Roger Dodger (2002)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: The movie could have benefited from a more experienced director, but a great cast and script overcome any first time jitters the director may have had.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Roger Swanson
as Nick
as Joyce
as Andrea
as Sophie
as Donna
as Donovan
as Chris
as Angela
as Angus
as Darren
as Felix
as Girl in Bar
as Woman in Bar
as Young Working Woman
as Patricia
as Susan
as Alert Doorman
as Bouncer
as Waitress
as Tired Woman
News & Interviews for Roger Dodger
Critic Reviews for Roger Dodger
All Critics (123) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (108) | Rotten (15) | DVD (11)
A fascinating, uneven first feature from the young writer-director Dylan Kidd.
We journey from appreciating Roger as the ideal over-drinks conversationalist to someone we would cross the street to avoid.
Scott's low-key portrayal makes Roger interesting.
Doesn't really add up to much.
Roger Dodger is an impressive first-time effort by Dylan Kidd, the director and writer. But like the teen in the movie who is trying to lose his virginity, the film never quite scores.
Even at its grimmest, the movie hums along, thanks to the edgy, hand-held, on-the-fly cinematography and the snappy performances.
Audience Reviews for Roger Dodger
Gotta love high-functioning sociopaths like HIMYM's Barney Stinson and Campbell Scott's titular Roger in this dark, delicious gem. Roger's tried-and-true tricks aren't just cheesy pick-ups, but carefully honed skills that show off the Darwinningest male. Jesse Eisenberg, in his first film role, is sweet and endearing with a hint of rebellion, and the brief roles of 80s-90s dream queens, Elizabeth Berkley and Jennifer Beals, make for a bittersweet sex education. It was so bittersweet that I wished something would happen for Nick and Sophie at the end - not necessarily sex but just SOMETHING instead of Uncle Dad once again aiding and abetting a lame flirtation with high school queen bee whom the audience hasn't gotten the chance to know and fall in love with yet.
Super Reviewer
A fast-paced, dialogue-driven, well-constructed little film about the immorality of our times, specifically playboy Roger (Campbell Scott) and how he decides to give his 16-year old nephew (Jesse Eisenberg) in town a crash course in how to get laid after his nephew asks for his help. It is at times a little unbelievable, but still irrefutably fascinating despite its shortcomings and uneven pacing. This is mostly due to Scott's powerhouse performance as a man stripped of any conceivable morals, which serves as a fascinating though depressing study of sex and its agonizing grip on some individuals lives. Eisenberg is also fantastic playing the insecure, virgin character he and Michael Cera have made a living off of for a little over a decade now. It is explicit, sometimes a little full of itself, and sometimes lacking some editing, but is is nevertheless a successful, memorable look on the lack of morality in our culture.
Super Reviewer
By displaying to audiences a severely dishonest human being, Roger Dodger's thought-provoking script is able to reach a surprising level of honesty. While Campbell Scott plays a hugely unlikeable character (which wouldn't be a problem if the script didn't want audiences to sympathize with him), Jesse Eisenberg is as good as always in his first-ever movie.
Super Reviewer
Roger Dodger Quotes
| Roger Swanson: | You can't sell a product without first making people feel bad. |
| Nick: | Why not? |
| Roger Swanson: | Because it's a substitution game. You have to remind them that they're missing something from their lives. Everyone's missing something, right? |
| Nick: | I guess. |
| Roger Swanson: | Trust me. And when they're feeling sufficiently incomplete, you convince them your product is the only thing that can fill the void. So instead of taking steps to deal with their lives, instead of working to root out the real reason for their misery, they go out and buy a stupid looking pair of cargo pants. |
| Nick: | What is this? |
| Roger: | Rum and coke. I told him to mix it weak. We got a long way to go here. |
| Nick: | Okay. I don't drink. |
| Roger: | You kidding me? Take a drink. |
| Nick: | I don't put alcohol into my body. |