What The Hell...

Rating: 4/10 (27 September 2012)

The Benchwarmers could have been so much better. Probably not good, but much better than it was. First of all, if you're going to watch this, you have to force yourself through the first thirty minutes or so, because it's all about young teens and pre-teens being bullied relentlessly and it's painful to watch at times. Their cruelty is played for humor, and a lot of the time it's not even remotely funny, but appalling and offensive. If you've ever been bullied, which is everyone at some point in time in your childhood, it especially offends you. But, after the thirty minutes of hell, it actually gets better. not much, but better enough to the point where you can actually watch it without cringing. Sadly, this is the best part of the movie. The bullies get their just desserts in the end (how shocking) and it's fun to see them pay, almost comical at times, but once it gets to the end, everything turns completely sappy. The bullies are smiling and pitching balls to the kids they bullied and purposely letting them win, and everyone's happy, and they all go out for pizza (speaking of which, this entire movie is really just a giant advertisement for Pizza Hut) but it feels so preachy and forces niceness upon you that is totally unwanted. the humor is totally crass and crude throughout, so why stop and turn it into a happy little cheese fest at the end?? If you're gonna go the crude route, go all out. that's what made certain movies like Step Brothers and Pineapple Express watchable for me, the humor was awful, but at least it was consistent. overall, The Benchwarmers leaves you with a weird taste in your mouth. Actually, my first thought after the movie was, "What the hell just happened..."