Roger Dodger

Rather unpleasant movie with a terrific performance by Scott as a quick-witted chauvinist. I liked the opening scene best, which was sharp and funny and drew Scott's character very nicely, but I felt the movie never had a clear idea of its own intentions and never knew where it was going, which is why it never really gets anywhere.

Now, on the one hand I can understand not wanting to make the movie pat, not wanting to spell things out for the viewer, but I just felt not enough was done with Scott's obvious rage and self-destructive behavior. The movie gives you a fairly awful person but veers uncomfortably between showing you him at his worst and trying to work up some empathy with him, a gambit that fails because the character is always kept at an emotional distance.

I gave this 7/10 but I'm not sure if it deserved something that high or not. But it is intriguing.

By the way, the cinematography, which has elicited a lot of hostility, didn't bother me at all. I saw it on TV, perhaps it's more bothersome in the theater.