Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 0024543171904 Format: Closed-captioned Label: Fox Home Entertainment Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Fox Home Entertainment Release Date: 2005-05-24 Running Time: 92 Studio: Fox Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 2004-06-18
How's this for impressive trivia: Dodgeball faced off against The Terminal in opening-weekend competition, and 29-year-old writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber aced Steven Spielberg by a score of $30 to $18.7 in box-office millions. That's no mean feat for a newcomer, but Thurber's lowbrow script and rapid-fire direction--along with a sublime cast of screen comedians--proved to be just what moviegoers were ravenous for: a consistently hilarious, patently formulaic romp in which the underdog owner of Average Joe's Gym (Vince Vaughn) faces foreclosure unless he can raise $50,000 in 30 days. The solution: A dodgeball tournament offering $50K to the winners, in which Vaughn and his nerdy clientele team up against the preening, abhorrently narcissistic owner (Ben Stiller) of Globo Gym, who's threatening a buy-out. That's it for story; any 5-year-old could follow it with brainpower to spare. But Thurber, Vaughn, Stiller, and their well-cast costars (including Stiller's off-screen wife, Christine Taylor) keep the big laughs coming for 96 nonsensical minutes. With spot-on cameos by champion bicyclist Lance Armstrong, David Hasselhoff, Hank Azaria, Chuck Norris, and William Shatner, and a crudely amusing coda for those who watch past the credits, Dodgeball is no masterpiece, but you can bet Spielberg was unexpectedly humbled by its popular appeal. --Jeff Shannon
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Fast Delivery! Comment: This was just a positive experience dealing with the seller. Couldn't have asked for more! Customer Rating: Summary: Rule #1: Dodge This Movie Comment: You can spot huge advertisement everywhere, "Another Big Hit Comedy From Ben Stiller" which made me actually believed this movie could be pretty funny and even good. And man was I surprised, it should've said "Another 'I'm Pissing My Career Down The Sever' Comedy From Ben Stiller". Seriously, I used to like and wait something from a Ben Stiller film/comedy but nowadays they're just not good. Last good film "from" Ben Stiller propably was Royal Tenenbaums from years ago. Every single crap he has done ever since has been crap in the meaning. Just for the record, the leading actor is mostly Vince Vaughn. The plot is thick, very formulaic and as easily predictable as the result of Finland versus England football match up. Acting feels like they only shot when it were Sunday. Okay it's better to jump over what's bad as I really didn't like this movie at all. So what good there can be if... the one and only thing worth the while are the cameos from David Hasselhoff and Chuck Norris, which both lasts about 5 seconds in total. Rule #2: You can have a lot more fun with your own balls. Customer Rating: Summary: Stiller delivers Comment: This is a hilarious movie. Great spin on a childhood game picked up by adults. Ben is great Customer Rating: Summary: What a movie! Comment: I think when you put Vince Vaughn in most any comedy he will do a fine job. This is probably his funniest work to date. When you take the idea of dodge ball as a competitive sport you know its going to be funny. Most all of the supporting cast is funny, the only person that is not is Ben Stiller. I think he truly was trying not to be funny and really that was supposed to be his character. The movie is great and though I have not seen the unrated version yet I am sure the general movie is still the same. Customer Rating: Summary: Sometimes It Is Best To Dodge "Artistic" Endings Comment: With elements of parody culled from such sources as the movie, Hoosiers, G.I. Joe action figures and exercise equipment/nutrition infomercials, this is an absolute funny romp that is not just individual bits spliced together; the plot moves sprightly past what was supposed to be the ending - the final game - to a much more satisfying conclusion of sudden-death overtime on the Dodgeball floor.
Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn are outstanding in their roles in this unique variation of good versus evil; with the storyline focusing on the members of local gym versus the fitness mavens at a plush, state-of-the-art mega-center.
And in the end, the play-by-play announcer says it all: "Do you believe in improbabilities? Yes!"
