Grab your ball(s) and go see it! *** out of ****

Rating: 7/10 (25 July 2004)

I remember laughing good and hard at the previews for Dodgeball but was still skeptical about seeing it. I mean how many times have the studios shown all the funny parts but only for one to discover after watching the movie those were the parts that were only funny. Ok, you can all put your hands down now.
Happily, there is a lot of funny stuff in Dodgeball to make you want to see it a second time. Nice guy Peter La Fleur (played by Vince Vaughn who has been on a roll the last 1 1/2)is the owner of a small gym that is on the verge of foreclosure unless he can come up with $50,000. Even if the mortgage payments were current, the club is so outdated that it looks more like a place where homeless people crash for the evening.

In a desperate attempt to save the gym Peter hires an accountant Kate Veatch (played by pretty lady Christine Taylor) to go over the books. The problem is that Peter hasn't looked at the books since Clinton was President so her help is to of no avail.
Things have gotten even worse because a rich spoiled brat has built a beautiful gym right next door. The brat is played to absolute hilarity by Ben Stiller who has his own unique way of impressing the ladies.(Hint: puff puff the magic dragon).
By sheer coincidence there is dodgeball tournament at Las Vegas that will pay-yep you got it, $50,000 to the 1st place team. Since Peter and his friends have virtually no talent, they bring in coach Patches O'Houlihan for training. His training includes tools of steel(literally)to ones face that will adjust them to the agony of being hit by a ball. (That part was included during the sneak preview but I laughed even harder the second time around).
Two other characters also add to the fun. Gary Cole (Office Space) and Justin Bateman from Starsky And Hutch play the sport announcers and Bateman isn't exactly rowing the boat with both oars especially after he hopes that the outcome of the game won't be affected when Vaughn's team has to forfeit.

For the directing and writing of Dodgeball I was expecting to see the name Zucker or Wayan. Instead the credit was given to some guy by the name of Rawson Marshall Thurber. If I see that name for the upcoming Scary Movie 4, I'll take a chance and see that one too.
P.S. The Surgeon General has a warning that drinking pop with a straw may be hazardous to your health if you watch the ending credits.