The Benchwarmers
Three lifelong targets of bullies form an unlikely baseball team and turn an absurd sporting challenge into a loud, hopeful bid for respect.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- sophomoric
- breezy
- lazy sunday
- group movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a formulaic, sophomoric gross-out comedy whose energetic cast could not overcome weak humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gus, Richie, and Clark move from lifelong bullying and marginalization toward collective confidence through baseball.
The film builds its comic identity around dirt humor, slapstick, immature behavior, and deliberately dumb situations.
The central competition pits the three adult underdogs against offensive and mean youth baseball teams.
The partnership among Gus, Richie, and Clark drives both the training and their challenge to entrenched social hierarchies.
Films like The Benchwarmers, and why
The Bad News Bears
shares an underdog youth baseball premise, broad comedy, and a team of social outsiders challenging bullies
The Three Stooges
shares crude buddy humor, slapstick set pieces, and an ensemble of immature misfits
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
shares sports underdogs, irreverent comedy, and exaggerated competition against more established opponents
Movie Details
- Director
- Dennis Dugan
- Release Date
- 2006-04-07
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (970)
Cast
- Rob Schneider
- David Spade
- Jon Heder
- Molly Sims
- Jon Lovitz
- Amaury Nolasco
- Tim Meadows
- Nick Swardson
- Erinn Bartlett
- Craig Kilborn
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Benchwarmers about?
- Three lifelong targets of bullies form an unlikely baseball team and turn an absurd sporting challenge into a loud, hopeful bid for respect.
- What is The Benchwarmers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Benchwarmers as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Benchwarmers violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Benchwarmers as mild.
- What did critics think of The Benchwarmers?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a formulaic, sophomoric gross-out comedy whose energetic cast could not overcome weak humor.
- Which films are like The Benchwarmers?
- Films with a similar feel include The Bad News Bears, The Three Stooges, and DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story.
- How long is The Benchwarmers?
- The Benchwarmers runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Benchwarmers?
- In United States, The Benchwarmers streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
