Benchwarmers is a great movie that differs from your typical sports movie.

Rating: 8/10 (4 October 2016)

When watching a movie that revolves around a sport, you typically need to have a full understanding of that specific sport to even consider watching the movie. Normally, you are required to have some historical background knowledge of the sport to catch on to references and remain interested without getting lost or confused. Most importantly, you need to have an interest and respect for the sport to even enjoy the movie. The baseball movie "Benchwarmers" does an incredible job overcoming all of these obstacles through humor, making it extremely successful and enjoyable for a range of viewers, from baseball fans to people that don't know a single thing about baseball. Although the main event that takes place in this movie is obviously baseball, the plot isn't your typical "the team you're supposed to cheer for barely takes home the gold after a close, almost game-costing play." The message is surprisingly focused on the effects of bullying, valuing fun vs. winning, and a compromise between bullies and the victim. But wait! I know what you're thinking. Before you get carried away assuming that this movie is just another lesson on bullying, mean jocks vs. weird nerds, you have to know that it is a comedy with all intentions of a humorous experience instead of directly reflecting the anti-bullying videos you were forced to watch in middle school. Gus, Richie, and Clark compete against the baseball team full of terribly mean jocks to prove that everyone should be able to play baseball. The three nerds become great role models to younger kids until the truth about Gus's past is revealed. The never-ending humor in "Benchwarmers" keeps you entertained and holds your attention by catching you off- guard and making you wonder what's going to make you laugh next. This movie is filled with hilarious and catchy one-liners that you'll laugh at every time and continue to quote for weeks. Another aspect that adds to the humor within the movie is the type of characters and their interactions and relationships with each other, along with the respectable acting. The main characters are known as the uncool, age 20-30, losers that never had a shot with girls, sports, or even a social life. Their acting consists of immaturity, isolation, lack of communication skills, and the way they are treated by others definitely creates a strong base for humor, where the rest builds off of. However, the one true main character, Gus, who is what you would call "normal," struggles with an inner-conflict of guilt from his past. This conflict influences his family, his image as a role model, and finally brings on a twist to the movie. This twist completely ties the plot together and clearly wraps up the message you're supposed to take away from the whole experience. Despite all of the genius and wonderful factors to making this movie as enjoyable as it is, there are a few flaws. At times it can be quite vulgar in terms of language, vomiting, and sexual references. Of course all of these factors are meant to be humorous, but they may step on some toes and cross the line for some viewers. However, if you enjoy the humor in "Billy Madison" or "Happy Gilmore" then "Benchwarmers" is perfect for you. Ultimately, the movie is still funny, the value you develop for each character still remains, and your attention and entertainment still come first. A movie that can be enjoyed by a variety of audiences is guaranteed success. Half of the characters in this movie don't even know how to properly swing a bat, allowing connection for non-baseball fans while granting intense humor for viewers that are baseball fans. Targeting a more diverse audience and effectively creating room for this connection through humor definitely separates this movie from your typical sports film, while earning success by doing so.