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:

Frat Pack | Female Bonding | Blindfold | Obscene Finger Gesture | Hotel

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
Lance Armstrong	...	Himself
Chuck Norris	...	Himself
William Shatner	...	Dodgeball Chancellor
David Hasselhoff	...	German Coach
Julie Gonzalo	...	Amber
Trever O'Brien	...	Derek
Cayden Boyd	...	Timmy
Rusty Joiner	...	Blade
Kevin Porter	...	Lazer
Brandon Molale	...	Blazer
Suzy Nakamura	...	Gordon's Wife
Lori Beth Denberg	...	Martha Johnstone (as LB Denberg)
Julia Ensign	...	Cheerleader #1
David Boyd	...	Cheerleader #2
Bowd Beal	...	Cheerleader #3 (as Bowd J. Beal)
Curtis Armstrong	...	Mr. Ralph
Tate Chalk	...	Waldorf Referee
Jordyn Colemon	...	Angry Troop #417 Girl
Hayley C. Rosales	...	Bernice - Crying Troop #417 Girl (as Hayley Rosales)
Bix Barnaba	...	Homeless Man
Earl Schuman	...	Elderly S&M Enthusiast
Robert 'Duckie' Carpenter	...	S&M Man
Tony Daly	...	Ronnie
Amy Stiller	...	Keno Waitress
Jim Cody Williams	...	Weird Guy with Monster Truck
John Kesler	...	Alec
Doug Grimes	...	Bartender
Scarlett Chorvat	...	Joyce
Matt Levin	...	Casino Worker #1
Rawson Marshall Thurber	...	High School Jerk (as Rawson Thurber)
Sik End	...	Friendly Bondage Master
Stephen B. Turner	...	Frustrated Cougar
Tim Soergel	...	Frustrated Cougar #2
Andy Chanley	...	Uber Film Narrator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Priscilla Leona Horne	...	Naughty Nurse (uncredited)
Jeffrey Scott Kennedy	...	Frustrated Cougar #3 (uncredited)
Tobias McKinney	...	German Blitzkrieg Player (uncredited)
Brian W. Wallace	...	Lumberjacks player (uncredited)

Directed by
Rawson Marshall Thurber

Writing credits (WGA)
Rawson Marshall Thurber		(written by)

Produced by
Stuart Cornfeld	....	producer
Mary McLaglen	....	executive producer
Rhoades Rader	....	executive producer
Ben Stiller	....	producer

Original Music by
Theodore Shapiro

Cinematography by
Jerzy Zielinski

Film Editing by
Alan Baumgarten
Peter Teschner

Casting by
Juel Bestrop
Blythe Cappello
Jeanne McCarthy

Production Design by
Maher Ahmad

Art Direction by
Andrew Max Cahn

Set Decoration by
Gene Serdena

Costume Design by
Carol Ramsey

Makeup Department
Elle Elliott	....	hair stylist: Mr. Torn
Linda D. Flowers	....	hair stylist
Shana Fruman	....	hair stylist
Lisa Layman	....	makeup artist: Mr. Stiller
Lisa Layman	....	makeup department head
Douglas Noe	....	makeup artist
Deborah Ann Piper	....	hair department head
Gabriella Pollino	....	hair stylist
Amy Schmiederer	....	makeup artist
Richard Snell	....	special makeup effects artist
Cinzia Zanetti	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Monica Levinson	....	production supervisor
Deborah Liebling	....	executive in charge of production
Mary McLaglen	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Bamber	....	assistant director
Seth Edelstein	....	second assistant director
Deborah Greaney	....	additional second assistant director
Monica Kenyon	....	additional assistant director
Steve Lonano	....	second second assistant director
Steve Lonano	....	second unit director
Bradley Morris	....	second assistant director
Raymond Prado	....	second unit director

Art Department
Sharon E. Alshams	....	set designer
Bryan Belair	....	construction coordinator
Chris Buchinsky	....	storyboard artist
Larry Clark	....	paint supervisor
J. Michael Glynn	....	set dresser
Austin Gorg	....	assistant art director
Joe Griffith	....	storyboard artist
Laura Hopkins	....	graphic designer: reshoots
George Karnoff	....	leadman: re-shoot
Christian Kastner	....	on-set dresser
Ricky Lewis Jr.	....	storyboard artist
Sean Mannion	....	property master
Lee Ross	....	on-set scenic
Steve Salazar	....	propmaker
Grant Samson	....	lead man
Thomas Spencer	....	set dresser
Robert Stover	....	buyer

