'Roger Dodger' is a wasted opportunity, a film with a great central character but no idea of what to do with him. Roger is a predatory male, a womaniser who feeds off weakness, a wise guy whose every comment carries sexual intent, and who is in consequence completely incapable of ever establishing a truly meaningful relationship. Beneath the slick patter, Roger is desperate, though he'd never let himself, let alone anyone else, know this. The potential is here for a great black comedy, but instead we get a curious plot, whereby Roger attempts to induce a teen-aged relative into the world of sex. The problem is that it's completely unclear what Roger's motivation is mean to be during this episode - he varies from trying to force his nephew to sleep with a comatose woman, to relying on this 16-year old to pull 30-something women for him. It all comes across as forced and unnatural, and our insights into Roger's character seem simplified, not deepened, by the clumsy chain of events. He could surely have carried a subtler movie. As it is, 'Roger Dodger' is a reasonably fresh film, but not an especially good one.
Review of Roger Dodger
