The Benchwarmers is a 2006 American sports-
comedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by
Dennis DuganDennis Dugan is an American director, comedian, and actor. He is most famous for his partnership with comedic actor Adam Sandler, with whom he directed the films Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go With It, and Jack and...
. It stars
Rob SchneiderRobert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
,
Jon HederJonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
, and
David SpadeDavid Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
. It is produced by
Revolution StudiosRevolution Studios is an American production company founded in 2000 by Joe Roth, a former chairman of Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox. Revolution was formerly a strategic partner of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed and marketed Revolution's films. The company's film division...
and Happy Madison Productions and distributed by
Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
.
Plot
Gus, Clark, and Richie (
Rob SchneiderRobert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
,
Jon HederJonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
, and
David SpadeDavid Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
) are three middle-aged nerds; Clark and Richie were the unpopular kids who were constantly bullied by
jocksThe term jock, when used primarily in the United States, refers to the classic stereotype of a male athlete. It is generally a negative stereotype, and is attributed mostly to high school and college athletics participants who form a distinct youth subculture. In sociology, the jock is thought to...
and always benched at the
Little LeagueLittle League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
games, because of their less-than-stellar athletic abilities. 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, despite Clark and Richie's poor abilities, win the game. Days later, one of Clark and Richie's bullies, Brad, challenges them to another baseball game with his team, but the three friends win again.
Later, Nelson's billionaire father, Mel (
Jon LovitzJonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...
), tells the trio that he's impressed with their wins, and explains his plan to hold a
round-robinA round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
with all the little league teams in the state, plus their team. The winners will be given access to a new multi-million dollar
baseball parkA baseball park, also known as a baseball stadium, ball park, or ballpark is a venue where baseball is played. It consists of the playing field and the surrounding spectator seating...
that he's building. 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 nine kids per team.
After winning the first game, Mel's friend, former
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
superstar
Reggie JacksonReginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
, helps the Benchwarmers (mainly Clark and Richie) train using unorthodox methods (childhood pranks and games such as ding-dong ditch, hot potato, and mailbox smashing). In the second game, just as the Benchwarmers are about to lose, Richie uses one of Reggie's unorthodox methods to score a home run, winning the game.
The Benchwarmers then go from county to county (including Gus' hometown, Brookdale), winning the next two games to make it to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the rival team hires a drunken 50-year-old Dominican man named Carlos to be the team's new pitcher by bribing the umpire. Carlos is more than a match for the Benchwarmers, but they manage to comeback by making Carlos too drunk to play well. In the last inning, the umpire has Richie's agoraphobic younger brother, Howie (
Nick SwardsonNicholas Roger "Nick" Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernardino in the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, for his work in Happy Madison films, most notably the 2011 film Just Go With It, and for his new Comedy Central...
), be on deck. Howie ends up getting hit in the arm by Carlos, but forces in the winning run for the Benchwarmers, sending them to the finals.
Just when it's looking like the stadium is all theirs, a bully named Steven (
Terry CrewsTerrence Alan "Terry" Crews is an American actor, comedian, voice artist and a former player in the National Football League....
) reports to the public that Gus was a brutal bully himself as a child, not a victim of bullies like Clark and Richie. He had bullied one kid so intensely that the kid, a boy named Marcus, had to be sent to an institution. Gus is kicked off the team as a result, but at his wife, Liz's (
Molly SimsMolly Sims is an American model and actress. Sims is known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her role as Delinda Deline in the NBC drama Las Vegas. She is also an ambassador for Operation Smile...
), suggestion, Gus apologizes to Marcus (Joey Gnoffo).Marcus arrives at the final game to reveal to the crowd that Gus had apologized and felt awful about what he did when he was kid, and Gus re-joins the team, announcing that Marcus is the Benchwarmers' new third-base coach.
In the final game, Gus, Clark, and Richie do not play; rather, they let a team of Nelson and other kids play in the final game, to give them a chance to compete. The final game is played against a team with a heartless coach, Jerry (dubbed by Gus as "Fairy Jerry") (
Craig KilbornCraig Kilborn is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television...
), who practically torments his players - and was Richie and Clark's main bully when they were kids. In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Benchwarmers are losing, 42-0, when Jerry's team, after realizing that the true meaning of baseball is to have fun, throws Nelson a "meatball" pitch down the middle. Nelson hits the ball, and Jerry's team lets him score a run, saying that Jerry is "the loser". The Benchwarmers storm the field, celebrating the fact that they were not shut out—and the guys give an enraged Jerry a taste of his own medicine, hanging him from the dugout fence by his underwear.
