Rating: 
Summary: The Exciting World Of Dodgeball!
Review: A movie about a dodgeball team? This has got to be corney and run very short on jokes. In fact, I bet that the only funny parts of the movie are the ones that they show in the trailer. How funny can a movie about a bunch of guys (and a girl) playing dodgeball really be? The answer: absolutly hilarious.The movie is about a gym owner, Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) who is behind eight months in all of his payments. The owner of the bigger Global Gym, that is located right across the street from his "Average Joe" gym is Dwight Goodman (Ben Stiller). Goodman wants to buy out Peter's gym so that he can make a parking lot for his customers. But the patrons at Average Joe's don't want this to happen. So they decide to play in a dodgeball championship in order to raise $50,000 before the end of the month. Of course when Goodman finds this out he enters a team of his own into the tournament. With a little help from a crazy old man in a wheelchair Patches O'Houlihan, who happens to be the greatest dodgeball player of all time, and Christine Taylor, the Average Joe's Gym team goes to Las Vegas to play in the Dodgeball tournament. First of all, this charactrs in this movie are absolutely hilarious. Vince Vaughn does a good job as the hero. Ben Stiller plays basically the same character that he played in "Heavy Weights", but man, does he do it good. His character stole the show completely and Ben definately knows what he is doing with this character. A character that comes close to taking the spotlight from Stiller is Patches O'Houlihan, whom is played by Rip Torn. He is the coach of the Average Joe team and he always has some kind of negative, racist or sexually remark about everything. Many of the other side characters are also funny, the most important fact is that none of them are annoying (well, maybe the pirate). The movie itself was pretty good. The storyline was good enough the pass. The actual dodgeball scenes were done really well and they were funny. Good characters, not too long and lots of little inserts of the movies, like cameos, that constantly keep the movie funny. That was the most important part of this movie, the fact that the comedy really didn't die out in portions of the movie. It constantly stayed funny, which is hard to say for most comedy movies. Overall, definately check this movie out and you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Wait for the DVD! It's Zoolander part 2.
Review: Basically, you know the story. Vince Vaughn owns a ratty, falling down, looser membership gym accross the street from the Global-Gym owned by ben stiller as an over the top fitness trainer. Basically, ben "I've never turned down a movie role" stiller has two characters he can play. One is the along Came Polly, Meet The Parents, Duplex, middle aged zero-self confidence neurotic nerd, and the other is Derek Zoolander. This is who he played in Dodgeball. It was bascially zoolander all over again. I actually had a chance to see zoolander this weekend because TBS was playing it 37 times in a row, and after seeing Dodgeball, it's obvious that almost all the same things that were funny about dodgeball were the same exact jokes in zoolander. THANK GOD they got vince vaughn, I suppose Owen Wilson was busy doing something so they couldn't get him.
The only thing REALLY good about this movie was rip torns character, the Mr. Miagi of dodgeball himself, who comes out of retirement to coach the underdog team. He was funny. The jokes were terrible. There weren't nearly enough scenes of the actual dodgeball matches. If you've seen the trailer for this movie, then you've seen probably half of the actual dodgeball game scenes already. They only played ONE GAME before they got in the finals. What a joke. Nearly 99% of the laughs come when somebody gets hit in the balls with a dodgeball, which happens like every scene. Except for when they're getting hit in the balls with a crescent wrench, but you'll have to see the movie to learn about that one. So, all in all, I really wish I would have waited for this to come out on DVD, and gone and seen Chronicles of Riddick instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolute Bunk
Review: Could Ben Stiller be any more heavy-handed? He practically has to force this movie, as well as his character, down your throat every chance he gets. Sure the movie was poking fun at cliches while becoming a cliche in and of itself, I understand that, but even still it should have some originality or humorous track. The only aspect that made this movie tolerable was all the cameos, but even that couldn't sustain laughter.
I understand that some movies use "toilet humor" or "slapstick humor" or "satiric humor" and I can appreciate it within its own context, but this is simply stale.
Ben Stiller continues to put out crap on the big screen and people are eating it up simply because it's well promoted and well marketed.
Rating: 
Summary: The movie that barley dodged a 1 star rating from me
Review: Dodge ball is the kind of movie you have seen a thousand times about a guy trying to save something for him and hid friends and they happen to figure out a way how to do it that would never really happen in real life, but you know it will in the end of the film, because it's a movie.
What's-his-face plays this guy who owns a gymnasium that needs $50,000 to keep his gym, other wise it will be repossessed (or something like that) by the bank. So they try to think up a way to get the fifty grand with a few weeks by any means necessary (legally). They decide they will enter the Dodge Ball competition where the grand final prize money is (wait for it, you'll never guess) fifty thousand dollars!!! Their rival team is Ben Stiller's annoying character who owns a much more stable and wealthier gym who has bought off the first mortgage of Joes gym and plans to turn Joes gym into a car park for his gym that happens to be right across the street. Will Joe get to the final and win the 50k? Or will Global Gym beat them and take over? I wonder???
