Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)June 28th, 2004
"Dodgeball" – Nice Guys Finish First
by Homer Yen
(c) 2004
Dodge, duck, dip, and dive. Those are the important "D" words that describe the strategy revolving around the wacky if not seemingly painful sport of dodgeball. And here's another word that begins with "D" to describe this movie. Dumb! Yes, "Dodgeball" is quite dumb. Just how dumb is it? Well, one of the members of the team is convinced he's a pirate. Meanwhile, there's someone else on the team who never notices that. Team uniforms might consist of heavy S&M dress. Television coverage of this lesser sport is relegated to ESPN 8. That's because, if it's almost a sport, you'll find it on The Ocho.
But it's relentlessly dumb and it comes to a point that it's just so dumb that it becomes funny. Not slap-your-knee funny. It's the kind of funny that kind of sneaks up on you. You don't want to laugh because you feel that you are above the material. But at some point, your defenses are breached and you crack a smile. When you see an 8-year old boy with thick-rimmed black glasses get nailed by one of those rubbery playground balls, you can see his eyeglasses shatter upon impact as he is thrown backwards into an unconscious state. When this scene is described through words, it seems violently unnecessary. But when you watch it, as the McDonald's slogan goes, you're loving it.
And so the gags continue with unbridled passion. And leading the charge Whtie Goodman (Ben Stiller in his most manic performance to date). He acts as if his veins pump caffeine instead of blood. He talks with a strange mixture of eloquence and aimless chatter that culminates into endings that kind of sound like I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I. And he surrounds himself with manhood-affirming props such as big-muscled bodyguards and sports pants with an inflatable crotch. For him, it's all about being big. His business, Globo Gym, is a multi-million dollar business, and he's now looking to buy out his competition, Average Joe Gym, run by the down-to-earth Peter LeFleur (Vince Vaughn).
While the only normal person in the film, Peter is an entrepreneurial disaster. His loyal clientele include such oddball characters that, quite honestly, make you kind of side with Globo Gym at first. Banking officer Kate (Christine Taylor) tells Peter that he needs to come up with $50,000 within 30 days or else he'll have close his doors. The community could be a better place by getting rid of these goofballs, but it's only Goodman's smarmy arrogance that causes us to root for the Average Joe's.
A plan is hatched to enter the national Dodgeball tournament. The $50,000 first place prize will save their gym. But Goodman gets whiff of their idea and assembles his own steroid-infused team. The tournament is cleverly set up so that you can watch other thematic teams compete. Thanks to some grueling training (''if you can dodge a wrench, than you can dodge a ball"), their team might pull off the upset.
The appeal of something like this is twofold. The movie sets out to be a stupid, dumb-guy movie, and that's what you get. But, it's also like watching ESPNs Not Top 10. You know, that's the segment where they show those crazy sports plays that are almost like painful bloopers. Well, that's pretty much the sport of dodgeball. It's painful and silly fun.
Grade: B
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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