, with the site's consensus reading, "A gross-out comedy that is more sophomoric than funny, ''The Benchwarmers'' goes down swinging."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Benchwarmers Review|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/benchwarmers/|url-status=live|access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 25 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Benchwarmers|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-benchwarmers|access-date=2021-08-31}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com |title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "Benchwarmers, The" in the search box |publisher=[[CinemaScore]] |access-date=March 7, 2021 }}</ref>

Manohla Dargis of [[The New York Times]] wrote: "The Benchwarmers is the sort of trash that Hollywood does really well" and noted it was only in theaters to raise awareness for the home-rental market. Dargis concludes by quoting
Schneider, who called it "a master's thesis on the form of a quintessential Adam Sandler comedy."<ref name="Dargis">{{cite web |date=April 8, 2006 |last=Dargis |first=Manohla |author-link=Manohla Dargis |title='The Benchwarmers': 3 Amigos of Baseball in a Yuk-fest |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/08/movies/the-benchwarmers-3-amigos-of-baseball-in-a-yukfest.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20170618120045/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/08/movies/the-benchwarmers-3-amigos-of-baseball-in-a-yukfest.html |archive-date=2017-06-18 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
Owen Gleiberman of [[Entertainment Weekly]] gave it a positive review: "This morphing of "[[The Bad News Bears]]" and a "[[Three Stooges]]" episode parades its dumbness with such zip that it almost passes for clever."<ref name="Gleiberman">{{cite web |author1=Owen Gleiberman |author1-link=Owen Gleiberman |title=The Benchwarmers |url=https://ew.com/article/2006/04/12/benchwarmers-2/ |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=2006-04-12}}</ref>


===Box office===
===Box office===
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* {{IMDb title|0437863|The Benchwarmers}}
* {{IMDb title|0437863|The Benchwarmers}}
* {{mojo title|benchwarmers|The Benchwarmers}}
* {{mojo title|benchwarmers|The Benchwarmers}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|benchwarmers|The Benchwarmers}}
* {{metacritic film|the-benchwarmers|The Benchwarmers}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061217175035/http://www.moviehole.net/interviews/20060411_interview_david_spade.html David Spade interview for ''The Benchwarmers'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061217175035/http://www.moviehole.net/interviews/20060411_interview_david_spade.html David Spade interview for ''The Benchwarmers'']


Revision as of 19:57, 17 September 2021

The Benchwarmers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDennis Dugan
Written byAllen Covert
Nick Swardson
Produced byAdam Sandler
Jack Giarraputo
Starring
CinematographyThomas Ackerman
Edited byPeck Prior
Sandy Solowitz
Music byWaddy Wachtel
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • April 7, 2006 (2006-04-07)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$33 million[1]
Box office$65 million[1]

The Benchwarmers is a 2006 American sports-comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Rob Schneider, David Spade, Jon Heder, Jon Lovitz, Craig Kilborn, Molly Sims, and Tim Meadows. It is produced by Revolution Studios and Happy Madison Productions and is distributed by Columbia Pictures. It has developed a cult following over the years since its release, especially amongst baseball fans.[citation needed]

A direct-to-video sequel, Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls was released on July 2018.

Plot

Gus Matthews (Rob Schneider), Richie Goodman (David Spade), and Clark Reedy (Jon Heder) are adult "nerds" who spent their childhoods longing to play baseball, but never got the chance.

When a nerdy, unathletic boy named Nelson Carmichael (Max Pardo) and his friends are bullied and kicked off a baseball diamond by a local little league team, Gus and Clark chase the bullies away. When Gus and Clark go with Richie to the field, the bullies return and demand that they leave. Gus challenges the bullies to play them for the field. They win the game due to Gus's surprising aptitude. A man named Brad (Sean Salisbury), one of Clark and Richie's childhood bullies, challenges them to another game, but the three friends win again.

Nelson's billionaire father Mel (Jon Lovitz) tells the trio about his plan to hold a round-robin with all the little league teams in the state, plus their team. The winners will be given access to a new multimillion-dollar baseball park. The three name themselves the Benchwarmers and join the tournament. The Benchwarmers win every single game, with Clark and Richie's abilities gradually improving, and the team becomes popular among many nerds, children with poor athletic abilities, and the general public. The little league teams start meeting to think of plans to defeat the Benchwarmers.

At the semi-final game, the competing team's coach Wayne enters a 30-year-old Dominican professional baseball player named Carlos (Amaury Nolasco) into the league claiming him to be 12 years old. The Benchwarmers eventually defeat Carlos by getting him too drunk to pitch properly.

