Matt Weis, Emily Bonin, Annie Kelly, and Bella Kuebler

Instructor Kaser
English 120
12-6-15
Analysis on the Social Issue Seen In Benchwarmers
Overview
The Benchwarmers is a comedy-sports movie that was made in
2006. According to IMBd, Benchwarmers was written by Allen
Covert and Nick Swardson, and directed by Dennis Dugan. The
film stars Rob Schneider as Gus, David Spade as Richie, and Jon
Heder as Clark. It was produced by Revolution Studios, Happy
Madison Productions, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Box
Office Mojo explained that on opening weekend, it made almost
$20 million. Then throughout the time it was in theaters, $57
million was made in total. Despite negative reviews, the film was
a box office success.
This movie features three grown up men who were bullied in their childhood. After witnessing
some kids being bullied on the baseball team, they form a team and decide to play against the
popular kids in baseball. The kids that they play are bullies. It then turns into a tournament for
these men to beat all of the bullies. Theyre playing because they never really had the
opportunity in their childhood to play baseball and are finally standing up for themselves and
representing all the kids who are bullied. This movie raises awareness of how damaging
bullying is and what we can do to stop the cycle.
Influences
Many influences shaped how this movie was created. The writers both came from a comedic
background and bullying is often a topic in comedy. Although bullying is a serious issue, it is
often talked about in a joking way. When we think of bullying, we typically think of the strong
male jocks picking on the weaker non athletic kids. This movie uses this stereotype and
presented it in a hilarious way that would appeal a lot. The influences for this film are seen

everywhere in everyday life. We all know adults who never really grew up and still use bully
tactics to get what they want. And of course we know how mean kids can be to each other to
remain in the popular group.
The Benchwarmers came out in 2006, which was the same
time that parents, teachers, and some children were
speaking up and trying to put an end to bullying. Bullying
was just starting to be a talked about issue in schools and in
social situations. People were starting to bring attention to
the issue and to try to put a stop to it. This movie was
created to bring attention to these issues in a lighthearted,
funny way. But at the same time, it gets the message
across. The making of this film seems to have come from
several influences. It is clear that the intent was to bring awareness of bullying to families in a
fun and entertaining way.
Issue
The main issue in this movie is the bullying and the physical harm it can have on children.
Benchwarmers is about three older men (Clarke, Richie, and Gus) that never got to play
baseball as kids because they were weird and smelt funny. The movie shows us that bullying
can really have a deep affect on children and can last even a lifetime. This movie came out right
when anti-bullying laws were gaining popularity. Starting in 2005, laws were created in the state
legislation that for the first time protecting children that were being bullied and they are still
creating them today. According to Idaho Department of Education, the state of Idaho in 2006
started their new legislation with house Bill number 750 that states superintendents and
principals can suspend students for bullying other students. Each state has their own version of
these laws and they continue to change.
Another issue in this film is that children are shaped from their role models. If you grow up with
parents that are bullies, you are more likely to be a bully because you look up to them and want
to be like them. This is first shown when Nelson and Clark are talking outside of Pizza Hut.
Clark says when I was young Fairy Jerry dumped a bucket of dog poop on me. Then Nelson
says His son did that to me last week! This shows that Fairy Jerry, one of the main bullies

when Clark and Richie were growing up has a son who is behaving the exact same way his Dad
does.
Another issue from this movie is how everybody deserves a chance. Many kids end up being
benchwarmers and do not get the joy of actually stepping on the field. Every child deserves a
chance to play baseball if they want to. At the end of the film, Gus invites all the kids that have
ever been bullied or just didn't get to play, to come and play their first baseball game as he
cheers them all on. This film also shows how it is never too late to make things right. When Gus
apologizes to Marcus for bullying him as a child, it gives Gus a chance to be the person he
wants to be and gives Marcus a chance to be heard. The issues in Benchwarmers shows how
harmful bullying can be to everyone, both the kids being bullied and even the bullies
themselves.
Rhetorical Objective
This movie has many objectives. It brings awareness to bullying, it suggests how to stop the
bullying cycle and it teaches us how we should be more accepting to those who are different.
The main objective is to bring awareness to this issue of bullying. The authors achieve this by
using humor to talk about a very serious topic. By using humor, the authors are able to relate to
the audience. The film shows how damaging bullying can be and how it really can last a lifetime.
The film makes a strong point to compare children to adults and the effects bullying has on both.
Benchwarmers shows how hurtful being bullied is and also how that hurt can affect a person
into adulthood. The grown ups in this movie that were bullied as children have issues as adults
because of how they were treated in their childhood. The film does a great job of entertaining
the audience with humor, all while teaching some lessons about bullying.

