Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Director:

Rawson Marshall Thurber

Writer (WGA):

Rawson Marshall Thurber (written by)

Release Date:

18 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

Grab Life by the Balls (Australia & Europe)

Plot:

A group of misfits enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain.

Plot Keywords:

Gym | Dodgeball | Tournament | Pirate | Cheerleader

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Vince Vaughn	...	Peter La Fleur
Christine Taylor	...	Kate Veatch
Ben Stiller	...	White Goodman
Rip Torn	...	Patches O'Houlihan
Justin Long	...	Justin
Stephen Root	...	Gordon
Joel Moore	...	Owen (as Joel David Moore)
Chris Williams	...	Dwight
Alan Tudyk	...	Steve the Pirate
Missi Pyle	...	Fran
Jamal Duff	...	Me'Shell Jones (as Jamal E. Duff)
Gary Cole	...	Cotton McKnight
Jason Bateman	...	Pepper Brooks
Hank Azaria	...	Young Patches O'Houlihan
Al Kaplon	...	Tournament Referee

Also Known As:

Dodgeball (USA) (short title)
Dodgeball: The Movie (USA) (working title)
Underdogs (USA) (working title)
Untitled Dodgeball Movie (USA) (working title)
Untitled Dodgeball Project (USA) (working title)
Voll auf die Nüsse (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for rude and sexual humor, and language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White | Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #40832) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:18SX | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | Ireland:15PG (orginal rating) | South Korea:12 | UK:12 (DVD rating) | Sweden:7 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:10 | Canada:G (Québec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A (original rating) | USA:Unrated (DVD version)

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The original title was simply ‘Underdog’.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Michelle talks to White after walking in on him with the pizza, the "G" on White's necklace is actually sewed onto the neck of his shirt and is not on the chain around his neck.

Quotes:

Patches O'Houlihan: My sweet dick, it's magic!

Movie Connections:

References Daddy Day Care (2003)

Soundtrack:

Heroes Never Die

Very silly but fun despite the odd patch of misses

Peter La Fleur runs a second rate gym that is populated by non-paying members who are, shall we say, on the edge of society. Peter's relaxed existence is made difficult by the fact that a large gym across the road aims to shut him down. When the Average Joe gym receives its final warning from the bank, they face a 30-day deadline to come up with $50,000 or lose the gym to competitor White Goodman. After their initial ideas fail, they discover that the national dodgeball contest has a prize of that very amount – with a little help from an ex-champion, they set out to make it to the finals and save the day.

This film came to the UK on a wave of hype and praise but I was a little wary because I knew that the style of humour that it has can be very hit and miss. The film has the same plot that all these sorts of sports movies have and you pretty much know where it is going from the very start but, to be honest, how many people have come here for the engaging story? No – me neither! The humour is very silly and it will not appeal to everyone but I found it pretty funny with the out-of-the-blue stuff being the funniest; if you find it funny to hear the line 'thank you Chuck Norris' said with sincerity then this will be the film for you. It isn't as consistent as I would have liked because it does have a couple of patches where there are more misses than hits but generally I had a good hatful of laughs and, when not laughing I still had a smile on my face.

Of course, like I said, this isn't for everybody and I'm sure many will see it as a juvenile – and it does seem to have been aimed at the young male side of the market. The downside of this is that the majority of the laughs are pretty basic and, as we are seeing too often recently, the old audience draw of girls kissing is wheeled out yet again. The casting also helps to a certain degree and do help a bit to cover the basic humour. Vaughn is cool and relaxed and, although you wouldn't call it 'acting' he is a likable lead. Stiller has a few dry moments but generally his 70's fitness freak steals every scene he is in. Taylor is pretty but you can't help feeling that the film is only using her when, for no reason other than titillation she is revealed as bisexual (with a girlfriend). Torn is funny if basic and Azaria is also funny. The support cast is more about off the wall characters than good writing or performances, but Long, Root, Moore, Tudyk and others are all OK. Cameos from Hasselhoff, Norris, Shatner and Lance Armstrong are all briefly amusing and, just like Best in Show, commentators Gary Cole and Jason Bateman do spot on spoofs of low-grade sports commentators and have lots of great lines between them.

Overall this is not the funniest film EVER, as some critics have absurdly claimed – it simply isn't consistent enough for that accolade but it is still a pretty funny film if you are in the mood for silly humour and some pretty basic jokes. The use of easy draws such as female flesh, lesbianism and physical jokes is a bit of a downer when you think about it but I doubt many will complain when it is on. The cast generally do well and the material is funny and energetic enough to do the job, producing a silly film that is hardly memorable but will be fun while you're watching it.