Dylan Kidd, San Rafael, CA 10/12/02
With ROGER DODGER, writer/director Dylan Kidd has taken the war of the sexes in a whole new direction, one that disempowers the male of the species. It’s anti-hero, the cynical and glib Roger, fancies himself a major player in that war. Yet in the course of one awful day which culminates in Roger trying to help his nephew, Nick, lose his virginity, Roger finds out that not only didn’t he know the score, he also didn’t have a clue about what the game was all about. The film stars Campbell Scott, Jessie Eisenberg, Isabella Rossellini, Elizabeth Berkley, and Jennifer Beals.
When I spoke with Kidd on October 12, 2002, his film was garnering rave reviews at the Mill Valley Film Festival. In a wide-ranging conversation, he pondered the role of serendipity in filmmaking and why ROGER DODGER might be one of the great date movies. Roger Dodger, you see, is a stark comedy about love and sex and philosophy, all covered in a running time of 144 minutes. Or as Kidd put it, give us 144 minutes, and we’ll give you the world.
Your Thoughts?