The Benchwarmers is your typical film about the team of outcasts that is allowed to play in a baseball tournament, and against all odds, manages to win the big game. Whoops, I just gave away the ending to the film, in case you have never seen one like it.
Now I'm not saying the 'outcasts win' formula is downright terrible- I love "Meatballs" and "Major League"- but with how much it's been used in the past, it's pretty hard to pull off correctly. Practically every time we see this formula the plot is expected and unsurprising, and The Benchwarmers is no different.
After that little rant, it seems pointless to even explain the plot here, but then again if I didn't explain I wouldn't be doing my job as a critic. Rob Schneider meets two dunces who are bullied by a group of younger kids on a baseball team. They'll only let the guys play catch or ball if they can beat the team in a game. Schneider, of course, accepts and carries the team to victory. Eventually, a rich businessman who's son admires the group offers to sponsor a tournament. The prize is a new stadium. Of course the group of three is allowed to enter (despite being three grown adults against nine children), and Schneider must train the two while working out his own problems.
For once, Schneider's character is (thankfully) reserved in this flick- he makes few jokes and plays the part with a certain laid-back attitude. Of course, this doesn't mean he's changed- it is a Rob Schneider film after all, and has it's fair share of unfunny dirty jokes- but it is more reserved than some of his other little excursions.
There really isn't much else to say about what separates this from other films of it's genre. Of course Schneider is going to work out his problems. Of course the team will win the big game. Of course one of the other teams is going to try and cheat. This is a vortex for the attention, just another product of the cookie-cutter mentality of sports films. Is it horrible? No. But it's not worth spending so much time and money to bear witness to yet another underdog story.
Overall Rating: 4/10
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Personally, I'm not a fan of Rob Schneider. It's just all the same dirty humor and no changes. Just once I'd like to see him grow up and make a serious film. Adam Sandler, despite his fair share of garbage, at least managed to crank out Hotel Transylvania. The Benchwarmers is not Rob Schneider's redemption. It's a little sad that my favorite Schneider bits are all from the same episode of South Park. What else can I say? He was a great stapler.
After that little rant, it seems pointless to even explain the plot here, but then again if I didn't explain I wouldn't be doing my job as a critic. Rob Schneider meets two dunces who are bullied by a group of younger kids on a baseball team. They'll only let the guys play catch or ball if they can beat the team in a game. Schneider, of course, accepts and carries the team to victory. Eventually, a rich businessman who's son admires the group offers to sponsor a tournament. The prize is a new stadium. Of course the group of three is allowed to enter (despite being three grown adults against nine children), and Schneider must train the two while working out his own problems.
For once, Schneider's character is (thankfully) reserved in this flick- he makes few jokes and plays the part with a certain laid-back attitude. Of course, this doesn't mean he's changed- it is a Rob Schneider film after all, and has it's fair share of unfunny dirty jokes- but it is more reserved than some of his other little excursions.
There really isn't much else to say about what separates this from other films of it's genre. Of course Schneider is going to work out his problems. Of course the team will win the big game. Of course one of the other teams is going to try and cheat. This is a vortex for the attention, just another product of the cookie-cutter mentality of sports films. Is it horrible? No. But it's not worth spending so much time and money to bear witness to yet another underdog story.
Overall Rating: 4/10
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Personally, I'm not a fan of Rob Schneider. It's just all the same dirty humor and no changes. Just once I'd like to see him grow up and make a serious film. Adam Sandler, despite his fair share of garbage, at least managed to crank out Hotel Transylvania. The Benchwarmers is not Rob Schneider's redemption. It's a little sad that my favorite Schneider bits are all from the same episode of South Park. What else can I say? He was a great stapler.
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