The game of “Dodgeball” for the uninitiated, has long been known as a gym-class style sport where kids get divided into two teams and throw playground balls at each other across the middle-line of a gymnasium (which may not be crossed) in an attempt to get each other "out". If a ball is thrown into another player without bouncing off of anything, that player is "out" unless they catch the ball, in which case the thrower is "out". Once a ball bounces, it is essentially out of play until thrown again. While this is the known definition of the game, it should be added that it is totally without any type of merit and the bane of the ‘league of extraordinarily picked on kids’. The real object of the game is to allow playground bullies the opportunity to beat the snot out of these smaller and weaker kids by throwing these balls as hard and fast as they can, while elevating their grade point average in P.E.

In recent years, the game has taken off as the chosen sport of ‘bored ex-bullies’ whose idea of the ideal evening is to go out to a club and get drunk, so they can brag about imagined sexual encounters to all their friends. Here in Dallas for example, there are whole leagues devoted to this mindless pummeling. Fortunately, in Dallas there are few people with any brain cells to damage, so there is no fear that the overall collective intelligence quotient (which is just above that of top soil, anyway) will drop to even lower levels.

The game has become so popular, that the inevitable movie had to be made about it. Of course, we’re not talking about some Grade A documentary that follows the careers of two brothers as they attain all their dreams through the magical game of dodgeball, oh no. Instead we are treated to the game as it should be viewed, as an extremely sill comedy. And who better to star in a silly comedy about dodgeball than Ben Stiller? No one, I say.

Ben Stiller is one of those guys you either love or hate, generally with little middle ground. The son of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Ben started out as a stand up comic, had his own TV skit show, and eventually worked himself up to movie star status. Though he has occasionally proven to be a fairly competent dramatic actor, it is in the world of comedy that he has made his mark. What has worked the best for Stiller is to star in films that take semi-real life situations and bend them into bizarrely obscure shapes. His manic-depressive shtick mixes well in this world.

In “Dodgeball”, Stiller takes the role of second banana to actor Vince Vaughn, who stars as Peter LaFleur, the owner of a small run-down gym. His competition, White Goodman (Stiller) owns the ultra-mega million dollar Globo Gym America across the street. As can be expected, the main story of the film revolves around Goodman’s attempt to buy out the smaller gym to make way for a parking lot. In what is meant to be a less than original plot device, LaFleur owes $50,000 on the gym’s mortgage and there is little time left before foreclosure sets in. When he learns that there is going to be dodgeball competition where the payoff is exactly $50,000, he decides to put a team together and go for it. Goodman, threatened by any sign of one-upmanship follows suit and the war is on.

I wasn’t sure at first whether or not I’d like “Dodgeball” in spite of the fact that I like Stiller’s brand of humor so much. His older films like “There’s Something About Mary” and “Mystery Men” were hysterically funny, but admittedly some of his newer outings have been less so. I was afraid the jokes were getting old and Stiller was on his way out. Though “Dodgeball” was filled with the same type of exaggerated humor that some of those films use, it was much, much funnier than I had hoped. Stiller and Vaughn played off each other very well and I found myself laughing out loud throughout a good portion of the movie. As funny as these two are however, the film actually belongs to actor Rip Torn, who pretty much steals the show as the wheelchair bound, ex-Dodgeball champion Patches O’Houlihan.

Adding to my surprise was the fair amount of extra features on the recent DVD release from Fox. The movie only did moderately well in theatres, so it was nice to see that the studio took the time and expense to add them for those who enjoyed the movie as much as I did. There is an audio commentary by director Rawson Marshall Thurber, who is joined by Stiller and Vaughn. It’s a fairly spirited commentary, and though the humor is a bit dry, it is no less funny. You’ll also find the obligatory deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary and four short, yet entertaining featurettes. Finally, there is an all too brief blooper reel.

I’d mostly recommend “Dodgeball” to fans of outrageous comedies, full of rude, crude and obnoxious humor.

Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Alan Tudyk, Stephen Root
Extras: Audio Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber, Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, Deleted Scenes, “Dodgeball Boot Camp: Training for Dodgeball”, “The Anatomoy of a Hit”, “Justin Long: A Study in Ham & Cheese”, “Dodgeball: Go for the Gold”, Blooper Reel, DVD-Rom Screenplay
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 12/7/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Rude and Sexual Humor, and Language)
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We'll give Dodgeball a B-.