7. Rodger Dodger (Dir.: Dylan Kidd, 2002)
Campbell Scott plays an acerbic misogynistic yuppie ad man (before it was cool). He has a reputation as a ladies man but the only action we see him get is with his boss who is dumping him for the next, younger office toy boy. Roger spends his time attempting to seduce women by pithy analysis and draconian observation. Roger is caught off guard when his 15 year old nephew Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) arrives in Manhattan to learn how to pick up women. Roger leads his unsuspecting nephew on an odyssey of predatorily chauvinism which includes: an attempt to seduce the sophisticated Andrea and Sophie (Jennifer Beals and Elizabeth Berkley), taking advantage of Rogers drunken co-worker, and using the fail-safe reserved for when Nick is desperate to lose his virginity. Writer-Director Dylan Kidd presents an attractive New York with a seedy and tawdry underbelly. The dialogue is acidic and punchy and is delivered with charm and gusto by its impressively talented cast. Jesse Eisenberg in his first leading role, shows the awkward charm and engaging presence that has led him to Oscar nominated success (for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in
The Social Network). Rossellini, Berkley, and Beals all deliver fine supporting performances and give their characters weight and depth. The real standout performance is Campbell Scott. The son of legendary Oscar winner George C. Scott, Campbells Roger is a man facing extinction as his chain smoking, hard-drinking chauvinism is confronted with a world of women in charge. His electrifying monologues tutoring Nick about the world of sex are wonderfully reigned in by his slow realisation that he is completely alone in the world. Roger Dodger is a fine example of small American independent cinema that deserved a wide audience. It has laughs, charm and a real emotional core beneath its tough, cool and calm surface much like its title character.