Fearless Writer ... Reviews

Stars: Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Rip Torn
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber


What do Dude Where’s My Car and Dodgeball have in common (apart from being comedies)? They are both examples of that frustrating movie experience with All The Best Bits In The Trailer.

Lord knows, Dodgeball had more potential than that. Vince Vaughan stars as Peter La Fleur, the owner of a small, run down, but honest gym filled with all sorts of physical unfortunates and people with social and mental problems. Across the street is the massive GloboGym, run by White Goodman (Ben Stiller), a gym junkie and egotist who wants to buy out Average Joe’s Gym.

Peter isn’t interested in selling, but when an attractive tax lawyer Kate (Christine Taylor) comes sniffing at White’s behest, she discovers a $50,000 unpaid tax bill. Peter and his group of misfits have to work out some way to scrape together the cash, and when a hand car wash doesn’t work, they end up trying to qualify for a national dodgeball competition – which naturally has a $50,000 cash prize. Prepare to yawn as the film follows the predictable formula like a train follows its tracks.

There’s no shortage of talent in Dodgeball and there are several cracking one-liners, but it spends too much of its 80-odd minutes firing on three cylinders – and you’ve heard 90 per cent of the best jokes in the trailers. A shame.

VERDICT: 3/5 stars

ON THE DVD

ALTERNATE ENDING Average Joes lose and the credits roll. In his commentary, writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber explains that the stars preferred his ending, but the studio wrung its hands after negative test screenings. He then proceeds to get all precious about “creativity”. Okay, negative endings always offer a surprise, but come on mate, this isn’t high art – it’s a regulation comedy. Get over yourself.

BLOOPERS/GAG REEL A reasonable length and quite amusing.

FEATURETTES Some conventional making-of stuff, plus extended Dodgeball Dancers sequences with the gals dressed in various coloured outfits. Other pieces look at the actors learning how demanding the game of dodgeball can be and the intricacies of physical comedy (ie, why it’s funnier to be hit in the groin than the arm).

DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES Mostly lame stuff left out for pacing reasons.

COMMENTARY Semi-scripted dialogue with Vaughan, Stiller (who turns up late) and Thurber. The latter supposedly storms out when Stiller refers to him as a “piece of shit director”. Nice try, fellas – it might be original but it’s just not funny.