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Campbell Scott reaches deep down into his reliable
bag of tricks and comes up with a winner in Roger Dodger,
an entertaining look at the cynicism that envelops modern
love.
Scott plays the titular character, a charming ad exec who
is seemingly lucky in love—that is, until he meets Joyce (Rossellini),
an older woman who breaks his heart (and his fragile male
ego).
When Roger’s nephew Nick (Eisenberg) comes to New
York, and asks his uncle for advice about the fairer sex,
Roger seizes the opportunity to infuse Nick with the same
cynicism he himself possesses. However, Nick proves that his
idealistic outlook is far more successful with the ladies,
and a much better way to approach life. By the end, Roger
is the one who walks away with a lesson he will never forget.
Roger Dodger could simply have been a retread of In
the Company of Men, but it is less about the competitiveness
of the workplace, and more about the evolution of male attitudes
toward love and sex. The film proves much more optimistic
than Neil LaBute’s breakout modern-day masterpiece,
which may not be true to life, but proves a charming cinematic
experience nonetheless.
Much of the charm lies in the performances, especially by
Scott’s and Eisenberg’s, whose polar-opposite characters form
a combative, though loving, relationship. Scott is always
a reliable performer, and here he outdoes himself, rattling
off lines at breakneck speed, while occasionally stopping
to give a mournful stare—he reminds us that words are often
the only things we have to mask our pain.
Roger Dodger is writer/director Dylan Kidd’s
debut film, and he proves that he has the potential to be
a major talent. Like LaBute, he has his finger on the pulse
of modern day corporate relationships, as well as retaining
a childlike sense of wonder about the world. This translates
into the film itself, forcing it to fall in a rather awkward,
but interesting, genre: dystopian idealism.
—Erin Steele
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