Ben Stiller movies...

Rating: 6/10 (27 November 2005)

There are some things we've (I) got to admit and others I've got to accept. I've got to admit that Ben Stiller keeps reinventing himself, always succeeding; but someone needs to tell him he's still giving us the same thing. He might change the tone of voice and the hair, but he still invites Hank Azaria to do the same stupid accents (no disrespect with Azaria), if you know what I mean.
I've got to accept that Rawson Marshall Thurber's first full-length feature has its great moments. I've got to accept that although Christine Taylor keeps working with her husband, she is a talented and charming actress, not mentioning a strangely beautiful woman. And last I've got to accept that Ben Stiller is not the only reason to watch a Ben Stiller movie.
In "Duplex" other reason to watch his movie was one of the loves of my life, Drew Barrymore; in "Along Came Polly" it was the great Phillip Seymour Hoffman: in "Dodgeball" it's Vince Vaughn. Arguably the most natural comedic actor of his generation (and also a good dramatic performer if you want to watch), he leaves Stiller painted in the wall. And this is not a comparison; I just wanted to make clear that Vaughn never seems to be making any effort.
Effortless is as much as this film accomplishes too, due to the fact that it has the most predictable script I've witnessed in a long time (well "Honey"). In addition, the writer/director relies on his cast presence to make us laugh, without realizing his lines are funny but not the way he places them in his picture. We know we could laugh, but it just doesn't come out.
What surely gave Thurber the confidence in his project was his main factor: the sport. Yes, "dodgeball" or that kind of game we were watching Rip Torn training the characters. The man knew that with this, he would keep the audience until the end, no matter what; this is something everyone was going to stay tuned for. It was widely original, and that's the reward.
Maybe it is just about bringing the audience in, like Robert Rodriguez did, when he gave two short appearances to a second-billed Salma Hayek. My point is that Hollywood these days is extremely dependable, and there's a scene in the credits that talks about it; stay so you can watch it.
So what I mean is that the stars move a lot inside a movie, and I just wanna know what Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn's projects are. The second one will make a romantic comedy with Jennifer Anniston, and the first one will do "Madagascar 2" or something?? Anyway, you have to choose because they're both big stars and I'm not sure they'll be pairing up for you; again. I'd go see Vaughn; I bet he'll surprise me
The underdog story, always seems to be true, but somehow this is "the true" underdog story. I'm just joking because it is the same resolution with an always interesting road. So I met the characters, the situations, the tournament transmitted by a once Brady (it's sad) and the final and most fundamental decision taken byChuck Norris (yes, Norris) leading to two different opinions: "Thank you, Chuck Norris"
"F***ing Chuck Norris!"