Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

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.

Director:

Rawson Marshall Thurber

Writer:

Rawson Marshall Thurber

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 David Moore	...	Owen
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

Storyline

White Goodman (Ben Stiller) is the owner and founder of Globo Gym, and would love nothing more than owning Average Joe's Gymnasium. Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) doesn't want to lose his gym to Goodman, but can't find a way to get $50,000 in time. Peter and his gang of gym buddies think of ways to raise money, finally settling on winning a dodge ball tournament. White Goodman retaliates by creating his own dodge ball team to finish off Peter. Peter's team doesn't do too well, until legendary ADAA champ Patches O'Houlihan (Rip Torn) turns up ready to train them.

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Plot Keywords:

gym | dodgeball | pirate | tournament | coach | 

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Taglines:

Grab life by the ball.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patches O'Houlihan's (Rip Torn) jacket features unit patches for several U.S. Army units, some of which are: I Corps, 16th Military Police Brigade (missing Airborne tab), 75th Infantry Division, 103rd Infantry Division, and U.S. Army Special Forces (missing Airborne tab; patch is also sewn on upside down).

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Goofs

We are told that there are only two teams in the Las Vegas Regional tournament: Average Joe's and Girl Scout Troop 417. However, later we see that the Las Vegas Police Department is also in the tournament. If the LVPD didn't play in the Las Vegas Regional Tournament (let alone win it), then how did they get in?

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Quotes

Cotton McKnight: I'm being told that Average Joe's does not have enough players and will be forfeiting the championship match.
Pepper Brooks: It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em.

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Crazy Credits

At the beginning of the credits, there's a commercial for Average Joe's, followed by a quick glimpse of White Goodman's fate.

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Alternate Versions

The Cinemax/Pay per View cut features additional scenes of the romance between Fran and Owen. The newly included material also features a bedroom scene post-lovemaking between the pair.

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Connections

Spoofed in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide: New Grade & Dodgeball (2006)

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Soundtracks

Red Rubber Ball
Written by Paul Simon and Bruce Woodley
Performed by Eggchair
Courtesy of Eggchair Music

User Reviews

No one makes me bleed my own blood.

Thanks Chuck Norris. Loved it. Seen it 4-5 times. If you don't take life too seriously you should enjoy this.

Details

Official Sites:

Filming Locations of Dodgeball

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

18 June 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dodgeball

Filming Locations:

1201 Santa Fe Avenue, Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,070,196, 20 June 2004

Gross USA:

$114,326,736

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$168,423,227

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Mediastream Vierte Film GmbH & Co. Vermarktungs KG, Red Hour Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color Black and White (educational movie footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1