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

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: According to the commercial for Globo Gym in the beginning, the movie takes place in 1993, but at the end of the movie, Lance Armstrong tells Peter he was able to win the Tour De France 5 or 6 times, which he hadn't done by 1993.

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 Bull Durham (1988)

Soundtrack:

Apache

"We're better than you, and we know it!"

Dodgeball (subtitled, A True Underdog Story) is better than I thought it would be. Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) is the owner of Average Joe's, a gym directly across the street from Globo Gym, which is run by one White Goodman (Ben Stiller, consistently hilarious). Goodman is quite the character and has plans to buy Average Joe's to make a parking lot for Globo Gym's patrons. All this leads up to a Dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas, with $50,000 being the main prize. The film has more than its share of clichés, but they can be forgiven because this film is funny. Very funny. Stiller plays it really over the top, and it's his performance that left me in stitches. Also, there are inspired cameos by Chuck Norris and David Hasselhoff.

Rating: *** (out of ****)