After multiple unsuccessful attempts to derail the trio, the Benchwarmers' adversaries finally find a weakness that they can exploit. They find evidence that Gus was a bully himself as a child, known for using name calling over physical force and had bullied one boy named Marcus (Joe Gnoffo) so intensely that he had to be sent to a mental institution. Seizing this opportunity, the bully teams expose Gus' secret to the public, shaming Gus into resigning from the team. However, Gus sincerely apologizes to Marcus just before the final game and in return, Marcus forgives Gus in front of everyone at the beginning of the final game. Gus re-joins the team, announcing that Marcus is the Benchwarmers' new third-base coach.

In the final game, Gus, Clark and Richie let a team consisting of Nelson and other non-athletic children play, to give them a chance to compete. The final is played against a team with their coach Jerry (Craig Kilborn) who is the leader of all the bullies on the little league teams and was Richie and Clark's childhood bully. In the final inning, the Benchwarmers are losing, but Jerry's team sees that the Benchwarmers are having fun playing the game anyway. Seeing how heartless and uncaring Jerry is and realizing the true spirit of the game, they decide to let Nelson score a run, saying that Jerry is "the loser". The Benchwarmers storm the field, celebrating the fact that they were not shut out.

The entire Benchwarmers team, along with the kids from Jerry's team, Marcus, and even Carlos and Wayne, celebrate at Pizza Hut. Richie and Clark get girlfriends and Gus announces that he is going to become a father.

Cast

Voices

Production

The Benchwarmers was shot at various locations in California, mostly in Agoura Hills, in Chumash Park and at a Pizza Hut. Other locations were Chino Hills; Chino; Culver City; Glendale; Watson Drug Store – Chapman Avenue, Orange; Simi Valley; Westwood, Los Angeles and on Mulholland Hwy, Malibu (Mel's house).

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes it scored 13% based on 71 reviews, with the site's consensus reading, "A gross-out comedy that is more sophomoric than funny, The Benchwarmers goes down swinging."[4] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 25 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[6]

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote: "The Benchwarmers is the sort of trash that Hollywood does really well" and noted it was only in theaters to raise awareness for the home-rental market. Dargis concludes by quoting Schneider, who called it "a master's thesis on the form of a quintessential Adam Sandler comedy."[7]

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave it a positive review: "This morphing of "The Bad News Bears" and a "Three Stooges" episode parades its dumbness with such zip that it almost passes for clever."[8]

Box office

The film was a box office success. In its opening weekend, it grossed $19.6 million, ranking second at the North American box office behind Ice Age: The Meltdown. The film finished with $59,843,754 domestically and $5,113,537 in other markets, totaling $64,957,291 worldwide.[1] The film held the record for the highest opening weekend gross for a baseball genre film,[9][10] until 2013 when it was surpassed by the Jackie Robinson film "42".[11]

Award nominations

2006 Teen Choice Awards:

2006 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards:

  • Worst On-Screen Hairstyle (David Spade)

2007 Razzie Awards:

  • Worst Actor (Rob Schneider)

2010 Razzie Awards:

  • Worst Actor of the Decade (Rob Schneider)

Sequel

In July 2018, Revolution Studios and Universal 1440 announced a direct-to-DVD sequel, titled Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls. The film was released on January 29, 2019, with Jon Lovitz reprising his role as Mel Carmichael.[12] The rest of the cast consists of Chris Klein, Chelsey Reist, Lochlyn Munro, and Garfield Wilson.

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Benchwarmers (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  2. ^ "Jon Moscot Bio". Pepperdine University Official Athletic Site.
  3. ^ Cindy Adams, Patrick Schwarzenegger: Acting is how I bonded with Arnold, Pagesix.com, 26 March 2018
  4. ^ "The Benchwarmers Review". Retrieved 31 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "The Benchwarmers". Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  6. ^ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Benchwarmers, The" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Dargis, Manohla (April 8, 2006). "'The Benchwarmers': 3 Amigos of Baseball in a Yuk-fest". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2017-06-18.
  8. ^ Owen Gleiberman (2006-04-12). "The Benchwarmers". Entertainment Weekly.
  9. ^ John Young. "'Lion King 3D' defends crown with $22.1 million". EW.com. CNN. If the estimate holds, that'll represent the best opening ever for a baseball film
  10. ^ Ray Subers (September 22, 2011). "Forecast: Odds Favor 'Moneyball'". Box Office Mojo. just a little bit lower than the best opening ever for a baseball movie, which belongs to the 2006 comedy The Benchwarmers
  11. ^ Smith, Grady (April 14, 2013). "Box office report: '42' knocks it out of the park with $27.3 million; 'Oblivion' huge overseas". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  12. ^ "From Universal 1440 Entertainment And Revolution Studios: Benchwarmers 2" (Press release). Universal City, California: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. July 19, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018 – via PR Newswire.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to The Benchwarmers.
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