The Authors also convey the message of

how to stop bullying. The film shows us
how bullying is a cycle and it will never
end unless someone takes a stand.
Sometime it takes just one person to
stand up and make a difference. In the
movie, the pitcher decides to go against
his Dads (the coach) wishes and lets a
kid from the other team hit the ball. The
rest of the team saw how good that made
him feel so they all started to be nicer to the nerds and let them hit the ball and make some
runs. The authors showed how this made both sides feel good and they dont have to continue
to bullying to have fun. At the end they learn that they dont need to keep going with the bullying
cycle. They are in control of their actions and they can stop the cycle whenever they want. At
the end of the movie one man that was scared for life because he was bullied stands up and
tells people to forgive the bullies they have. He tells them, Life is too short to harbor
hatred.(1:09) and revenge is not always the answer. Gus tried to get revenge on the bullies and
although that made him temporarily feel good, what really mattered is when he apologized to
the nerd, Marcus, who he bullied as a kid. Apologizing makes Gus feel even better than beating
all the kids in baseball. This movie does a good representation of the bullying cycle. It shows
that bullying will continue throughout a persons life unless they do something about it. It is hard
to get rid of a bullying reputation, people will remember it forever. Gus is the expectation of this,
he learned how to stop bullying and start making a difference in his life. The authors show how
many of the children that were bullies had parents that used to be bullies which shows where
kids learn their behaviors from.
Another objective of the authors was to show that we should be more accepting of others, even
if theyre different from us. This film conveys that even if you do not fit in you can still be on the
winning team. Benchwarmers teaches us that kids who are different from one another can still
get along and have fun together. All they have to do it try. The film tries to teach us that
accepting others can be a rewarding experience. Not only do you make others feel good, you
will feel good about yourself. At the end of the film, the authors use humor again to show

everyone getting along, both the nerds and the jocks. The anger is gone and everyone is
laughing and having a great time.
Genre(s)
Benchwarmers can fit into many different genres. The first one is a social issue commentary
that uses humor to get its message about bullying across. Although they didnt win, the children
had a lot of fun and that is a strong message. It showed you dont need to be winning to enjoy
what your doing.
Another genre the film fits into is comedy. It shows adults playing baseball with children and
acting like children to prove a point. Benchwarmers takes a stand for all of the children who
have felt bullied. It shows how deeply affected they are by bullying. Eric Goldman from IGN talks
about an interview he had with Rob Schnider. They talked about how he thought it was funny
and somewhat hard to pick on children while they filmed the movie. He says it was a little
uncomfortable to slam kids into the ground and to keep his composure. There are also a lot of
corny jokes told throughout the whole movie. Some that are a little inappropriate that kids will
not understand but the parents will. This is also a great movie for kids who have bullied others
because it shows them how it really affects the people they have bullied. Because this movie
deals with bullying as its main message it falls into the social commentary genre. This movie
also fits into comedy genre, it gets a bold message across with being funny and telling jokes.
Audience(s)
Benchwarmers is a family sports movie, made for those who enjoy childish, immature comedy.
Anyone who has ever been picked on, put down and bullied will most likely enjoy this film. The
target audience is 13-18 years old, with a specific target audience of adults as well. These
adults will be ones that enjoy such immature humor or that have an interest in Adam Sandlers
comedy. Sandler is the producer and this film is a typical presentation of his humor. There are
several references to Star Wars, Napoleon Dynamite, Knight Rider, and Batman that would
appeal to certain adults. The move is not appropriate for the younger audience Benchwarmers
is geared towards those over the age of thirteen because of vulgar language and slapstick
comedy. There is some comedic violence in the film, such as hitting mailboxes with bats, and
baseballs killing squirrels. Although this comedy is intended to be humorous, it is inappropriate
for a younger audience. The issue of bullying that the film wants the audience to understand is

