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| Left to right: Joel David Moore, Justin Long, Rip Torn, and Alan Tudyk |
Back in 2004, director Rawson Marshall Thurber's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story was released to much acclaim. Its mixture of slapstick and prat falls with nonsequiturs and illogical plot points made for one of the zaniest sports films of the decade. Along with the following month's Anchorman, it was a wonderful time for studio comedies featuring Ben Stiller with scenes shot in Long Beach, CA. However, on its 10th anniversary, there is something to be said about the definitive film on the subject of dodge ball: it is still really funny.
Released at the height of Vince Vaughn's dominance at the box office, this comedy focused on a group of underdogs working at Average Joe's Gym. Lead by Peter (Vaughn), the story follows their quest to dominate over Globo-Gym. To get into all of the characters' idiosyncratic techniques would be laborious, but evidence to the film's charm. The characters aren't so much broad stereotypes as they are embodiment of people who are kind of losers. The most notable ones are Steve the Pirate (Alan Tudyk) and Patches O'Houlihan (Rip Torn): a wheelchair bound man whose first line is "I ain't crazy, and I ain't a guy." If that doesn't tip you off to the universe of crazy characters, including a gang of violent Girl Scouts, then this film is likely not for you.
However, the film has a lot of charm in its effort to be something greater. Ben Stiller has rarely been more effective than as White Goodman: whose chauvinistic dedication to health makes him a homoerotic walking joke. His confidence is undermined by his insults, which includes "I have shareholders. You don't even got cup holders." It may be a tale of dominance in the grand scheme of things, but when was the last time that a film outwardly embraced its strange offbeat nature and actually elevated its source material? 22 Jump Street wishes it was Dodgeball.
While it has become somewhat of a normality to have retro film making (including the recently released Ping Pong Summer), Thurber wanted to make a throwback to 80's films. Not by embracing the visual shoddiness or awfully stilted acting. Instead, what he created was more perfectly in tone with films like Meatballs, if they had more jokes about balls and lesbians. Of course, it doesn't matter when the jokes come rapidly and even the general premise is hard to take serious. The big game is shown exclusively on ESPN 8: The Ocho. That is how serious this film is. With cameos by Lance Armstrong, William Shatner, and Chuck Norris, the film feels retro in its references, but not in its ambitions. It embraces the modern age by going full ridiculous.
There are countless memorable scenes, but to show the dedication to craft, this scene involving a 50's, Leave it to Beaver-esque training video shows just how attentive the film is to its own flaws. Notice the 5 D's of Dodgeball:
It is a world where dodgeball is somehow a manly sport. Everything else seems to be out of honor. The rest of the characters are almost all sight gags and stereotypes. Peter's romance is hacked on and the only real triumph comes in a last minute switch over. The film rules in anticlimactic results, but embraces its own flaws so perfectly that the losers don't feel pathetic. It is just a stupid game. Even without saying it, the film seems to agree. In doing so, it creates one of the most loving tributes to one of the most pretentious sports out there. It may only involve throwing a ball, but add your own hurdles and it becomes worse than football by way of baseball.
The film's legacy remains strong. Admittedly, it has become overshadowed by Anchorman, but the success of Dodgeball is that it remains inimitable. Yes, studios continue to release silly comedies with nonstop jokes, but there hasn't been a sports comedy this glorious since. Telling jokes at breakneck speed while giving us two iconic characters (Patches O'Houlihan, also Steve the Pirate has replaced Alan Tudyk's actual name). Yes, some of it may be too juvenile, but there is a cadence and flow to this that not even Thurber (We're the Millers) has topped.
The film came out in a period when comedies were defined by their quotability. Even the faux motivational quotes such as "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball" remain iconic lines of 00's comedy. This film also works by not having dated references, or a lot of obnoxious ones anyways, and instead embracing the comical aspects. With brilliant line deliveries and a cast of characters that almost plays as a live action version of The Simpsons, this is a marvel of a film created by friends basically hurting each other with balls. Not too many comedies give you that opportunity while also making over $100 million at the box office. Dodgeball is a rarity.
Most of all, even the "action" sequences hold up. The heightened music and intensity keep the film feeling not like a parody, but like an actual sports film. The ending may dive into ridiculous territory, but it all works. In honor of its 10th anniversary, I'd say that it was time to recite the 5 D's of Dodgeball and to remember that it is a sport of violence, exclusion, and degradation. So in parting, I want to leave you advice in case you ever want to play sometime. Remember the 5 D's: dodge, duck, dip, dive and... dodge. See you at the car wash.
The film's legacy remains strong. Admittedly, it has become overshadowed by Anchorman, but the success of Dodgeball is that it remains inimitable. Yes, studios continue to release silly comedies with nonstop jokes, but there hasn't been a sports comedy this glorious since. Telling jokes at breakneck speed while giving us two iconic characters (Patches O'Houlihan, also Steve the Pirate has replaced Alan Tudyk's actual name). Yes, some of it may be too juvenile, but there is a cadence and flow to this that not even Thurber (We're the Millers) has topped.
The film came out in a period when comedies were defined by their quotability. Even the faux motivational quotes such as "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball" remain iconic lines of 00's comedy. This film also works by not having dated references, or a lot of obnoxious ones anyways, and instead embracing the comical aspects. With brilliant line deliveries and a cast of characters that almost plays as a live action version of The Simpsons, this is a marvel of a film created by friends basically hurting each other with balls. Not too many comedies give you that opportunity while also making over $100 million at the box office. Dodgeball is a rarity.
Most of all, even the "action" sequences hold up. The heightened music and intensity keep the film feeling not like a parody, but like an actual sports film. The ending may dive into ridiculous territory, but it all works. In honor of its 10th anniversary, I'd say that it was time to recite the 5 D's of Dodgeball and to remember that it is a sport of violence, exclusion, and degradation. So in parting, I want to leave you advice in case you ever want to play sometime. Remember the 5 D's: dodge, duck, dip, dive and... dodge. See you at the car wash.
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