Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

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

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 12	7:00 PM	FX
Mon. July 13	12:01 AM	FX

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

Color:

Black and White | Color

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:

Many studios including Dreamworks and MGM passed on this film. Fox finally agreed when Ben Stiller reduced his salary to well under $1 million. As of March 2005, the film has grossed over $124 million when it only cost $23 millions to make.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the dodge ball training video, when Young Patches O'Houlihan is first introduced, he's holding a cigarette in his left hand, in subsequent shots the cigarette disappears.

Quotes:

White Goodman: Well, that's it. Good guy wins. Bad guy loses. Big freakin' surprise. That's the problem with the American cinema: Can't handle any complexity. "Whoa! Don't make me think!"

Movie Connections:

References Road House (1989)

Soundtrack:

Never Say Never

Oh my God, this movie is funny!

I haven't laughed this hard at a movie in years. That's all I can really say about this movie. It's stupid, sure, but it's so hilarious, you don't care.

I could not stop laughing. There are so many jokes in this movie, you don't even have a chance to rest before the next one comes along.

Ben Stiller as the "evil" White Goodman -- it's a classic character that should go down in the annals of comedy greatness. The announcers for ESPN 8 "The Ocho" (Gary Cole and Jason Bateman) had me rolling in the aisles. Stephen Root is a comic genius as well, and Alan Tudyk as the random pirate (why? who cares!) was pure gold.

Oh, and make sure you stay till the end of the credits... Ben Stiller does a routine that's absolutely hysterical.