Hello again, all. Well, I've seen Fahrenheit 9/11 and I'll be back to let you know what I think of it. For now, here's my review for Dodgeball. Catch it. Get it? Ha...uh...here you go.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Review by Jon Waterman
***1/2
Average Joe’s Gym is a small place for locals to come and exercise without too much worry or pressure to be fit and muscular instantly. Globo Gym is the big corporation across the street that laughs at the little guy and all their gym stands for. Since Average Joe’s can’t pay their rent, Globo Gym is going to buy it and turn it into a parking lot. The only thing that can save them now is dodgeball. The owner and regulars at Average Joe’s come together to fight Globo Gym in a $50,000 tournament in Las Vegas. The winner gets the gym.
Sounds like a very believable concept for a movie, doesn’t it? Well, throw that out the window. Comedy is not a place to question believability. Other than the lame plot line that’s only a translucent cover for making a movie about dodgeball in the first place, the rest of the film isn’t all that off-the-wall. Most of the humor is not outlandish and surreal, but rather verbal and sometimes even cerebral. I know that sounds wrong, considering the sports-based premise. Yes, there are the physical moments, and they are funny too, but the general mockery of sports, gyms and everyday social interaction supplies the most laughs.
Oh, and is it funny! That’s an exclamation, not a question mark. Just like with another Ben Stiller movie (in this, he plays Globo owner White Goodman), “Zoolander,” I expected little and got a lot, because neither of them just went after the lame idiot jokes, but rather gave a range of humor and added a nice underlying wit to it all. Writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber does a nice job of mixing in the stupid with the smart, but it still could have been better. The most glaring underachievement is in the sportscasters. We have Gary Cole (“Office Space”) and Justin Bateman as co-anchors for ESPN 8, “The Ocho.” Cole is the play-by-play man. Bateman plays an extreme sports type color commentator who offers virtually nothing to the telecast. Maybe he could have pulled this off better back in his “Teen Wolf, Too” days, but I just wasn’t feeling the young, hip edge from the casting. Their acting is fine, and the delivery is good, but I would have liked to see more of a “Best in Show” interaction between them, with Bateman asking stupid questions or making awkward remarks, but having Cole play it off or run with it while staying professional. It’s just a suggestion, too little, too late. I also would have liked to see more playing around/more time spent working off the over-the-top stereotyped teams.
The cast is good and funny. Vince Vaughn (as the overly kind owner of Average Joe’s) and Stiller both show that they can carry a comedy once again. Rip Torn is fantastic as the handicapped, bitter retired champion turned coach. Stephen Root is brilliant as always, but also pretty much the same character as always. The real shining stars come in the form of the celebrity cameos. Aside from Shatner, the mere presence of some of these names will make you laugh. But to me the best one was Lance Armstrong as he has a conversation with Vaughn about the tournament.
Dodgeball is a pretty funny movie. It’s not the best, but it has plenty of moments that make it worth viewing. You may just find yourself wanting to start a pick-up game afterwards. I doubt you’ll find a funnier, goofy comedy this year.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Review by Jon Waterman
***1/2
Average Joe’s Gym is a small place for locals to come and exercise without too much worry or pressure to be fit and muscular instantly. Globo Gym is the big corporation across the street that laughs at the little guy and all their gym stands for. Since Average Joe’s can’t pay their rent, Globo Gym is going to buy it and turn it into a parking lot. The only thing that can save them now is dodgeball. The owner and regulars at Average Joe’s come together to fight Globo Gym in a $50,000 tournament in Las Vegas. The winner gets the gym.
Sounds like a very believable concept for a movie, doesn’t it? Well, throw that out the window. Comedy is not a place to question believability. Other than the lame plot line that’s only a translucent cover for making a movie about dodgeball in the first place, the rest of the film isn’t all that off-the-wall. Most of the humor is not outlandish and surreal, but rather verbal and sometimes even cerebral. I know that sounds wrong, considering the sports-based premise. Yes, there are the physical moments, and they are funny too, but the general mockery of sports, gyms and everyday social interaction supplies the most laughs.
Oh, and is it funny! That’s an exclamation, not a question mark. Just like with another Ben Stiller movie (in this, he plays Globo owner White Goodman), “Zoolander,” I expected little and got a lot, because neither of them just went after the lame idiot jokes, but rather gave a range of humor and added a nice underlying wit to it all. Writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber does a nice job of mixing in the stupid with the smart, but it still could have been better. The most glaring underachievement is in the sportscasters. We have Gary Cole (“Office Space”) and Justin Bateman as co-anchors for ESPN 8, “The Ocho.” Cole is the play-by-play man. Bateman plays an extreme sports type color commentator who offers virtually nothing to the telecast. Maybe he could have pulled this off better back in his “Teen Wolf, Too” days, but I just wasn’t feeling the young, hip edge from the casting. Their acting is fine, and the delivery is good, but I would have liked to see more of a “Best in Show” interaction between them, with Bateman asking stupid questions or making awkward remarks, but having Cole play it off or run with it while staying professional. It’s just a suggestion, too little, too late. I also would have liked to see more playing around/more time spent working off the over-the-top stereotyped teams.
The cast is good and funny. Vince Vaughn (as the overly kind owner of Average Joe’s) and Stiller both show that they can carry a comedy once again. Rip Torn is fantastic as the handicapped, bitter retired champion turned coach. Stephen Root is brilliant as always, but also pretty much the same character as always. The real shining stars come in the form of the celebrity cameos. Aside from Shatner, the mere presence of some of these names will make you laugh. But to me the best one was Lance Armstrong as he has a conversation with Vaughn about the tournament.
Dodgeball is a pretty funny movie. It’s not the best, but it has plenty of moments that make it worth viewing. You may just find yourself wanting to start a pick-up game afterwards. I doubt you’ll find a funnier, goofy comedy this year.
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