Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Reviewed by:
Paul Ulane

As if we needed further proof that man-getting-hit-in-crotch is the most foolproof gag in comedy, Dodgeball built a feature-length movie around it. The underdog story underlying the pratfalls won't garner any Oscar nominations, but the constant barrage of rubber ball beat-downs delivers enough laughs for at least one viewing, and the extras tack on more brutal comedy. A commentary track with writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber and stars Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn has more laugh-out-loud lines than the movie, and the deleted scenes, with titles like "Dirty Sanchez," probe deeper into story lines that were axed from the final product. "The Anatomy of a Hit" is a primer on how to make other people's pain funny (hint: aim for the face and testicles), and "Go for the Gold" finds Stiller and Vaughn lobbying to make dodgeball an Olympic sport. But the most enjoyable featurette is "Dodgeball Boot Camp," a quick chronicle of the rigorous training program stunt coordinators put the cast through before filming—there's something oddly soothing about seeing Ben Stiller continually pelted with rubber balls.

Share