Rating: 
Summary: Campbell Scott plays a Lounge Lizard
Review: In "Roger Dodger," Roger (played by Campbell Scott) is the man who has all the answers--or so he thinks. When we first see Roger, he is both entertaining and appalling workmates in a bar with his "World According to Roger" philosophy--and this philosophy includes his views on women (bedworthy or not), relationships (short and they begin in a bar), and sexuality (Roger thinks he's a stud). While Roger appears to have an answer for everything, he can't take "no" for an answer when it's delivered to him, so when a woman rejects Roger's continued advances, Roger's self-confidence spirals just enough for him to decide to recoup his pride by impressing his 16 year old nephew, Nick (Jesse Eisenberg). Nick seeks his Uncle Roger's advice about women and sex, and Roger is only too happy to oblige, and throughout the remainder of the film, Roger spouts his views and pontificates to Nick who is innocent and naive enough not to question his uncle's tried-and-true methods of picking up women EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Just how Uncle Roger sets out to 'teach' his nephew a few tricks, is very, very funny, and while Roger's snide approach is intended to humiliate Nick at every turn, Roger's nastiness always has a way of backfiring. This is not a good 'date' film--or a film to watch if you are easily offended. There are some scenes--talk mostly--which include frank sexuality. If you enjoyed "The Company of Men," and "Red Meat," you will probably also enjoy "Roger Dodger." Isabella Rossellini also stars as Roger's patient--yet rather fed-up boss, and Jennifer Beals plays a girl who Roger and Nick meet in a bar. The dialogue of the film is very witty and fast, and you really have to pay attention to catch it all--displacedhuman--Amazon Reviewer--
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely hated it!
Review: Just rented this. After 10 minutes (or less) I gave up on it. If I had seen this at the theatre, I would have walked out. Shaky camera technique? More like: give a camera to a 3 year old. No, if they had done that it might have even been worth watching. I would be embarressed to call myself a cinematographer (or director) on this shoot. The incessant dialog wasn't even the bulk of the problem. I was so put off by the (lack of) "camera work," and lighting that I immediately disliked everyone on the shaking screen. Maybe I missed an opportunity to see a good film -- if only I could have stuck it out. Well, why should I? I guess they wanted to break the rules of good fimmaking. And they did. For me, they drew all the attention from the characters and placed it solely on the camera. I readily admit I couldn't stomach this movie beyond the first few minutes, so I may not be the best one to judge it. But, I can tell you I hated those opening minutes so much, I didn't even watch the extras on the DVD -- a usual favorite treat for me. In a few minutes, the filmakers made me not care about their film, characters, or behind the scenes and interview footage.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe I just don't get it...
Review: Maybe I just don't get it...I found this movie to be boring and draining. It opens with a scene of C. Scott talking and smoking while he supposedly holds a rapt audience of his co-workers in his grasp. I kept expecting it to end and cut to something at least a little interesting but it kept on and on and on and...well you get the idea. The dialogue is bland and labored, and it just felt like it was trying to be TOO smart and TOO important or something. Like I said, I guess I just don't get it. The character of Roger's nephew was a bright spot, and the DVD extras are ambitious, but obviously not very entertaining if you didn't enjoy the movie. I would have to say avoid - nothing is really missed by missing this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Roger is cynical but also mysteriously charming
Review: Quentin Tarantino is the most recent director who taught us the importance of a good opening scene for a movie, through classics such as Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Dylan Kidd appears to be a very capable student, opening his directorial debut, titled Roger Dodger, with a remarkable scene, a dialogue that actually turns into a monologue of our lead character. In that scene, Roger (Campbell Scott), a successful advertiser and probably equally successful womanizer, states why, according to his beliefs, men will become totally unnecessary for women in the very near future. After such a strong intro, it is a challenge for every director to keep the attention of the viewer at the same level for the rest of the way. Still, Kidd seems to be up to the task, giving us a really absorbing movie. Be warned though: Roger Dodger is a dialogue driven movie. There is not much action here. The film gets started when Roger's nephew (Jesse Eisenberg) suddenly visits, and asks Roger to tell