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The Benchwarmers
The Benchwarmers film poster
Directed by	Dennis Dugan
Produced by	Adam Sandler Jack Giarraputo
Written by	Allen Covert Nick Swardson
Starring	Rob Schneider David Spade Jon Heder Jon Lovitz
Music by	Waddy Wachtel
Cinematography	Thomas Ackerman
Editing by	Peck Prior Sandy Solowitz
Studio	Revolution Studios
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	April 7, 2006 (USA)
Running time	85 minutes
Language	English

The Benchwarmers is a 2006 comedy film that was released on April 7, 2006. It stars Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder and is directed by Dennis Dugan. It is produced by Happy Madison Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Music 4 Allusions 5 Box Office 6 Reception 7 External links

[edit] Plot

Gus, Clark, and Richie are three grown men and neighborhood friends. Clark and Richie were the unpopular kids who were constantly bullied by jocks and always benched at the little league baseball games, because of their less-than-stellar athletic abilities. When a nerdy boy named Nelson (Max Prado) 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 win. Later, Nelson's billionaire father Mel (Jon Lovitz) tells the trio that he's impressed with their win, and explains 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 multi-million dollar baseball park 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.

Just when it's looking like the stadium is all theirs, Gus, the star of his team, is kicked off of the team for being a brutal bully as a child, not a victim of bullies. He had bullied one child so intensely that the kid, a boy named Marcus Elwood, had to be sent to an institution. Even though his playing on the Benchwarmers gave a lot of the nerdy kids in town hope, he still feels intensely guilty for his role in Marcus' torment. At his wife's suggestion, Gus apologizes to Marcus, who becomes the Benchwarmers' 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 no every one wont make fun of them any more so they could be cool a team with a heartless coach, Jerry (dubbed by Gus as "Fairy Jerry") (Craig Kilborn), 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 throws Nelson of the Benchwarmers a "meatball" pitch down the middle. When Nelson hits the ball, Jerry's team lets him score a run while Jerry goes crazy. The Benchwarmers storm the field, celebrating the fact that they were not shut out -- and the guys give Jerry a taste of his own medicine, hanging him from the dugout fence by his underwear.

Also appearing in the movie for a few scenes is former New York Yankees superstar Reggie Jackson, who plays himself as Mel's nerdy childhood friend, and helps the Benchwarmers train using unorthodox methods (childhood pranks and games such as ding-dong ditch, hot potato, and mailbox smashing).

[edit] Cast

• Rob Schneider as Gus Matthews
• David Spade as Richie Goodman
• Michael Clarke Duncan as Joey Ramone
• Jon Heder as Clark Reedy
• Jon Lovitz as Mel Carmichael
• Chad Kroeger as Bam Margera
• Craig Kilborn as Jerry McDowell
• Molly Sims as Liz Matthews
• Tim Meadows as Wayne Meadows
• Nick Swardson as Howie Goodman
• Erinn Bartlett as Salad Girl/Sarah
• Amaury Nolasco as Carlos
• Bill Romanowski as Karl
• Sean Salisbury as Brad
• Matt Weinberg as Kyle Wilson
• John Farley as Swimmer Boy/Guy In Speedo
• Reggie Jackson as Himself
• Tony Falcone as Himself
• Joey Gnoffo as Marcus Ellwood
• Terry Crews as Poker Guy #1/Steven Warbucks
• Rachel Hunter as Hot Mother/Clark's first kiss
• Dan Patrick as Poker Player #2/O'Malley
• James Earl Jones as Voice of Darth Vader
• Max Prado as Nelson Carmichael
• Danny McCarthy as Troy McDowell
• Mary Jo Catlett as Patricia Ellwood
• Lochlyn Munro as Ultimate Home Remodel Host
• Ellie Schneider as Goth Kid's Girlfriend

[edit] Music

1. Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes
2. Hey Boy - Teddybears STHLM
3. Jerk It Out - Caesars
4. Never Known - O'Doyle Rules
5. Theme from Knight Rider
6. Cobrastyle - Teddybears STHLM
7. Walk of Life - Dire Straits
8. Hit or Miss - New Found Glory
9. Alright - Supergrass
10. Life is Good - Junk
11. That's Good - Devo
12. Stand Up and Win - Spymob
13. Gasolina - Daddy Yankee
14. Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
15. I Got You - The Waking Hours
16. Good - Black Lab
17. Times Like These - Foo Fighters (Song used in the trailer)

[edit] Allusions

• A stadium in the film is said to have elements of all the greatest ballparks in America. As depicted in the movie, it has the legendary facade from Yankee Stadium, the Ivy and Brick wall from Wrigley Field, and a swimming pool, which may be based on Chase Field. It also features a Green Monster to replicate the one at Boston's Fenway Park.
• Most of the filming of the last part of the movie was shot at Big Leagues Dream Park in Chino Hills, California.

[edit] Box Office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $19.6 million, ranking second at the North American box office.

As of June 7, 2006, the film had grossed over $58 million in the United States.

[edit] Reception

The film has received negative reviews from critics with a 12 percent, "Rotten" score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 65 reviews and a 25 on Metacritic indicating "generally negative reviews". The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes was "a gross-out comedy that is more sophomoric than funny. The Benchwarmers goes down swinging."

[edit] External links

• Official website
• The Benchwarmers at the Internet Movie Database
• The Benchwarmers at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Benchwarmers at Box Office Mojo
• The Benchwarmers at Yahoo Movies
• The Benchwarmers at AOL movies
• David Spade interview for Benchwarmers

v • d • e Films directed by Dennis Dugan Problem Child (1990) • Brain Donors (1992) • Happy Gilmore (1996) • Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) • Big Daddy (1999) • Saving Silverman (2001) • National Security (2003) • The Benchwarmers (2006) • I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007) • You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) • Grown Ups (2010)