Product: Dodgeball/Borat Bonus Preview Disc (2004)
Rating: 3.0
funny, crude, even endearing
Dodgeball is not an exceptional movie, but as mainstream comedies go it's pretty entertaining and has moments that are incredibly funny. To keep from getting their gym bought by the megalomaniac fitness guru White Goodman (played with over-the-top creepiness by Ben Stiller), Peter Le Fleur (Vince Vaughn) and his ensemble of odd companions must raise 50,000 dollars in 30 days. They do so by entering a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament, which will be broadcast on ESPN 8 ("The Ocho").First they must qualify in a regional championship, which they win only because one member of the Girl Scout troupe who trounces them on the court tests positive for various enhancement drugs. After that, they get taken under the wing of a crazy wheelchair-bound ex-dodgeball player, Patches O'Houlihan (Rip Torn), whose tactics include making the team dodge wrenches and oncoming traffic. Once in Las Vegas, they will have to compete against White Goodman and the musclebound team he's put together, after going head-to-head with a number of other teams, including a group of hardcore German players coached by a brutal David Hasslehoff.One reason the movie works so well is because Vaughn plays his character in a laidback, smart-alecky way, which balances all the weirdness surrounding him. The supporting cast is memorable and strong: there's a middle-aged nerd who can only really play well when he loses his temper, a high school geek with surprising cheerleading skills, a man who's convinced he's a pirate, and a few other endearing misfits. There's also a love interest played by Christine Taylor, who has a strong head and can really pack a punch.Dodgeball is crude, plays to certain stereotypes, but also breaks the mold in other ways and manages to be endearing and have loveable characters. It's a couple of hours of good, ridiculous, over-the-top fun.