The German Shepard. The Afghan hound. The Great Dane. The Pekinese. The Pit Bull. The Whippet. The Labrador Retriever. The French Poodle...

* * *

Peter La Fleur: Uh, actually I decided to quit... Lance.
Lance Armstrong: Quit? You know, once I was thinking of quitting when I was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer all at the same time. But with the love and support of my friends and family, I got back on the bike and won the Tour de France five times in a row. But I'm sure you have a good reason to quit. So what are you dying of that's keeping you from the finals?
Peter La Fleur: Right now it feels a little bit like... shame.
Lance Armstrong: Well, I guess if a person never quit when the going got tough, they wouldn't have anything to regret for the rest of their life. Well good luck to you Peter. I'm sure this decision won't haunt you forever.

* * *

Peter La Fleur: Kate, it's time for you to put your mouth where our balls are.

* * *

Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!

So okay. This movie is a dog. It is essentially unoriginal, being so closely based on the Parker/Stone (South Park) classic Baseketball that they could probably sue. It is cheesy and predictable, and steals from every sports movie that was ever made. It is reprehensible, relying on cheap sight gags, slapstick and off-color double meanings. Even the clichés are cliché. It has absolutely no redeeming qualities save one: it is totally hilarious, with many scenes that will roll you off the couch laughing. That's a pretty good quality for a comedy.

Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) is the broke but likeable owner of Average Joe's, a rundown gym. A visit from Kate Veatch (Christine Taylor) an attractive but kind-hearted banker, reveals that the Gym is about to be taken over by its neighbor, Globo Gym, and its insane owner, White Goodman (Ben Stiller), who wants to build a parking lot. Needing $50,000 to save his Gym, Peter teams up with the loyal but inept members of Joes to form a Dodgeball team, and compete for the big prize in Las Vegas. The predictability of what follows is... er... predictable, but the laughs just keep on coming.

Okay. I admit it. I am a sucker for slapstick. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World has long been my favorite comedy movie, and Noises Off my favorite stage show. And when it comes to slapstick, Dodgeball has plenty of slap and shtick. Whether it's the Globo Video, the wrench throwing scene, or the obligatory dodging traffic, this movie is funny. I mean, it's garbage and you shouldn't laugh, but you do. Plaudits to the writer/director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, for excellent comedic timing.

All the cast turn out surprisingly good performances considering the material. Taylor is loveable, Vaugh is likeable, and Rip Torn just steals the show.

Ben Stiller's Goodman is brilliantly bad. I am not sure whether it's a fine performance, or just his normal obnoxious shtick. Others may find it confusing too, since he was nominated for both an MTV award for best comedic actor, and a Razzie for worst actor for the same performance. Whatever the reason, it was doubly satisfying when Christine Taylor's Kate smacks his face through a wall. It was probably doubly good for her too, since she is Ben's real world wife. Ben's sister Amy has a cameo appearance too, making this quite a family affair.

Speaking of cameos, almost everyone in Hollywood has one, and they are all unexpectedly worthwhile. Lance Armstrong's appearance is as surprising as it is brilliant. Everyone from Chuck Norris to Bill Shatner has their brief moment of glory, and they are all funny. Even the director, in true Hitchcockian style, sneaks on camera. I bet there are not many reviews published that comparing his directing to Hitchcock.

Mind you, I will say one thing important. After watching this whole movie with the strange deja-vu feeling that I probably wrote it in a prior life, the very end of the movie has more twists than my garden hose. That made the otherwise predictable conclusion even sweeter.

Don't expect Shakespeare. This is a movie of meat-cleavers and no place for a rapier wit. If you like this type of broad, juvenile comedy, then you are going to laugh your socks off, and maybe even your underwear. If you don't, you're gonna hate it. That's your loss and not my problem. Four woofs!

* * *

Believe it or not, this movie has no bad language and no nudity. Although there are certainly sexy scenes, some adult humor, and a lot of double meanings, it is mostly adolescent stuff. It can probably appear on network uncut. Let the kids watch it.

* * *

Nominated for Espy for best sports movie. It must have been a very bad year.

* * *

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber

Written by Rawson Marshall Thurber

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
Chris Williams - Dwight
Alan Tudyk - Steve the Pirate
Missi Pyle - Fran
Jamal Duff - Me'Shell Jones
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
Amy Stiller - Keno Waitress
Rawson Marshall Thurber - High School Jerk

* * *

Please check out some of my other movie reviews:

Kiss of the Dragon ****
House of Flying Daggers ***
Hero *****
Sideways *****
Quest for Camelot **
The Haunted Mansion **
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas ****
A Knight's Tale ***
Collateral ****
Weird New Jersey ****


* * *


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older