him about the secrets of love - or, if you prefer, to help him get his first sexual experience. Roger will accept the challenge, promising a "fail safe" method, and a long night will begin. Their ride includes a visit to a bar where two attractive but also willing to talk women (Elizabeth Berkley, Jennifer Beals) are added to their company, an (uninvited) visit to a party by Roger's employer and ex-girlfriend (Isabella Rossellini), who has made perfectly clear that she does not want to socialize with him any more, and a final surprise visit, where the climax of the film is set. Most of the film's dialogues regard sex and the relations between men and women. Roger's philosophy in advertising is to humiliate people, make them feel bad about themselves, and then offer some kind of product to "cure" their unhappiness. In real life, his philosophy is not much different. At least in the first half. Being totally cynical, he won't hesitate to degrade others not taking into consideration their feelings. In some cases, this tactic will give him an advantage, allowing him to find others unprepared and manipulate their weaknesses. In other cases though, things are not that sunny... On the other hand, his nephew, probably because he is still young and inexperienced in life, expresses views that are much more honest and romantic. This, has Roger, his presumable mentor, waiting on the sidelines, not being able to do much. Campbell Scott, who plays Roger, is absolutely convincing. He says all his lines without trying too much. He also shows a considerable amount of charm, which makes him likable, even if we know that this in not the correct reaction toward a character like his. From the supporting roles, only Elizabeth Berkley (Saved by the bell if I remember correctly) is not totally up to the rest cast's high standards, having a tendency to goggle her eyes way too often. Kidd's direction is live, with a penetrating camera that is in constant motion, like the eyes of its main character. That would probably tire a few viewers, but in my humble opinion, fits perfectly with the film's atmosphere. If we would like to locate weaknesses in Roger Dodger, those have nothing to do with the views of our main character. As a matter of fact, Kidd comments indirectly about them, by giving us a glimpse of Roger's personal life. The problem is that the film is concentrated too much on the dialogue, not giving much of a chance to its characters to develop satisfactorily as complete human beings. And that is the case even for Roger. We get to hear a few things about his family, which, if further analyzed, would probably explain his behavior. Still, all those references are left there hanging. And that's a pity. In any case, we forgive Roger because he managed to win us from the opening minute!
Rating:
Summary: Women Beware
Review: Roger (Campbell Scott) is in every scene of "Roger Dodger" and doesn't stop talking for the entire movie. What does he talk about? Who is he talking to?
He talks about Women mostly and he talks to anyone who will listen but in particular his nephew, Nick (Jessie Eisenberg) who has come to NYC to be tutored by his uncle on the broad and fine points of how to pick up women since Nick's Mother (and Roger's sister) has called Roger a "ladies man." Roger spends the evening with Nick and so begins Roger and Nick's journey into "Roger World."
Roger does not talk about love or respect or feelings unless they are to be used as a ruse to get a woman into bed. Roger is neither deep nor caring. Roger is a bitter, smarmy creep. Roger is the blood brother of the Aaron Eckhart character in the film, "In the Company of Men." They both lust after women but hate themselves.
There is a great sequence in "Roger Dodger" involving Roger, Nick (who Roger has snuck into a Bar) and two women: Andrea (Elizabeth Berkley) and Sophie (Jennifer Beals) who Roger has asked to join he and Nick. Andrea and Sophie are smart, sexy, beautiful women who can "see" Roger for what he is and who are in turn fascinated by Nick's naïveté. Berkley and Beals have never looked more beautiful nor been as charming as they are in this scene. The director Dylan Kidd wisely, at this point in the narrative, lets some hot air out of the bag that is Roger with this delightful scene and we feel some relief, if only for a few minutes, from Roger's unrelenting chatter.
Dylan Kidd has taken some major gambles with "Roger Dodger": what if we had merely walked out or tuned off to this film? This very easily could have happened with an anti-hero, buffoon as his lead character. And don't think for a moment that Roger "sees the light" and repents. Not in the least. Campbell Scott makes the most of Roger: watch his eyes, his way of lighting his cigarette and the manner in which he smokes it. This guy is committed to making Roger as repellant yet believable as possible. And he succeeds for by the film's end we appreciate the stellar performance but somehow... do not hate the character.
