40 Fun Facts About The Benchwarmers

In The Benchwarmers, which job usually done by children does the adult nerd Clark Reedy still hold?

Paperboy is Clark's job well into adulthood. It marks him as the most childlike of the three grown men who end up taking on Little League teams.

Which secret about Gus Matthews do rival coaches expose to the public late in The Benchwarmers?

He was a childhood bully who used name-calling rather than fists. The reveal turns his own team against him until he apologises to the boy he tormented.

Besides being unable to leave home, Howie Goodman in The Benchwarmers has which other phobia?

Fear of the Sun, or heliophobia, sits alongside Howie's agoraphobia. He has not left the house for months before he finally joins the team.

Which Hall of Fame slugger plays himself training the team in The Benchwarmers?

Reggie Jackson, baseball's Mr. October, appears as an old friend of the team's billionaire backer and coaches the three men. His other film cameos include Richie Rich and BASEketball.

At which restaurant chain do both teams celebrate together at the end of The Benchwarmers?

Pizza Hut hosts the closing party, rivals and all. The production also filmed at one of the chain's real restaurants in California.

How is the bullying coach Jerry humiliated on the field after the final game in The Benchwarmers?

He gets a wedgie and is left hanging on a fence by his underwear. The team's grown-ups, their billionaire backer included, do it together.

In The Benchwarmers, the adult ringer Carlos carries a fake birth certificate written in what?

Crayon is what the forged certificate is written in. A bribed umpire still waves the 30-year-old through to play for a Little League team.

Which Saturday Night Live alumnus produced The Benchwarmers alongside Jack Giarraputo?

Adam Sandler produced the film through Happy Madison Productions. His company's name blends two of his own early hits, Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison.

Which actor plays the nerd Clark Reedy in The Benchwarmers?

Jon Heder took the part two years after his breakout as the title character of Napoleon Dynamite. He inherited it from a comedian who had originally been cast as Clark.

Which actor plays Gus Matthews, the one skilled ballplayer among the men in The Benchwarmers?

Rob Schneider, the star of Deuce Bigalow, plays Gus, whose surprising ability wins the first games almost alone. His two friends start out as hopeless players and improve only slowly.

Which actor plays Richie Goodman, the brother of housebound Howie, in The Benchwarmers?

David Spade, the star of Joe Dirt, plays Richie, one of the three adult players. The film reunited him with former castmates from his years on Saturday Night Live.

In The Benchwarmers, what kind of business employs Richie Goodman, one of the three adult players?

A video rental store called Video Spot employs Richie. Over the course of the film he falls for Sarah, who works at a restaurant salad bar.

In The Benchwarmers, the rival coach Jerry McDowell owns which kind of business that names his team?

A lumber yard, Jerry's Lumber, belongs to the villain. His fellow coaches run a hardware store, an auto body shop and a sporting goods store.

In The Benchwarmers, what does billionaire Mel Carmichael promise the winners of his statewide tournament?

Access to a new ballpark is the prize. Mel builds the multimillion-dollar park himself, and the championship game is played there.

In The Benchwarmers, how does the team neutralise Carlos, the ringer pitching against them in the semi-final?

They get him drunk after spotting that Carlos is a recovering alcoholic. The rival coach's cheating is turned straight back on him.

In The Benchwarmers, how does Howie Goodman drive in the winning run in his first at-bat?

He is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, which forces home the run that wins the semi-final. It is the first time the team has loaded the bases.

How does the final against Jerry's team end for the heroes of The Benchwarmers?

They lose but score one run, because two of Jerry's own players let young Nelson get a hit. The team storms the field to celebrate avoiding a shutout.

What news does Gus Matthews announce during the closing celebration in The Benchwarmers?

He is becoming a father, he tells the party. Gus had spent the story putting off his wife Liz's plans to start a family.

Which animated film kept The Benchwarmers in second place at the box office on its opening weekend?

Ice Age: The Meltdown was already in its second weekend and still out-earned the baseball comedy, which opened to just under $20 million.

Which co-writer of The Benchwarmers also appears on screen as the housebound brother Howie Goodman?

Nick Swardson wrote the script with Allen Covert and plays Howie, who has not left the house for months when the story begins.

Which television host plays the villainous coach Jerry McDowell in The Benchwarmers?