Sound Department
George H. Anderson	....	supervising sound editor
Brian Basham	....	sound recordist
Bill Burns	....	assistant sound editor
David V. Butler	....	additional sound editor
David V. Butler	....	sound editor
Steve Cantamessa	....	sound mixer
Joe Dorn	....	adr supervisor
Matthew T. Duncan	....	temp. sound recordist
Stefan Fraticelli	....	foley artist
Tanya Noel Hill	....	auricle operator
Mildred Iatrou	....	dialogue editor (as Mildred Iatrou Morgan)
Jason W. Jennings	....	sound effects editor
Goro Koyama	....	foley artist
Bruce Lacey	....	foley editor
Gregg Landaker	....	supervising sound mixer
Darryl Linkow	....	sound mixer: second unit
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist
Anna Malkin	....	foley recording assistant
Steve Maslow	....	supervising sound mixer
James Matheny	....	dialogue editor
Chris Navarro	....	adr recordist
Joe Schiff	....	sound effects editor
Cherie Tamai	....	first assistant sound editor
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer
Don White	....	foley recording mixer

Special Effects by
Gary D'Amico	....	special effects director
Werner Hahnlein	....	special effects director
Chris Jones	....	special effects technician
Ken Tarallo	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Ryan Beadle	....	digital I/O
David D. Johnson	....	visual effects supervisor
Nina Kawasaki	....	visual effects editor
Sean Kennedy	....	visual effects: Pacific Vision Productions
Craig Kuehne	....	visual effects
Lori C. Miller	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Greg Anderson	....	utility stunts
Joey Box	....	stunt double
Eddie Braun	....	stunt driver
Joe Bucaro III	....	stunt double
Arnold Chon	....	stunts
Alex Daniels	....	stunt coordinator
Greg Fitzpatrick	....	stunt double: Ben Stiller
Jeffrey Scott Kennedy	....	stunts (as Jeffrey S. Kennedy)
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunt double
Steven Lambert	....	stunt performer
Eddie Matthews	....	stunt double
Eddie Matthews	....	stunt double: Stephen Root
Hugh Aodh O'Brien	....	utility stunts
Pee Wee Piemonte	....	utility stunts
Casey Pieretti	....	stunts
Hans Raith	....	stunt performer
Nicole Randall	....	stunt double
Carolyn Sapp	....	utility stunts
Dennis Scott	....	stunt rigger
Lori Seaman	....	stunt driver
Spice Williams-Crosby	....	stunts (as Spice Williams)
Jeff Wolfe	....	stunt performer
Harry Wowchuk	....	utility stunts
Sven-Ole Thorsen	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry T. Yamada	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lloyd Ahern II	....	director of photography: additional photography
Robert Baek	....	second assistant camera: additional unit
Tracy Bennett	....	still photographer
Shane Buttle	....	rigging electrician
John S. Campbell	....	rigging grip
Tom Fox	....	video assist operator
David Goldsmith	....	video assist operator
Rob J. Greenlea	....	grip
Dan Jones	....	electrician
John Kairis	....	assistant camera
Chris Lombardi	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Art Martin	....	first assistant camera: second camera
Glenn E. Moran	....	rigging gaffer
Thom Owens	....	camera operator: "c" camera
David L. Parrish	....	camera operator
Barry Peterson	....	director of photography: additional photography
Chris Rauch	....	grip
Brian H. Reynolds	....	key grip
Scott Ronnow	....	second assistant camera
Landon Ruddel	....	grip
Joel A. Ruiz	....	rigging electrician
Mark Santoni	....	first assistant camera
Robert Stillman	....	rigging grip
Roger Wall	....	second assistant camera
Alfredo Denila	....	rigging grip (uncredited)
Joe Hill	....	rigging grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Nicole Abellera	....	casting assistant
Amy De Souza	....	casting assistant
Carol Grant	....	extras casting
Chris Gray	....	extras casting
Joseph Hicks	....	extras casting
Jocelyn E. Thomas	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marisa Aboitiz	....	costume supervisor
Fran Allgood	....	set costumer
Lois DeArmond	....	assistant costume designer
Ellen Falguiere	....	costumer
Scott R. Hankins	....	principal costumer
Robert Mata	....	costumer: Mr. Stiller
Robin McMullan	....	costumer
Rhona Meyers	....	costumer
Lizz Wolf	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Jamie Clarke	....	post-production assistant
Vince Filippone	....	first assistant editor
Joe Finley	....	digital colorist
Dennis McNeill	....	color timer (as Denny McNeill)
Kristine McPherson	....	first assistant editor
Nicholas 'Nikko' Tsiotsias	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Pete Anthony	....	conductor
Pete Anthony	....	orchestrator
Bruce Babcock	....	orchestrator
Sandy DeCrescent	....	orchestra contracted by
George Drakoulias	....	music supervisor
Chris Fogel	....	music scoring mixer
Mark Graham	....	music copyist
Jon Kull	....	orchestrator
Jason Lloyd	....	scoring crew
Stephanie Lowry	....	music editor
John Rodd	....	score recordist
Andrew Silver	....	supervising music editor
Tom Steel	....	scoring crew
Bill Talbott	....	scoring technician

