Growing up, the subject of women baffled me. How does someone in sixth grade have a girlfriend? What do they do on their dates? Due to this logistical problem I had in my head, it’s needless to say I never found myself with a girlfriend in grade school and honestly, I STILL don’t know how anybody did it back then and I probably never will. What’s worse is the situation continued to confound me in high school. I imagined one needed a vehicle to transport said date to and fro. Without a car until I turned 18, I couldn’t wrap my mind around the inner workings of how this was done, either. However, it was all moot because the key ingredient I lacked was how to talk to the opposite sex in the first place. I looked to Hollywood, my favorite form of learning, to teach me, but was provided with very little answers. One of the most frustrating things about one of my favorite films, Swingers, is the scene where down-on-his-luck Mikey talks to a girl at a bar and gets her phone number. He succeeds, but there’s no audible dialogue and a young man was still left without a clue. Enter Roger Dodger.

Although the film wasn’t created quite yet before I had the task at hand figured out to the degree I felt confident with, Roger Dodger is a textbook, but thoroughly entertaining example to all men about the art of picking up women. Why is that? Simply because that’s what the movie is all about.

"One thing you definitely don't want to do is upstage me."

The film revolves around Roger Swanson, an advertising whiz, located in a city surrounded and populated by women, New York. He plays booty call boy toy to his boss, Joyce, purely because he has a way with words. Obviously his wordplay is essential for his job, knowing how to carefully toe the line of making being feel so bad about themselves they need to go out and buy “a stupid pair of cargo pants.” This skill transitions to his other career, that of womanizing. Even with his acquired prowess, Joyce tries to end their bedroom-only relationship and he doesn’t take too kindly to the proposition, although she asks him to be adult about it. This seems whiny and wimp-like at first, but it’s truly his bruised male ego that makes him fight to maintain the fling. Although he’s assuredly done the same thing to countless women in the past, it’s no fun when the shoe is on the other foot.

In the midst of Roger essentially begging Joyce to continue their conquests with each other, Roger’s 16-year-old nephew Nick materializes at the office. This isn’t one of those films where the mother drops off the son to live with a family member. Nick decided to drop by his uncle’s place of employment after a tour of Columbia’s campus, seeking one thing: advice. Nick doesn’t have and hasn’t had a girlfriend to this point in his life and he wants to learn from the master about how to get one.

Naturally, Roger is reluctant to dole out his tutelage, not that he is afraid of imparting wisdom or having an understudy, but he’s not sure Nick is as committed as necessary to learning the ins-and-outs of female seduction. When convinced it’ll be worth his time, Roger imbues the worldview of scoping out the opposition to his young pupil. He starts with the absorption of the environment, asserting women are everywhere. He covers different vantage points and how to use mirrored objects to his advantage. What does this have to do with talking to and picking up women? Don’t ask, because when Nick does Roger gets angry. You don’t get advice when the dispenser is angry.

The next stage in Nick’s development is at a downtown bar. Sure he’s only 16, but when you know how to play by the rules, you can get by with a lot. After surveying the playing field and making a young woman named Andrea aware of their presence, it’s on. Roger gives Nick a quick pep talk about pacing themselves and staying fresh for “winning time.” Roger then meets Andrea at the bar and sends her back to the table with the promise that Nick has something to tell her that will absolutely blow her mind. What is it? You’ll have to watch it to find out. You’ll want to.

"Now, what color eyes did she have?"

Roger Dodger was written and directed by first-timer, Dylan Kidd, and it’s a superb debut that unfortunately hasn’t generated much action for him since, outside of 2004’s P.S. His direction doesn’t contain anything flashy, thus allowing the viewer to focus purely on his script and the actors reciting his lines. He was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards the year of its release.

Through the several years that passed after I had originally seen it, the opening scene is one that continued to stick with me. It reminds me a bit of the opening of Reservoir Dogs in that it takes place at a restaurant and revolves around a few people having kind of a philosophical conversation. In Reservoir Dogs, they debated about the deeper meaning of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” in Roger Dodger, they (mainly Roger) breakdown the usefulness of the male form as evolution continues. It’s the first time we get to see Roger pontificate on what he knows best and he’s completely captivating. This scene is every bit as quotable as Tarantino’s.

One of the thoughts Roger spouts during his and Nick’s conversation with Andrea and her friend is an intriguing one, which I think is perfect example of film’s thought process. Roger mentions that when a girl is asked to describe her perfect guy, her primary response is inevitably a “sense of humor.” However, if the funniest guy in the world is matched up with a beefcake, it will ultimately be the latter that wins the girl. It’s an interesting dichotomy that the film doesn’t have much time to surmise about, but it gives you an idea about the film’s content and the ideas raised therein.

Although Kidd’s script is great material, the actors are the ones who help elevate it into a compelling film. Campbell Scott embodies Roger as if he were born to play him. I’d never seen Scott before and only once since, in The Exorcism of Emily Rose. There’s something nice about essentially discovering an actor, having no preconceived notions about what to expect. It’s unfortunate he hasn’t been in anything higher profile since, as Roger is a great creation. He’s a womanizer, but not one that’s sleazy. He just knows how to play the game. He can get frustrated with Nick, but it’s not truly Nick’s fault, as Roger has his own issues going on. Scott is perfect in the role of an excellent character.

Equally as important as Scott’s Roger is Jesse Eisenberg’s Nick. This was Eisenberg’s first feature film and I’m convinced has led to all of his work to-date. Nick is a pretty normal kid, just looking for advice. Eisenberg plays up his naïveté in necessary situations, but you can tell there’s an intellectualism behind him. He is touring Columbia, after all. He plays a similar role here to the one he played in this year’s Adventureland, but I like the act and I think he portrays the good-guy persona of someone worth cheering for.

After suffering through my teenage years without the Hollywood how-to book, my prayers were answered with Roger Dodger. It contains great performances by Scott and Eisenberg and tackles a subject that half of the human population may find off-putting, but I assure you it’s not like In the Company of Men in that way. Although it may not have produced the stars it seemed like all parties were destined for, it will remain a tremendous piece of work. It’s a conversational film you missed.

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