Rating: 
Country: USA
Release Date: June 18, 2004
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Movie Review: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
by Scott Juba
Published: June 16, 2004
Distributor: |
Director: |
Cast: |
20th Century Fox |
Rawson Marshall Thurber |
Vince Vaughn as Peter La Fleur
Ben Stiller as White Goodman
Christine Taylor as Kate Veatch
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For more information: IMDb Link |
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There’s something in the human psyche that can’t resist laughing at the sight of someone being smacked with a ball (or a wrench, a car, etc.). The irrepressible desire to laugh at another person’s brief moment of unexpected misfortune has been exploited since the very earliest comedic features and has become a staple of slapstick comedies. Today, many films still adhere to this comedic recipe; but often times the humor seems stale and overdone. Thankfully, “Dodgeball” proves that this classic filmmaking formula can still add up to a great time at the movies.
Vince Vaughn stars as Peter La Fleur, the owner of a low-end gym that is about to be sold to arrogant fitness tycoon White Goodman (played by Ben Stiller) if he can’t raise $50,000 to pay off unmade payments. When all of the opportunities to save the gym seem to have dried up, Peter and his gym patrons accidentally stumble upon a dodgeball tournament that pays $50,000 to the winner. However, when Goodman learns of their plans, he forms his own dodgeball team, leading to a climatic showdown between the two teams with several hilarious moments along the way.
Featuring one laugh out loud moment after another, “Dodgeball” is a comedy that delivers everything that it promises and then some. The movie succeeds in entertaining its audience, because the filmmakers are wise enough to realize that in order to fill the entire 90 minutes with genuine humor, it is necessary to extend character situations beyond simple dodgeball game scenarios. To achieve this, “Dodgeball” features several quirky, well thought out characters and a series of unexpected but tremendously funny celebrity cameos.
In addition, the casting team did a brilliant job of selecting the actors for each of the roles. The cast, overall, shares a great chemistry, and the individual performances are all right on the mark. Ben Stiller, in particular, excels. When it comes to playing, offbeat, goofy characters, Stiller is a genius. His performance is entirely outrageous and completely over the top; and in the case of “Dodgeball”, an outrageous, over the top performance is a great thing.
Characterized by clever writing, hilarious acting, and uproarious humor from unexpected sources, “Dodgeball” is a comedic gem. Although it adheres to formula and features a by- the-numbers-plot, you will be so lost in laughter that you won’t even care. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for with its perfectly penned comedy. “Dodgeball’ may go down as one of the surprise hits of the summer.
Overall Grade: A
On the Web
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CD Giveaway - Paper Bird, "Rooms"
Ends May 28, 2013
Drifting ever so slightly away from traditional folk music, this Colorado band delivers harmony and energy aplenty. |
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