Product Details

• Actors: Campbell Scott, Jesse Eisenberg, Isabella Rossellini, Elizabeth Berkley, Jennifer Beals
• Directors: Dylan Kidd
• Writers: Dylan Kidd
• Producers: Campbell Scott, Dylan Kidd, Anne Chaisson, Bruce Cowen, David Newman
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: March 18, 2003
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JLX8
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,471 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Campbell Scott bristles, burns, and sneers as Roger, a would-be smoothie who gets jilted by his older lover (who also happens to be his boss at an advertising agency). When his teenage nephew Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) appears at his office the next day, hoping for lessons in how to deal with the ladies, Roger uses his nephew partly as a foil, partly as a prop as he vents his anger and unhappiness on women in a scathing tour of bars and parties. A sharp script and multidimensional performances make Roger Dodger more than a standard war-of-the-sexes diatribe. Scott (Big Night, The Spanish Prisoner) doesn't ask for sympathy and doesn't allow for pity--his award-winning performance as Roger has defiance and dignity, whether the character is spitting bile or humiliating himself. Featuring strong supporting performances from Eisenberg, Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet), Jennifer Beals (In the Soup), and (surprise) Elizabeth Berkley (Showgirls). --Bret Fetzer

Product Description
Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/23/2003 Run time: 106 minutes Rating: R

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprising and unconventionally charming, June 3, 2003

By	Tyler Tanner (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Artful Roger, August 9, 2003

By	Roland E. Zwick (Valencia, Ca USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Roger Swanson is a coldhearted, fast-talking yuppie businessman who has cynically reduced the man-woman equation to its Darwinian essentials. To Roger, women are objects to be conquered not people to be respected, and he has learned to employ his good looks, charm and over-analytical mind in the service of getting laid. When Nick, his naïve, inexperienced 16-year old nephew comes to town, Roger decides to train the boy in the fine art of manipulation and seduction, taking him out for a night on the town that the youngster will not soon forget.

As conceived by first time writer/director Dylan Kidd, "Roger Dodger" is less a full-fledged narrative and more a series of extended conversations. And I, for one, couldn't be happier, for the dialogue Kidd has come up with is sharp, observant, insightful and witty, as Roger opens up and reveals his unique perspective on the dating scene. He uses his mouth like a machine gun, shooting rounds of rapid-fire, staccato comments, indifferent to who's left standing when he's done. He really has no qualms about "corrupting" his underage nephew, never seeing or caring about the corrosive effect he may be having on him. In the process, we learn quite a bit about Roger as a person, most especially the aloofness he feels from others and his inability to make any kind of emotional connection that really works. Long estranged from his father and sister, Roger is also facing a breakup with the older woman he's recently come to fancy (his boss in fact). Roger is a humorous figure but also an immensely sad one, for he really does seem - for all his bravado and bluster to the contrary - to be a lonely, unhappy guy. We are simultaneously drawn to him by his confidence and charisma and repelled by his smarminess and coldness, just like the characters in the film. As Roger, Campbell Scott does a superb job bringing out both of those seemingly contradictory qualities. A non-stop talker, Roger knows how to draw all the attention in the room to himself; he is (at the risk of mixing my metaphors here) like a chattering vortex up there on the screen and we can't help but be sucked in by his personality and presence. No wonder Scott won the 2002 award for Best Actor from the National Board of Review. In fact, I haven't seen a performance this smooth, alive and energetic in a very long time. Equally impressive is young Jesse Eisenberg whose wide-eyed innocence and youthful decency provide an effective counterpoint to the brash but empty Roger. Isabella Rossellini, Elizabeth Berkley and Jennifer Beals also turn in outstanding performances as the various ladies who play a part in the two men's adventure.

In his debut film, Kidd shows himself to be in full control of his medium. He employs a jittery, handheld camera in almost every scene, a technique that may bother some people but which heightens the sense of realism so essential to the nature of the story. In this way, the audience is made to feel almost like an eavesdropper on the various conversations. Kidd should also be commended - in this day of maximum special effects and minimal verbiage - for allowing his characters to speak at great length on any number of topics. Many another filmmaker would have felt intimidated by such a heavy reliance on dialogue. Kidd, obviously, feels intoxicated by the beauty of language and his intoxication becomes ours.

Roger is a fascinating case study mainly because we feel so ambivalent in our attitude towards him. Just as we are about to consign him to the category of heartless, cold-blooded bastard, he wins us over by showing us that barest glimmer of humanity that peeks out every so often from beneath his well-oiled exterior.

"Roger Dodger" is not only an intriguing, amusing and poignant tale of realtionships and sex in the modern world, but a confident first film that augurs well for its gifted young maker.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Campbell Scott Deserved an Oscar, March 20, 2003

By	mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Roger Dodger [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.