For a few years, I reviewed independent movies for a distribution company. It was a great addition to my other reviews, mostly a mix of mainstream pictures and my personal B-movie, indie, or foreign favorites.

In Benched, both men coach the same little league team. They should have the same goals, but they have wildly different attitudes towards sports and competition. Don (McGinley) is the head coach – an intense, tough, practical hardass who only cares about winning. Michael (Dillahunt) is the new assistant coach – an altruistic, nurturing figure who values sportsmanship and the experience of playing more than the scoreboard. These men have no choice but to struggle with their different styles – to life, to the National Pastime – while trying to manage a group of children who seem lost on the baseball diamond.
After I saw the trailer, I did a little research and was pretty happy with what I learned. This story is adapted from “Rounding Third,” a play by Richard Dresser. He’s a prolific New England playwright whose work has been praised, consistently, since the mid-1980’s. Both the leads have a lot of experience with theater, both made the transition to being very capable performers in film and television, and both men are exceptional at drama while putting out such good comedic work that either one could have been typecast to solely comic roles. These two are the right leads for the story the trailer lays out…