geared toward both teens and adults. The message to the adult audience is how important it is
for parents to set a positive example for their children. Parents have a big influence on what
kind of children they are raising
an this film conveys that
message.
Since the film portrays several
moral issues, it is a good film for
families to watch together.
Parents can take this
opportunity to discuss the issue
of bullying and how important it
is to be kind to everyone. This
film can open up good
communication in the family and provide an important teaching moment. Parents can discuss
how damaging bullying is and the effects can last a lifetime. Parents can give suggestions on
how to stop bullying if their child ever sees it happening or is a part of it.
Logos
The theme in Benchwarmers is bullying. The film shows us how what seems like silly, innocent
bullying is an issue that can damage a child for the rest of their life. Benchwarmers teachers the
audience about bullying by showing different ways that people are bullies. The film shows how
excluding others from playing baseball is bullying. It also shows some cheating that is also
considered bullying. The film teachers us about the bullying cycle and how it all starts with the
parents and what they teach their children. Parents are the biggest role models in their
childrens lives and if they are bullies, the children will generally act like them and be bullied too.
The movie connects to the audience by showing al different aspects of bullying.
Some dialogue used in the film was, If you build it, nerds will come. (1:06) and Life is too
short to harbor hatred (1:09). These quotes last throughout the same film and are important to
the plot. This dialogue is important because it connects to the audience. The dialogue makes us
think about the overall theme of how damaging bullying can be. Another theme that is
throughout the whole movie is that when Gus ran away from home, the problems followed him
forever. We can learn that there is no way to run away from your problems, you need to face the
issue so you can move on. Facing the truth is always the best answer. This also makes us

realize that apologizing and forgiving people will help you get past things and be able to move
on in life. One specific example of foreshadowing is when the Benchwarmers are going to play
in Gus hometown of Brookdale and he immedietely reacts by saying No! it shows that
something happened in Gus past that makes him now want to return to his home town. These
all contribute to the claims and evidence seen in Benchwarmers.
This movie has many minor messages throughout it. One is that its never too late to apologize
to someone for mistakes made in the past. By apologizing to someone, it could realistically save
their life, and yours as well. Another message is to not be afraid to stand up to bullies. It is the
right thing to do. You may be helping the person to have a better life and you will bring attention
to what is going on all around us.
Pathos
This movie is made for a family audience, connecting to children and adults in many ways. One
way the film connects to the audience is that it shows how important playing baseball is to a
boys childhood. When Gus, Richie, and Clark see the nerdy children getting kicked off the field
and not being able to play baseball, it brings back memories of their own childhood. The times
when they were the ones being bullied. They dont want any child to experience what they did
because it damaged them for life. The film captures the spirit and fun that they never had as
kids. The adults make sure the nerds get to play and this helps the film show how bullying is a
lifelong hurt that never goes away. The films also connects to the audience by showing how
Gus wife desperately wants a child. Throughout the movie she is shown talking about trying to
get pregnant. She is frustrated because Gus is so busy with the benchwarmers that she feels he
does not care if they have kids or not. Gus hides the fact that he was once a bully in his
childhood. He felt like he didn't want to have a child because he didn't want his child to grow up
and be a bully. Then later Gus apologizes to Marcus, the kid that he bullied when he was
younger. This scene helps the film to achieve its rhetorical objective of how damaging bullying
can be. This scene shows the hatred in Marcus eyes when he sees Gus. And it shows the
remorse in Gus words. Marcus has obviously been deeply affected by how Gus treated him
when they were kids. He has no friends and the scene shows him playing alone in the
basement of his moms house. You see the color of the movie changes to be darker and a
softer tone. It shows that Gus is really sorry and want Marcus to forgive him. Before the last
baseball game Marcus makes a speech that forgave Gus and touched the crowds heart. Gus
apology meant a lot to him. This can connect to the audience because some people aren't able