Rating:
Summary: scores on all counts
Review: Roger Dodger is a look at a man and his nephew as the man, Roger(played awesomely and great by the wonderful Campbell Scott(Big Night)) shows his nephew, Nick(Jesse Eisenberg(The Empereors Club), really great also) into the world of picking up chicks. great performances all around..the ladies are top notch. other cast members include Jessica Beals(Vampire's Kiss), Izabella Rosselini(Death Becomes Her), Elizabeth Berkely(Showgirls) and Ben Sheknman(Jesus' Son). wonderful and daring...its a masterpiece
Rating:
Summary: Portrait of a pick-up artist
Review: Roger Dodger is a sharp, insightful and often funny study of a man who is too smooth for his own good. We first meet Roger (Campbell Scott, in a superb role) entertaining a group of friends over cocktails; he dominates the conversation with a clever but absurd argument on the future roles of the sexes. Roger's monologue on the impending irrelevance of the male sex suggests right off the bat that this would-be womanizer suffers from an inferiority complex. As the film progresses, we see that Roger is never out of character; he is always "on," whether at his job (appropriately enough, he's an advertising copyrighter) or trying to seduce a woman. If there is an inner core to this quintessential single, big city pick-up artist, we never see it. The problem is, Roger's smooth, cynical style doesn't really work; more often than not, he offends rather than impresses. This is made clear when he tries to woo a woman in a bar away from her date by guessing that she is being used and exploited by her womanizing boss. This is only a minor conversation in the film, but it takes on an ironic meaning when we learn that the girlfriend who recently dumped Roger (played by Isabella Rossellini) is his boss. We start to suspect at this point that Roger, despite his suave persona, is more victim than predator. When Roger's sixteen year old nephew Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) arrives in town, Roger sees an opportunity to vicariously test his techniques. Nick is a sensitive and somewhat shy teenager anxious for sexual experience; he naively believes Roger to be an expert in this area. When Roger and Nick go out on the town to meet women, the results are often tragically comic. The limited success they have is due to Nick's charm rather than Roger's off-putting worldliness. One of the best things about Roger Dodger is that it avoids falling into some obvious cliches. Writer/director Dylan Kidd could have, for example, turned the story into a neat reversal where the innocent but wiser Nick teaches Roger about the true meaning of love. At the conclusion, it's less than clear who has learned what or if anyone has drastically changed. Campbell Scott avoids making Roger into a complete caricature. While he is certainly slimy and superficial, he is not wrong about everything. It's worth noting that some of the good impressions made by Nick could not have been achieved without Roger's bravado. The film's final scene, in which Roger talks to Nick and some of his high school friends, perfectly encapsulates Roger and the film. We are left with the feeling that Nick, though too smart to put Roger on a pedestal, has probably learned a thing or two from him all the same.
Rating:
Summary: SHAKING THINGS UP
Review: Roger Dodger is a smug, charmless provocation-fest offered up defensively as art, presented in that sick-making underlit shaky-cam style favoured by Lars Von Trier and his DOGME zombie ilk. Still, it is a think-piece, unlike 99.99 whatever of what is being churned out by AMERIcorp, enlarging the movie-going discourse beyond fashion dos-and-dont's and box-office receipts. The DVD is all the better, providing both greater thematic context and scenic relief for an otherwise relentless and claustrophobic viewing experience. If CGI, wire-fu, McG, MTV, snappy comebacks, and, yes, irony, have become bywords for evil, then, by all means, find and buy.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Film
Review: Roger Dodger starts out as a dark comedy with witty dialogue and excellent acting, and for the most part, not much changes for the rest of the film. The dialogue stays just as witty, the acting equally as good, (Campbell Scott is tremedous as Roger, a man who thinks he knows everything there is to know about women), and the movie just as enjoable. But the comdey sort of fades away, and we begin to discover just how sad and lonely Roger really is.
The directing is very interesting. Shaky, up-close camera angles make up this entire movie. In fact, the camera almost never zooms out for a 'master shot', and the filmmakers talk about this is the DVD extras.
This movie is really worth seeing for Campbell Scott's performance alone, but beyond that it really is a good rental, and it is recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Campbell Scott Deserved an Oscar
Review: Roger Swanson (Campbell Scott) is a ruthless self-absorbed big city ad copywriter who spends his free time sleeping with his boss (Isabella Rossallini) and using his insulting overbearing wit in constant desperate attempts to bed every woman he meets. His boss breaks off their relationship the same day his teenaged nephew Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) shows up seeking Roger's advice on sex and romance. Roger and Nick set out to find Nick a woman using Roger's finely-honed method of operation. Through a series of womanizing episodes in bars and brothels, the depth of Roger's emotional dysfunction and self-loathing are revealed. Even as Roger is in many ways repulsive, he is also energetic, witty and ultimately at least partially redeemed. Campbell Scott's portrayal of Roger Swanson's conglomeration of fierce intelligence, acute self-loathing and borderline alcoholism was one of the finest performances of 2002. I find that the greatest performances involve an impeccable sense of timing on the part of the actor. Campbell Scott's flawless timing combined with emotional transparency and palpable energy make this performance extraordinary. He deserved an Oscar nomination. Roger Dodger also boasts an excellent supporting cast. Jesse Eisenberg is perfect as sweet, hapless, but eager-to-learn Nick. Isabella Rossallini, Elizabeth Berkley, and Jennifer Beals make solid contributions as Roger's boss and two women whom Roger and Nick try to pick up, respectively. Roger Dodger doesn't contain any action or romance, and its humor is strictly sardonic. But it is one of the best films of 2002. If you like great movies and great performances, Roger Dodger is a Must-See.
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