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Movie Review
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
By Lee Tistaert Published June 8, 2004
US Release: June 18, 2004
Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Vince Vaughn , Christine Taylor , Ben Stiller , Justin Long
PG-13
Running Time: 97 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $114,324,072
Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Vince Vaughn , Christine Taylor , Ben Stiller , Justin Long
PG-13
Running Time: 97 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $114,324,072
B
A fun night out, offering the right quantity of chuckles and full-hearted laughs.
When I walked into Dodgeball I figured it was either going to be a light fun movie even if it ran on a one-joke premise, or a movie that is just downright stupid and unfunny. The trailer for this comedy has a few amusing moments, but it clearly has part of its eye on high school kids (and kids in general), which wasn?t a promising sign to me. With its two prominent stars being Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, I was hoping that this wasn?t going to be an overload of silly material like The Rundown (C+) and Shanghai Knights (C+). Well, there?s good news: if you?re like me and you were worried that this movie might suck, rest assured, Dodgeball?s a lot of fun.
Dodgeball?s about a group of athletic misfits, led by gym owner Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn), who fall into a predicament when a rival gym rep, White Goodman (Ben Stiller), threatens to take over their gym with his huge health fitness chain. La Fleur hasn?t paid his bills on time to keep the center afloat, which sends him and his young buddies on a quest for money. Strapped of ideas, the group decides to enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament, facing off against Goodman and other teams in order to win back their dues and keep the gym. However, these guys aren?t exactly the swiftest tools in the shed when it comes to sports, forcing them to engage in rigorous training.
As the flick is kicking into gear it almost feels as if Ben Stiller?s presence is going to save the show from being a cheesy, youth-oriented comedy. Playing an incredibly over the top character, Stiller manages to retrieve chuckles when he?s not even doing much; this makes his dialogue even better, as when he?s onscreen the movie is very funny. This isn?t Ben Stiller in the Starsky & Hutch (B) mode, though there are some comparisons; and it?s not him in the Zoolander (B-) mode either ? his performance is a wilder sense of wackiness, and if you like Stiller he is consistently amusing.
However, once the movie does get into its dodgeball plot, more characters are given a chance to shine with comedy, and the joke/gag rate is solid. One of the nice things about Dodgeball is the pacing, as the movie doesn?t waste much time with story components that we don?t care about (when other similar movies uselessly dive into those), leaving many scenes simply meant to make you laugh (or grin). And with the many outbursts of laughter at this screening (half the crowd was high school-aged, while the other half was college and older), it was pretty obvious that moviegoers are happy with that factor.
The movie?s trailer is rare for its genre, as usually the marketing reps will bombard the ads with glimpses of the funniest or most amusing bits of the flick (or even spoil everything in that regard). With Dodgeball the trailers advertise the least amusing bits, leaving most of the good material to be seen for the first time in the theater. However, part of that reason could also be that some of the good moments do border inappropriate as far as the MPAA goes. The reps probably realized that if they show a few moments of Stiller being wacky, and make it clear that Vince Vaughn is in the movie, that?s all that really needs to be done to woo fans of both actors in. But don?t be fooled by Hank Azaria?s presence in the ads, as that brief scene is the only part he has.
Since this summer is seriously lacking in comedies (in any other season you might say ?good comedies?), Dodgeball and Anchorman have been the two flicks of which many fans (of the stars involved) hope don?t get screwed up in execution with their fun setup. With special effects having been the focal point of most of the releases in the last month, it?s nice to have a low-key movie that doesn?t take itself too seriously and is actually intentionally funny. It?s not quite clear yet whether Anchorman will deliver the hilarity that Will Ferrell fans are hoping for, but until then Dodgeball?s a fun night out, offering the right quantity of chuckles and full-hearted laughs.
Dodgeball?s about a group of athletic misfits, led by gym owner Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn), who fall into a predicament when a rival gym rep, White Goodman (Ben Stiller), threatens to take over their gym with his huge health fitness chain. La Fleur hasn?t paid his bills on time to keep the center afloat, which sends him and his young buddies on a quest for money. Strapped of ideas, the group decides to enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament, facing off against Goodman and other teams in order to win back their dues and keep the gym. However, these guys aren?t exactly the swiftest tools in the shed when it comes to sports, forcing them to engage in rigorous training.
As the flick is kicking into gear it almost feels as if Ben Stiller?s presence is going to save the show from being a cheesy, youth-oriented comedy. Playing an incredibly over the top character, Stiller manages to retrieve chuckles when he?s not even doing much; this makes his dialogue even better, as when he?s onscreen the movie is very funny. This isn?t Ben Stiller in the Starsky & Hutch (B) mode, though there are some comparisons; and it?s not him in the Zoolander (B-) mode either ? his performance is a wilder sense of wackiness, and if you like Stiller he is consistently amusing.
However, once the movie does get into its dodgeball plot, more characters are given a chance to shine with comedy, and the joke/gag rate is solid. One of the nice things about Dodgeball is the pacing, as the movie doesn?t waste much time with story components that we don?t care about (when other similar movies uselessly dive into those), leaving many scenes simply meant to make you laugh (or grin). And with the many outbursts of laughter at this screening (half the crowd was high school-aged, while the other half was college and older), it was pretty obvious that moviegoers are happy with that factor.
The movie?s trailer is rare for its genre, as usually the marketing reps will bombard the ads with glimpses of the funniest or most amusing bits of the flick (or even spoil everything in that regard). With Dodgeball the trailers advertise the least amusing bits, leaving most of the good material to be seen for the first time in the theater. However, part of that reason could also be that some of the good moments do border inappropriate as far as the MPAA goes. The reps probably realized that if they show a few moments of Stiller being wacky, and make it clear that Vince Vaughn is in the movie, that?s all that really needs to be done to woo fans of both actors in. But don?t be fooled by Hank Azaria?s presence in the ads, as that brief scene is the only part he has.
Since this summer is seriously lacking in comedies (in any other season you might say ?good comedies?), Dodgeball and Anchorman have been the two flicks of which many fans (of the stars involved) hope don?t get screwed up in execution with their fun setup. With special effects having been the focal point of most of the releases in the last month, it?s nice to have a low-key movie that doesn?t take itself too seriously and is actually intentionally funny. It?s not quite clear yet whether Anchorman will deliver the hilarity that Will Ferrell fans are hoping for, but until then Dodgeball?s a fun night out, offering the right quantity of chuckles and full-hearted laughs.
Lee's Grade: B
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
'Dodgeball' Articles
- Friday Box Office Analysis (6/18)
June 19, 2004 Dodgeball played very much like Adam Sandler?s breakout movie, The Waterboy, when it debuted in November of 1998. -- Lee Tistaert