to have kids because of the fear of them being bullied. If they are, they are worried about how
good of a parent they are or how the child's life will be. Parents want to be the best parent they
can be, so they don't want to have a child that is a bully. The best way to do this is to set a good
example for them, which Gus does. At the end of the movie, they are all celebrating at Pizza Hut
and the scene shows how truly ecstatic that Gus is now that he has forgiven himself for his
childhood and he is able to fully be a father. When Gus wife and him announce that they are
expecting a child, Gus tears up and can finally be the father he has always dreamed of being.
One way that children can connect to this movie is that everyone feels bad for the kids that can't
play and are the benchwarmers. A Lot of children can relate to that and remember not being
able to play because they were not the best player on the team. It also connects to bullies and
shows them lifelong effect bullying can have on people.
The whole overall theme of bullying can seem like pathos. When Nelson gets farted on in the
beginning of the movie, you can really see the impact that it has been having on his life and as
the audience you feel for him. Every parent can agree they would never want their child to be
treated like these kids are. There is even a little bit of anger in the movie when you learn that
Gus was actually a bully when he was young. You get mad at him for lying to everyone, but
forgive him when he apologizes to the man he used to bully.
Ethos
The movie has some outside
references that many audience
members will pick up on. Obvious
ones like Star Wars and Knight
Rider. These are the perfect
references for this movie. They are
the interests of every stereotypical
nerd. Also throughout Marcus
speech he talks about a TV show
named Dungeon Wars that the
entire audience seems to
Be familiar with. They connect to him in this way when previously all they saw was a short, nerd
man, who was bullied in his childhood. By him referencing Dungeon Wars, Marcus appeals to

his audience and changes their opinion of Gus. These references help the film connect to the
audience by bringing in some familiar old movies and TV shows that some adults may
remember. There is one older man that hints toward being gay in the movie. He was always in
a speedo with no shirt on and would often ask the other older men if they wanted to wrestle.
In one scene he answered the door while wearing a speedo and asked the man if he was ready
for a massage. This could poke some fun at the left-wingers of society by showing that "gay"
man stereotypically act like he did in the movie. Another way this movie makes fun of left-wing
people is making a statement about immigration laws. The Dominican Republic man that ends
up playing on the other team uses a fake birth certificate. It was a document saying that he is
12, when clearly hes not. The film portrays the same Dominican Republic man as a big drinker.
This is also stereotypical that immigrants and people from Dominican Republicans are drunks.
This comedy may be offensive to some audience members but the films target audience would
more than likely find humor in these refrences and that is what the author intended to achieve.
Analysis Summary
Benchwarmers is a family sports comedy that raises awareness of bullying in a humorous and
entertaining way. This movie was crafted to show how bullying cannot only affect children, but
also adults, and that it can haunt you for the rest of your life. These directors worked very hard
to make this movie funny, family friendly, but also teach a valuable lesson to all age groups.
Three men have been bullied earlier in their lives and finally stand up. They create a team and
play games against young baseball players. The objectives of the authors are achieved. The
audience connects to the humor and listens to the important messages being presented
throughout the movie. We learn about bullying, see how damaging it can be, and learn how
easy it is to step up and make a change.
Both of the baseball teams in the film learn that it is more important to treat others kindly than it
is to win.
By the time the adults are playing baseball with the younger kids, it starts to affect their thoughts
about playing baseball and how they treat others. They start to not pick on the other kids as
much and start to become friends with them and by the end they are all talking and spending
time together.

Works Cited
Cyberbullying. www.ncsl.org. NCSL. Web. 25 October 2015.
Goldman, Eric. The Benchwarmers Field Questions. www.ign.com. 03 April 2006. IGN. Web.
25 October 2015.
Goldman, Eric. The Benchwarmers. www.ign.com. 06 April 2006. IGN. Web. 25 October 2015.
The Benchwarmers. www.screenit.com. 07 April 2006. ScreenIt. Web. 28. October 2015.
The Benchwarmers. www.boxofficemojo.com. Box Office Mojo. Web. 27 October 2015.
The Benchwarmers. Dugan, Dennis, dir. Schneider, Rob, perf. Heder, Jon, perf. Spade, David,
perf. Revolution Studios. Happy Madison Productions. 2006. DVD.
The Benchwarmers. www.IMBd.com. IMBd. Web. 26 October 2015.
Benchwarmers. www.quotesgram.com. Photo. N.d. Web. 25 October 2015.
Benchwarmers clip. www.youtube.com. Photo. N.d. Web. 1 November 2015
The Benchwarmers. www.ign.com. Photo. N.d. Web. 1 November 2015
The Benchwarmers - Blog. www.weebly.com. Photo. N.d. Web. 25 October 2015.
The-Benchwarmers-Door-Bell-Prank. www.youtube.com. Photo. N.d. Web. 25 October 2015.
The Benchwarmers Picture 7. www.aceshowbiz.com. Photo. N.d. Web. 25 October 2015.
The Benchwarmers. www.tshirtonscreen.com. Photo. N.d. Web 30 October 2015
No more bullying. weheartit.com. Photo. N.d. Web 1 November 2015