Movie Loner

I’ve always been a Campbell Scott fan. I first saw him in Singles and even though I didn’t really dig the movie I thought he stood out. Satisfied with making his mark in the Indie world Scott has delivered promising performances in The Spanish Prisoner, The Secret Lives of Dentists, and co-directed the lauded Big Night. His best and most challenging role to date is in Roger Dodger, an acerbic study of relationships between men and women.

Scott plays the title character, Roger, a New York advertising plebe who fancies himself an expert on women. He looks and dresses the part with a disarming wit to match. A surprise visit from his 16-year-old nephew Nick puts his skills to the test. Nick, desperate to lose his virginity, becomes Roger’s eager student in the art of seduction. Quick lessons on how to look at and approach women are lost on Nick, so Roger sneaks him into the lion’s den, a bar. He then enlists the aid of Andrea (Elizabeth Berkley) and Sophie (Jennifer Beals), two attractive singles, to teach young Nick what women want.

Nick’s honest sensitivity score points with the ladies, while Roger’s primitive cynicism proves offputting. The die is cast. Roger, convinced his method is foolproof, leads Nick on a turbulent journey into the NYC nightlife. Ruptured attempt after ruptured attempt to get Nick laid forces Roger to resort to what he calls the “fail-safe.” A trip to a sordid underground brothel with an inebriated Nick in tow evokes Roger’s dormant conscience to awaken. He quickly grasps that he doesn’t have all the answers and has much to learn about women and life.

Writer/Director Dylan Kidd doesn’t pull any punches. His frank, graphic script is a frontal assault on relationships and sex. He attacks the prevailing attitudes of both men and women; men’s inherent immaturity collides head-on with women’s unreal expectations. I can’t think of a recent movie that has dealt with these issues with levity and intelligence. Cheers to Jesse Eisenberg for deftly tackling the character of Nick. His innocence holds the story together. I don’t write this often, but Roger Dodger is a near-perfect film.

The trailer for Roger Dodger: