Just what I expected

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

How would you teach a teenager (who may or may not talk too much), about dating and other things that might follow a successful date? Here's one way to do it and there's a lot of dialog. While it's male based and dominated mostly, you do get a bit of a woman perspective on things during the many conversations that take place. Still could there be more of that? Always.Jesse Eisenberg is now very well known of course, one of the reason this was recently released for the first time on DVD in Germany (12 years after it was made!). You can tell by the casting of Elizabeth Berkley that at the time she was popular and tried to do something different. A movie that aims to explain a couple of things, but can't really help everybody or give all the answers. You have to experience things for yourself and especially be yourself ...

Jesse Eisenberg's first ever major film, Roger Dodger, is a unique coming-of-age story with enough simplicity on the surface and enough complexity beneath it to take the form of an impressively entertaining study of the social interactions between men and women. As writer/director Dylan Kidd's first project and winner of the Best Feature Film Award at the first ever Tribeca Film Festival in 2002, this surprisingly well-done little gem will leave you wondering why it wasn't a bigger commercial success and why Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, The Social Network) is the only member of its production that you still see in the business on a regular basis. (No discredit to Jesse; if there's anything Roger Dodger does reinforce, it's the fact that he deserves every bit of success that he's achieved)."Sex is everywhere," Roger Swanson, played by the show-stealing Campbell Scott (Dying Young, Big Night), tells his socially lost, 16-year old nephew, Nick (Eisenberg). Nick has traveled alone to New York City in the hopes of convincing his smooth-talking Uncle Roger into teaching him the ways of seduction so that he might end his romantic troubles by finally getting a girl and losing his virginity. While Roger is overwhelmingly cynical, incessantly arrogant, and often brutally forthright (blatantly exemplified by the motto he applies to the advertising business– "You can't sell a product without first making people feel bad"), there is no one who knows the rules of the game better. He solidifies his tactics with an impeccable track record; he takes a woman home "every night".Originally reluctant to open up his one man band to the prospect of apprenticeship, Roger agrees to spread his wisdom to Nick. What follows is a night out in the city that never sleeps in a crash course in charming women. From hilariously ridiculous scenes of the two scouting out women on the streets to unexpectedly profound conversations at a bar, the night proves to be an open examination of these two previously mysterious characters.However, the movie is far from simply a character study. While Scott's and Eisenberg's performances are near-perfect, the execution of the film ensures that its value is not dependent upon the quality of the acting. Behind a simple plot and seemingly simple characters is a noteworthy script that delivers witty, realistic dialogue and intriguing conversations. Free from Hollywood-ized n0nsense and feel-good drivel, the scenes between the two guys and the two women they engage at a bar are perhaps the film's best, showcasing not only Roger's subtle tricks and Nick's charming innocence, but also the natural chemistry between Scott and Eisenberg and the vulnerabilities they both carefully expose with their characters.The chaotic events of the night lead to an ending that, while it strays slightly from the tone of the rest of the movie and perhaps comes a bit too suddenly, is perfectly raw and unexpected. I can't remember being more satisfied with an ending in a good while.All in all, Roger Dodger teaches the common moviegoer that not all good indie flicks have to be about vibrant colors, trendy folk music, and quirky families (Little Miss Sunshine, Juno). And more importantly, this smart man's American Pie (even if that sounds like an oxymoron) proves that not every coming-of-age, cherry-popping comedy (or maybe more dramedy, in this case) has to be sullied with sloppy and overdone high school stereotypes, eye-rolling dialogue, and unlikable characters of both genders.I'm hooked, Jesse. Keep making movies.

Roger (Campbell Scott) is a great talker. Being an intelligent, modern guy, he has opinions on everything and anything, usually garnering an audience when he is speaking. Yet, he is a pain in the bottom quite often. He knows when to push buttons and offend people, even among his circle of friends and co-workers. One evening, the older woman he has been seeing (Isabella Rosselini) breaks things off. As she is also his supervisor at an advertising firm, this makes the situation difficult. Roger is in disbelief. Isn't he the greatest thing since sliced bread? How dare she dump him? Just at this moment, his shy nephew turns up for a visit. He is in town, checking out Columbia as a possible college, and hoping Roger can give him some tips on women. Roger agrees to take his young relative out on the town, teaching him the ways men can pick up females. But, is his advice truly helpful? All one can say is, mamas don't let your babies grow up to be jerks, like Roger. Yes, he is a handsome, rich, and intelligent, making him attractive to women. But, he is a rotter, through and through, one who has no respect for women in the final analysis. For Roger, to score with a lady is the most important thing, and what happens next of smaller consequence. As such, he can hardly give any advice worth hearing. Scott is very fine in his portrayal of Roger, making him a pretty loathsome figure, despite his great looks. Rosselini also shines in a lesser but very important role. The rest of the cast, including Jennifer Beals and Elizabeth Berkley, is likewise very nice, especially the young man playing the nephew. Sets, costumes, and production values are high. Be aware, however, that this is not a romantic comedy. Rather, it is an exploration of a ladies man and hustler who thinks the world is his oyster, much to the detriment of himself and those around him. In this light, it is an interesting psychological study, indeed. But, for those who like their movies all sweetness and light, steer clear of this one.

Given that Roger behaves like nothing more than a bitchy queen all the way through, why am I expected to believe that he is in anyway desirable to women? Acidic, manipulative, self-seeking...just a revolting personality...and yet the director somehow expects us to want to spend time in his company. The best part of 2 hours, in fact. 2 minutes would be too long!! That his New York cronies appear to find his dinner party repartee amusing says as much about them as it does about him. Personally, I would cross the room to avoid his supercilious clap-trap and I'm not remotely interested in a group of vacuous trendies who would fan his ego. Hence, I don't care about the characters. And, in so not doing, I don't care at all.Even the introduction of the "nephew" couldn't inject heart. The film is all about word-play - being perceived to be clever-clever - whilst having no heart at all.Watching this film was an empty and vaguely depressing experience.