Don't Dodge It. Embrace It.

Rating: 7/10 (9 July 2015)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004): Dir: Rawson Marshall Thurber / Cast: Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Rip Torn, Hank Azaria: Amusing and somewhat unique sports comedy about life's curve balls. It stars Vince Vaughn who owns a fitness gym called Average Joe's that is threatened to be demolished into a parking lot by fitness instructor Ben Stiller of Globo- Gym. Vaughn must come up with $50, 000 and the method of payment becomes a dodgeball competition, which Globo-Gym also enters. Dodgeball becomes the deciding factor. Effective premise exploits fitness clubs and the image pressure to look good. There are the expected clichés such as the stereotype players made up of characters more or less from better movies. Directed with comic insight by Rawson Marshall Thurber with many great sight jokes. Vaughn fares well as Average Joe's front man out to win this competition and gain predicted respect. Stiller steals scenes with his outlandish behaviour that will ultimately lead to his downfall. Christine Taylor plays an attorney in what can only be described as a romantic prop. Rip Torn plays an aged dodgeball trainer whose sudden dismiss seems too cliché. Then there are a slew of effective actors in comic form playing the standard dimwits who play types over personalities. Theme suggests we dodge images thrown by fitness club egos. Score: 7 / 10