The Benchwarmers celebrate at Pizza Hut, where Gus reveals to everyone that he is going to be a father, because he "went all the way" with Liz. Everyone celebrates, except for Howie, who screams in terror after realizing what "went all the way" meant.
Cast
- Rob Schneider
Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
as Gus, one of the main protagonists, who was at first believed to be bullied as a kid, but was, in fact, a bully himself.
- David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
as Richie, one of the main protagonists, who was one of the guys (alongside Clark) bullied as a kid.
- Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
as Clark, one of the main protagonists, who was one of the guys (alongside Richie) bullied as a kid.
- Jon Lovitz
Jonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...
as Mel, a nerdy billionaire, who brings the Benchwarmers to the public eye.
- Nick Swardson
Nicholas Roger "Nick" Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernardino in the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, for his work in Happy Madison films, most notably the 2011 film Just Go With It, and for his new Comedy Central...
as Howie, Richie's agoraphobic brother, who views the sun as a hideous monster, and refuses to leave the house. He also has a nasty habit of eating sun block.
- Craig Kilborn
Craig Kilborn is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television...
as Jerry, the main antagonist, who was Richie and Clark's main bully when they were kids.
- Molly Sims
Molly Sims is an American model and actress. Sims is known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her role as Delinda Deline in the NBC drama Las Vegas. She is also an ambassador for Operation Smile...
as Liz, Gus's wife.
- Tim Meadows as Wayne
- Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco Garrido is a Puerto Rican actor, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the television series Prison Break, and for his role in Transformers.-Early life:...
as Carlos
- Bill Romanowski
William Thomas "Bill" Romanowski is a former American football player. He was born in Vernon, Connecticut. A linebacker, he graduated from Rockville High School in 1984, Boston College in 1988 , and then went on to a 16-year career in the NFL, playing for the San Francisco 49ers , Philadelphia...
as Karl
- Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
as Himself
- Max Prado as Nelson
- Danny McCarthy
Danny McCarthy is an American actor based in Chicago. Danny's role as Special Agent Danny Hale in Prison Break made him a familiar face nationwide. He has acted in plays with the Steppenwolf and the Famous Door, and has performed twice at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland...
as Troy
- Sean Salisbury
Richard Sean Salisbury is an American football analyst, former NFL and CFL quarterback, and actor.-Early life:Salisbury attended Orange Glen High School in Escondido, California...
as Brad
- Matt Weinberg
-Biography:Weinberg was born in Los Angeles, California, the first son of Dana and Larry Weinberg, a public relations executive. His younger brother is Mike Weinberg, who is also an actor.Weinberg started acting in the late 1990s, appearing mostly on television...
as Kyle
- John Farley
John Farley is the name of:* John Murphy Farley Irish-American cardinal, the seventh bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of New York* John H. Farley , Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio...
as Swimmer Boy
- Terry Crews
Terrence Alan "Terry" Crews is an American actor, comedian, voice artist and a former player in the National Football League....
as Steven (Poker Guy #1)
- Dennis Dugan
Dennis Dugan is an American director, comedian, and actor. He is most famous for his partnership with comedic actor Adam Sandler, with whom he directed the films Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go With It, and Jack and...
as Coach Bellows
- Joey Gnoffo as Marcus Elwood
Production
The Benchwarmers was shot in
Chino Hills, CaliforniaChino Hills is a Los Angeles suburb located in the southwestern corner of San Bernardino County, California, United States. The city borders Los Angeles County on its northwest side, Orange County to its south, and Riverside County to its southeast...
;
Chino, CaliforniaChino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
; Chumash Park - 5550 Medea Valley Drive, Agoura Hills, California;
Culver City, CaliforniaCulver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
;
Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
;
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
;
Orange, CaliforniaSouthern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
;
Pizza HutPizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
- 5146 Kanon Road, Agoura Hills, California;
Simi Valley, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile...
; Watson Drug Store - 116 E. Chapman Avenue, Orange, California; and Westwood, Los Angeles,
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Reception
The film received generally negative reviews from critics with a 12% approval rating on
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 66 reviews and a 25 out of 100 on
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 17 reviews. The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes was "a gross-out comedy that is more sophomoric than funny,
The Benchwarmers goes down swinging." However, the film received a more positive score of 71% on the site's audience rating.
Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $19.6 million, ranking second at the North American box office. The film grossed $59,843,754 domestically and $5,113,537 in foreign markets, totaling $64,957,291 worldwide.
External links