Confession time: I liked Zoolander. The movie had an irreverent sarcasm about it that, even though it wasn’t ‘laugh-out-loud’ funny, made it enjoyable to watch. Ben Stiller’s new comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story brings more of that same dry, off-the-wall humor to the childhood sport of strength and exclusion.
Vince Vaughn plays Peter LaFleur, founder and owner of Average Joe’s Gymnasium. Faced with a financial ultimatum to pay $50,000 or lose his gym, he reluctantly rallies his band of rag-tag gym members and enters an international dodgeball competition. Attempting to buy-out Average Joe’s though, is White Goodman (Ben Stiller), the founder of the cross-the-street competition, Globo-Gym. Things are looking pretty bad for the Joes, until former dodgeball legend, Patches O’Houlihan (a wheel-chair ridden Rip Torn) comes along to lead the team to victory. Things begin to look up even more when (former) lawyer, Kate (Christine Taylor, Stiller’s wife) joins the Joe’s as well.
It’s a funny movie. Be warned though, a lot of the humor is sarcastic and absurd. I didn’t bust-out laughing but just a few times. However, I did have a smile on my face throughout the whole movie. I really enjoyed the film. The script (by director Rawson Marshall Thurber) is filled with ironic little twists and sub-plots that add a small bit of depth to the film, without convoluting the story too much. Vaughn and Taylor perform admirably, and Rip Torn has some great lines. However, Ben Stiller proves something to be that I long suspected; He is a much better caricature performer than someone to take seriously. He has fun in the role, and the movie is better for it.
The dodgeball matches take too long to actually get started, which is nobody’s fault. The movie’s story just has to be set-up as much as possible before watching the mindless havoc. Once the havoc starts though, it’s highly enthralling. It really brings back some memories of younger, care-free days when I would get smacked in the head with a rubber ball while everyone laughed at me. But it’s funnier to watch a scrawny Japanese man in a diaper get hit. Seriously though, it captures the fun essence of the playground game.
Despite the cliché’s of underdog films, this movie has a true heart of gold. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and delivers a fun flick most teens and adults will enjoy. It’s not going to win any Oscars (maybe a Golden Popcorn), but I don’t think that is what anyone involved really intended. The story is about staying true to who you are, and by doing so you will come out on top. Even if you think you’re a pirate.
THREE OUT OF FOUR STARS.
Overall Summary- With Shrek’s hype quasi-dying down, this is next in line for the enjoyably funny film to go see. And stay through the credits to see Ben Stiller do a very disturbing dance…
Vince Vaughn plays Peter LaFleur, founder and owner of Average Joe’s Gymnasium. Faced with a financial ultimatum to pay $50,000 or lose his gym, he reluctantly rallies his band of rag-tag gym members and enters an international dodgeball competition. Attempting to buy-out Average Joe’s though, is White Goodman (Ben Stiller), the founder of the cross-the-street competition, Globo-Gym. Things are looking pretty bad for the Joes, until former dodgeball legend, Patches O’Houlihan (a wheel-chair ridden Rip Torn) comes along to lead the team to victory. Things begin to look up even more when (former) lawyer, Kate (Christine Taylor, Stiller’s wife) joins the Joe’s as well.
It’s a funny movie. Be warned though, a lot of the humor is sarcastic and absurd. I didn’t bust-out laughing but just a few times. However, I did have a smile on my face throughout the whole movie. I really enjoyed the film. The script (by director Rawson Marshall Thurber) is filled with ironic little twists and sub-plots that add a small bit of depth to the film, without convoluting the story too much. Vaughn and Taylor perform admirably, and Rip Torn has some great lines. However, Ben Stiller proves something to be that I long suspected; He is a much better caricature performer than someone to take seriously. He has fun in the role, and the movie is better for it.
The dodgeball matches take too long to actually get started, which is nobody’s fault. The movie’s story just has to be set-up as much as possible before watching the mindless havoc. Once the havoc starts though, it’s highly enthralling. It really brings back some memories of younger, care-free days when I would get smacked in the head with a rubber ball while everyone laughed at me. But it’s funnier to watch a scrawny Japanese man in a diaper get hit. Seriously though, it captures the fun essence of the playground game.
Despite the cliché’s of underdog films, this movie has a true heart of gold. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and delivers a fun flick most teens and adults will enjoy. It’s not going to win any Oscars (maybe a Golden Popcorn), but I don’t think that is what anyone involved really intended. The story is about staying true to who you are, and by doing so you will come out on top. Even if you think you’re a pirate.
THREE OUT OF FOUR STARS.
Overall Summary- With Shrek’s hype quasi-dying down, this is next in line for the enjoyably funny film to go see. And stay through the credits to see Ben Stiller do a very disturbing dance…