Craig Kilborn, the original host of The Daily Show, plays Jerry, who picked on two of the heroes when they were children. He had left his CBS late-night talk show in 2004.

Which model turned actress plays Liz Matthews, the wife of Gus, in The Benchwarmers?

Molly Sims plays Liz while still starring as Delinda Deline on Las Vegas, the NBC casino series that ran from 2003 to 2008.

Which Saturday Night Live veteran plays Wayne, the hardware-store owner coaching a rival team in The Benchwarmers?

Tim Meadows plays Wayne after ten seasons on the sketch show, from 1991 to 2000, which was a record tenure when he left.

Which actor returned as billionaire Mel Carmichael in the 2019 direct-to-video sequel to The Benchwarmers?

Jon Lovitz reprised Mel thirteen years after the original film. The three leading men did not return, and a new set of leads took over.

Which future Brooklyn Nine-Nine star plays Steven, a wig-wearing poker player, in The Benchwarmers?

Terry Crews plays Steven, the poker friend who hands the rival coaches damaging evidence about one of the heroes.

Which Prison Break actor plays Carlos, the professional ballplayer passed off as a child in The Benchwarmers?

Amaury Nolasco plays Carlos while starring as Fernando Sucre on Prison Break, the Fox drama that had begun the year before.

Which former NFL linebacker plays Karl, one of the rival coaches, in The Benchwarmers?

Bill Romanowski plays Karl, who owns an auto body shop. He won four Super Bowls, two each with the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos.

Which director made The Benchwarmers and appears in it as Coach Bellows?

Dennis Dugan, who also directed Happy Gilmore, plays a Little League coach in his own film. He made a run of the producer's other comedies, including Big Daddy and Grown Ups.

The Benchwarmers held which box-office record until the Jackie Robinson biopic 42 beat it in 2013?

Biggest baseball-film opening was the record, at just under $20 million. It even survived Moneyball, which fell narrowly short in 2011.

Which annual ceremony nominated the three leads of The Benchwarmers for their on-screen chemistry?

Teen Choice Awards voters gave the comedy four nominations in 2006, among them best movie comedy and a category for the best on-screen fight.

The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards nominated The Benchwarmers' Richie Goodman actor for the worst on-screen what?

Hairstyle was the category. The Stinkers ran such oddball prizes beside the usual worst picture and worst actor, and never held a ceremony.

What is the subtitle of Benchwarmers 2, the 2019 direct-to-video sequel to The Benchwarmers?

Breaking Balls is the subtitle, a pun on a kind of curving pitch. Revolution Studios made the follow-up with Universal's home-video arm.

Entertainment Weekly called The Benchwarmers a cross between a Three Stooges episode and which baseball comedy?

The Bad News Bears was critic Owen Gleiberman's comparison, in one of the film's few positive reviews. Most critics were far harsher.

Which Howard Stern Show comedian was originally cast as Clark Reedy in The Benchwarmers?

Artie Lange had the part first. One of the film's stars told the casting story on the radio show itself in 2006.

One of the jock kids in The Benchwarmers is played by Patrick, the young son of which action star?

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the father of Patrick, whose small part came years before his adult career in series such as The White Lotus.

Which supermodel has a cameo in The Benchwarmers as the mother who gives Clark Reedy his first kiss?

Rachel Hunter plays the part three years after appearing as the title mother in Fountains of Wayne's music video for Stacy's Mom.

In The Benchwarmers, the household servant Number 7 who waits on billionaire Mel is what kind of character?

A robot called Number 7 waits on Mel. It fits a house full of the science-fiction toys that a rich former nerd would buy for himself.

Which major studio released The Benchwarmers in US cinemas, in association with Revolution Studios?

Columbia Pictures released the comedy on April 7, 2006. Its parent company's Sony Pictures Releasing arm handled the distribution.

Which American Pie actor joined the cast for the 2019 direct-to-video sequel to The Benchwarmers?

Chris Klein joined a largely new cast for the follow-up, alongside Chelsey Reist and Garfield Wilson.

Which former NFL quarterback turned ESPN analyst plays the coach Brad in The Benchwarmers?

Sean Salisbury plays Brad, who owns a sporting goods store. He is one of two former NFL players among the film's bullying coaches.