Product: Dodgeball/Borat Bonus Preview Disc (2004)
Rating: 4.0
So Silly, So Crude, and So Funny
You find no subtlety here, and you shouldn't try to. Here is the a comedy with lots of ultimately crude, rude, unsophisticated gags. But I like 'Dodgeball' because of that, and if you love kind of a comedy like 'There's Something About Mary,' this film is for you.Story? It's about a bunch of underdogs who need money very badly. So they join in the national dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas to get $50,000. That's it, and they form a ragtag team called 'Average Joes' while another team attempt to crush them, called 'Purple Cobras.'Vince Vaughn, cast against type, plays the reluctant leader of 'Joes' and Ben Stiller plays the greedy gym owner named 'White Goodman.' Add to them, Christine Taylor (Ben's real-life wife) joins in the cast as the lawyer who is sexually harassed by Mr. Goodman. Is there any depth, subtle touch, or social message? But should there be any?[SLAPSTICKS AND CAMEOS] Rip Torn's funny dodgeball coach says, 'If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.' Right? In fact, red rubber balls fly around and hit the characters in the face. The traditional slapstick comedy like pie-throwing is done in another style, with more energy and vitality, with lots of raucous humor. Dirty languages abound, and the gags are often very sexual. Plus, you see many cameos -- William Shatner, Chuck Norris, Hank Azaria, David Hasselhoff (as German coach), and Lance Armstrong -- all of them adding more unexpected humor to the film.I don't say this is the best comedy of the decade, but it is true I enjoyed watching the film very much. Silly, to be sure, but sometimes, just sometimes, absolute silliness with unstoppable energy produces a hilarious comedy like this. And as far as the box office figure goes, which exceeded $110,000,000 in USA alone, many people seem to have felt the same way as I do.