Roger Dodger

Rating:
Summary: Not sure
Review: Very clever film, but I found it very hard to watch. I am not sure why. Maybe because I found the Roger character to be totally loathsome. That kind of person, who is willing to sacrifice everything else just to get sex looks like a winner, but is actually a complete loser.

Rating:
Summary: VERY INTELLIGENT WRITER!
Review: Well, I have the VHS version, so this is what I am reviewing. Also, I haven't finished the movie yet--but it's great. Campbell Scott is great. I was expecting a silly PORKYS flick. BOY WAS I SURPRISED!

Rating:
Summary: Surprising and unconventionally charming
Review: When people grab your arm and say "You gotta see this movie!" it usually means I will hate it. After the smartly written opening scene though, I was pleasantly surprised and I was on board for the rest of the film. At the risk of contradicting myself, I normally don't like dialouge driven independent film, particularly set in an urban setting such as Manhattan. Nothing against NYC, it's just they tend to confuse pontification and philosophy as substance for character. However the writer/director manages to get his ideas across with out preaching, making for a highly watchable film. There is a slight pretension to this movie, but only because it is encapsulated in the main character, Roger, played brilliantly by Campbell Scott. I've always liked watching Scott and he does not dissappoint. He gives a performance that will hopefully get him noticed again. And it's balanced wonderfully by Jesse Eisenberg, who plays his nephew that looks to Roger to educate him in manners of the opposite sex.
The other thing that I liked about this film is the pace. This is "A Night in the Life" premise but it moves quickly and you really don't realize your watching that type of movie until after it's over. The hook that keeps you watching is not only Scotts performance, but wondering if the nephew is going to lose his virginity.
The only critizism I have of the film is that it's shot entirely hand held. The style lends itself well to the film, but I would love to see what this director does with a steadycam.
You don't "Gotta see this movie!" but it's an intellegent distraction with a unique charm. And a great film for those who like New York stories. A good addition to a library.

Rating:
Summary: great dialogue
Review: witty cutdowns, ... offers interesting views into gorwing up and relationship between sexes

Rating:
Summary: Cool film with believable characters
Review: You are immediately drawn into this from the start with Roger's quirky monologue to his friends at a restaurant about his theories on human evolution - it sounds like anti-social crap but he exudes enough charisma to get away with it, in fact his friends give him a round of applause at the end of these ramblings such is the conviction of his delivery. Is he a total jerk or jaded city guy with a heart of gold? That is pretty much the question that lingers over him the whole time you watch this film.
When his 16 year old virginal nephew arrives on the scene asking for tips on how to pick up girls Roger is given a chance to flex his mysoginistic side which he relishes. Enough said on the story, what I liked about this film was that it is one of the few I have seen where the characters are genuinely believable and respond to situations as you would expect real people to. This is what hold yours attention as there are significantly long periods of meandering dialogue in Roger Dodger between the action and drama that unfolds. Also, the director doesn't impose himself on the characters or scenes, instead he leaves it up to the viewer to soak it all in and draw their own conclusions, this is helped by the way it is filmed, the camera moving around casually, sometimes jerkily as though you are eavesdropping in on Roger's interludes with people. It's a certain stylization which isn't overpowering but works well in tandem with Roger's urgent, manic, sometimes infuriating character.

Rating:
Summary: Genuinely unpleasant.
Review: You know how, when you watch a David Mamet movie, the dialog is brilliant--even if nobody actually talks that way in real life? Well this is a cross between a badly written Mamet movie and a Woody Allen movie, minus the humor.

Whether you think this is brilliant social satire or just R-rated T&A, there's nothing really clever or insightful and its ultimately pointless. So what if the acting is good. Miserable people doing miserable things. Now that's what I call entertainment!