Transportation Department
Audrey A. Conrad	....	transportation office coordinator
Maxwell R. Johnson II	....	transportation captain
Tom Whelpey	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Natalie Alexander	....	adr voice
Michael Altman	....	projectionist
Valentina Aulisi	....	assistant: Ms. McLaglen
Julia Benaroya	....	assistant to executive in charge of production
Jason Benoit	....	assistant to executive in charge of production
Melissa Binder	....	textile artist
Michelle Boehle	....	choreographer
Michelle Boehle	....	dancer: ADAA
Tate Chalk	....	consultant: cheer and dance
Sonja Christoph	....	production assistant
Tim Clark	....	production secretary
Crystal Colar	....	dancer
Paulette Dauber	....	publicist
Michael DeSantis	....	first assistant accountant
Michael DeSantis	....	production accountant: additional photography
Jim Doyle	....	assistant: Mr. Cornfeld
Caleb Duffy	....	location scout
Dusty Dukatz	....	set production assistant
Kathy Edwards	....	post-production accountant
Brent Ekstrand	....	video and computer engineer
Glen Evans	....	assistant: Ms. Taylor
Gabe Gerber	....	production assistant
Steven Gorel	....	publicity intern
Rick Granville	....	production secretary
Seth William Hansen	....	additional set production assistant
Eric Hedayat	....	location manager
Eric Hooge	....	key assistant location manager
Nicki Johnson	....	assistant production coordinator
Adam Jordan	....	background coordinator
Adam Karasick	....	assistant: Mr. Thurber
Lauren Kim	....	dancer
John LaBrucherie	....	production assistant
Ket Lamb	....	stand-in
Alex Leimone	....	production assistant
Sam Lembeck	....	production assistant
Bridgette Lester	....	production coordinator
Brigette Lester	....	production coordinator
Thomas Longo	....	extras coordinator: on-set
Salvy Maleki	....	location coordinator
Harvey Malkin	....	production accountant
Kanchan A. Mattoo	....	assistant: Mr. Stiller (as Kanchan Mattoo)
Christopher Mauldin	....	stand-in
Ann Murphy	....	assistant location manager
Ryan Murray	....	production assistant: art department
India Neilan	....	assistant: Mr. Stiller
Kevin O'Neil	....	production assistant
Michelle Pinkney	....	pre-production assistant
Eartha Robinson	....	choreographer
Gloria Rodriguez	....	choreographer
Denyse Rossi	....	payroll accountant
Kevin Roy	....	additional production assistant
Christopher Scull	....	additional set production assistant
Mary C. Snyder	....	title designer
Kim Soleau	....	assistant: Mr. Cornfeld
Anthony Steinhart	....	set production assistant: second unit
Michelle Stevens	....	second assistant accountant
Sean Kevin Sweeney	....	production assistant
Brian Taylor	....	assistant to producers
Brian Taylor	....	production assistant
Marion Tumen	....	script supervisor
Chris Withrow	....	production assistant
Caleb Womble	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Marijan Zoric	....	chef

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (as Twentieth Century Fox)
• Mediastream Vierte Film GmbH & Co. Vermarktungs KG (as Mediastream IV) (in association with)
• Red Hour Films

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Hispano Foxfilms S.A.E. (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Netherlands (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Italia (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Gemini Film (2004) (Russia) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2005) (Argentina) (all media)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Fox Network (2007) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)

Special Effects

• Pacific Vision Productions (visual effects)
• Flyer Entertainment (leader board graphics)
• Imperial Studio (ESPN 8 graphic sequences)
• Reality Check Studios (leader board graphics)

Other Companies

• Air Hollywood  aviation sets and interiors
• Chapman / Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Custom Film Effects  titles
• Designer Wardrobe Trailers  wardrobe trailer
• Footsteps Post-Production Sound  foley recorded at
• Hollywood Rentals Productions Services  grip and lighting equipment
• Hyperion Sound  score mixed at
• Inflatable Crowd Company, The  inflatable mannequins
• Jo Anne Kane Music Services  music preparation (as JoAnn Kane Music Services)
• Newman Scoring Stage, Twentieth Century Fox Studios, The  score recording
• Runway  post-production
• Sportsrobe  costumes
• Universal Studios Sound Facilities  re-recording services provided by

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:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:12 (DVD rating) | Ireland:15PG (orginal rating) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40832) | Malaysia:18SX | 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:

After the credit, when the extremely obese White does a little dance to 'Kelis' ' Milkshake song, it's a reference to viral video clip that circulated on the internet of an extremely large black woman doing the same dance.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the game between the Average Joe's and the Skillz that Killz, the film goes to the foot shot when everyone reaches for the balls. In the next frame, the players playing against Joe's that are coming up with the balls are not Skillz that Killz, but the Lumberjacks, who were already defeated in a previous round.

Quotes:

White Goodman: [about Average Joe's] Oh, really, you like it over there with those freaks in Losertown?
Kate Veatch: Freaks? They're not freaks, they're people just like you and me.
White Goodman: People, haha, people just like you and me! That is what I love about you Kate! You've got a *personality*!

Movie Connections:

References Apocalypse Now (1979)

Soundtrack:

Mr. Roboto

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.