Funny movie with likable characters

Rating: 7/10 (10 April 2015)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is a fast-paced and very funny sports comedy that scores points for being centered around a sport that hasn't been the subject of too many movies.
The movie stars Vince Vaughn playing one of his most likable characters, Peter LaFleur, the owner of a gym that is about to go under who puts together a rag-tag team of misfits to participate in a dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas in order to win the large cash prize.
Prior to this movie, I had no idea that dodgeball was a team sport that has Olympic-like rules, displayed here In a hilarious training film that Peter shows his team. This premise sets up a classic Revenge of the Nerds-esque confrontation between Peter's team and a team from a rival gym that wants to buy Peter out, owned by the arrogant White Goodman (Ben Stiller).
A romantic triangle is also set up with the presence of an accountant who has been hired to help Peter, but White ends up trying to pursue her as well. Ironically, this role is played by Ben Stiller's real-life spouse, Christine Taylor, who first caught our eye as Marcia in the two Brady Bunch movies.
Vaughn is actually the straight man here to Stiller, who is hysterically funny here, as are Stephen Root, Chris Williams, and Alan Tudyk as members of Peter's team, Missi Pyle as a beast from White's team, Gary Cole and Jason Bateman as color commentators at the tournament, and especially Rip Torn as Patches Houlihan, the alleged Dodgeball legend who agrees to help coach Peter's team.
Funny dialogue, music video-paced direction and cast that aims to please help to make this comedy worth checking out.