Cast: Campbell Scott, Jesse Eisenberg, Isabella Rossellini, Elizabeth Berkley, Jennifer Beals
Director: Dylan Kidd
Producers: Anne Chaisson, Dylan Kidd, George VanBuskirk
Screenplay: Dylan Kidd
Cinematography: Joaquín Baca-Asay
Music: Craig Wedren
U.S. Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Roger Dodger is a delight for anyone who loves to absorb dialogue. The movie is almost all talk and no action, and possesses the "feel" (although not the pedigree) of a stage production translated to the screen. The plot is virtually non-existent and the character development is limited, but the longer the viewer listens to the lead character's monologues and conversations with various other individuals, the clearer it becomes that there are some fascinating philosophies being bandied about. Most of what is discussed in Roger Dodger pertains to sex and gender differences, and, while none of writer/director Dylan Kidd's observations are stunningly original, they are almost always interesting.
Roger (Campbell Scott) is a womanizer with ice in both his soul and his never-empty glass. His night life consists of attending parties and spending hours at bars, picking up women for one-night stands. He is currently bitter over the end of an affair with his boss, Joyce (Isabella Rossellini) – probably because he wasn't the one to break things off. Enter his 15 year-old nephew, Nick (Jesse Eisenberg), a small-town boy who is spending a few days in New York City to check out colleges. He is eager to learn the ropes about women from his uncle. It doesn't take long for Roger to warm to the idea of being a mentor, and it becomes his mission to get Nick laid before the day is over. But there's nothing altruistic in Roger's motives – he relishes the idea of destroying innocence, and the thought of stripping away Nick's naivete about sex proves to be an irresistible lure.
At first, this looks like it could be another coming-of-age story, until it becomes clear that the film is more about Roger than Nick. In a way, the movie echoes aspects of Neil LaBute's In the Company of Men, especially in the way it shows how a charming user can wreak emotional havoc with little effort. Despite superficial similarities, the film steers clear of the About a Boy formula – Roger Dodger does not relate how Roger's encounter with Nick causes him to reform his life. Roger may have regrets, but he is unapologetic about who he is or what he does. The film's coda – a 15-minute epilogue that seems out-of-place – is an attempt to "soften" Roger by leading us to believe that he's not beyond redemption. If there's an obvious weakness, this is it.
To appreciate Roger Dodger, you have to love words. The proceedings open with a lengthy discourse by Roger about the eventual Darwinian triumph of the woman. He observes that it is only "man's utility [that] staves off obsolescence" but that "artificial insemination will render sperm useless", and, within 10-15 generations, the male gender will be extinct. Later, sitting alone in a bar, he sizes a woman up and makes brutal, snap assessments about her life and character. After meeting Nick, he expounds upon his theories about sex and voyeurism – "lessons" he continues after he and his nephew have hooked up with a couple of attractive women, Andrea (Elizabeth Berkley) and Sophie (Jennifer Beals), who are less impressed by Roger than he is by himself.
In the title role, Campbell Scott gives a wonderfully compelling portrayal. Roger is the kind of man we should instantly dislike, but, because Scott plays him with such charm and instant affability, it's impossible not to root for Roger (or at least his redemption) on some level. Jesse Eisenberg presents Nick as the typical high school nerd – nervous and uncertain about women, yet eager for some sort of sexual contact. Elizabeth Berkley (whose career was nearly destroyed by Showgirls) and Jennifer Beals (who has never shaken the Flashdance typecasting), both of whom bring considerable baggage to their roles, offer smart, appealing interpretations of Nick's would-be conquests.
For Kidd, Roger Dodger is an auspicious debut. It won't find much of an audience outside of the art house circuit, because mainstream audiences will quickly grow tired of its talkiness. But for those who have the time and the patience to listen, Kidd's words, as delivered by Roger, have the power to weave a rare kind of magic.
© 2002 James Berardinelli