Ben Stiller is not an actor I hate, I did like him in "Something about Mary" so don't get me wrong when I say he is the downfall of this film. He plays an extra stupid fitness buff who owns a major gym. But his character is not funny, and his acting is extremely annoying. To set up a character for the audience to hate is ok, but to make them annoyed and wish he would just get off the screen is another. There is a difference between a villain and bad acting.
This movie didn't seem to know which direction it wanted to go in with its approach to comedy in my opinion. Some of it seemed like it was trying to go for average family comedy or kids movie, other parts it would go for the smutty comedy approach, and then in-between here and there where bits of attempted wacky and goofy comedy like a slap stick kind of think. Those elements can work well together, but this new 1st time producer, whoever he is, needs to work out how to blend them properly or never get it right. It's kind of like a kid's first time out drinking booze, instead of sipping something light; he's grabbed everything from the top shelf and mixed a regretting combination. But one day he might learn to not mix his drinks. That's because this movie had potential to be absolutely hilarious, but it failed with the wrong ideas and jokes and didn't come out the way it could have been.
The extra features are nothing to look forward to. The out-takes aren't funny, (except David Hasslehoff's, that made me laugh) the deleted scenes are pretty boring, the featurettes are slightly amusing in some parts. The alternate ending is ...eh. The commentary was buggered up because it actualy had JOKE COMMANTARY written on the back of the case. (2 thing's, don't write that it's a joke, it reuins it, and don't tell people there are eggs on the DVD, it's reuins the fact that there supposed to be hidden extras.. oh and 3, make the eggs worth looking at)but knowing it was a joke rueined the thing that I knew was an attempted false audio commantary to make you laugh,well it failed anyway, not much is funny about them arguing and pretending to hate each other and rustling chip packets and drinking beer, might have worked if they didnt write it was a joke on the case already before you've seen it. but then halfway through they decide to play the audio commantary from 'something about mary' which is stupid to do from the 40 minute mark to the very end of the credits, it did become quite boring after the 1st 10 minutes of listning to that half of it. There is a hidden audio commentary in the commentary selection screen if you press right on one of the options and you get to listen to the REAL commantary (WHY HIDE A COMMENTARY TRACK?). Still, there boring. The hidden eggs aren't worth looking at either.
Dodge Ball failed to find it's mark because I had a hard time trying to figure out what kind of comedy it was supposed to be? Slapstick? Family? Smutty? or a Kids Comedy? But I could not just sit back and enjoy the film either, too much of it just didn't hit the right mark and was pretty cheap attempts at humour. Surprisingly tho it didn't contain a fart joke anywhere in the movie!!! The movie really needed to finish what it began with certain character elements and little things here and there. I'd recommend you watch BASEketball instead, yeah, watch the movie that this one tried to be in some ways.
The movie has no lasting quality. I laughed at a few things the 1st time around. But on the second time around it was pretty stale. Ben Stiller's performance is very hard for me to watch. The humour doesn't last. It could have been such a better movie then it is. The bonus features are a snore fest. Cameos do not save the film, the movie might be a cliché of sports and to itself, but it's a "seen it before" movie. You have seen the basic element of this movies story line 1000 times. There is probably 2 lines in the whole movie I liked `cause I though they where funny and original, but not lasting or classic comedy.
Thumbs down, but to say something good about the film, least it was better then a lot of the other junk released last year.
Rating: 
Summary: Big, Fat, Stupid, FUN! (The cameo's alone are worth it.)
Review: First of all, if you are considering the widescreen version of this film...don't. Second, this is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I can't stop watching it. When it came out in theatres, I thought "A movie about Dodgeball? How stupid is that?" I was very wrong.
If you like Ben Stiller (which I do) I don't have to say anything. He is extremely funny and plays his role perfectly.
To me; however, Vince Vaughn steals the show. I don't know exactly what it is, but I could swear that he ad-libs half of his lines. The character is almost "too real".
The supporting cast (especially the lovely Christine Taylor) is absolutely perfect. I am not going to babble on about how great the movie is because a long review is boring. I will simply say that when I watch this movie, I feel like I am "in it." By the way...the cameo appearances are priceless. Ben Stiller seems to be able to talk anyone into doing anything.
Rating:
Summary: I Didn't Stop Laughing
Review: I just finished seeing Dodgeball, and I'll say that this is definitely the quirkiest movie that Ben Stiller has made since Zoolander. It's totally off the wall, and it succeeds as one of his funniest comedies. The things that make this movie great are, primarily, the cast of characters. Stiller himself does a fantastic job as the owner of a massive chain of gymnasiums that is trying to put Vince Vaughn's gym out of business. Ben Still has some very funny lines, and I was definitely reminded of his Zoolander character. He was equally confused, though with much more testosterone. Sort of like what you'd expect Derek Zoolander to behave like if he started popping tons of steroids. Vince Vaughn was probably my favorite in the movie, coming across as the protagonist who's basically a disorganized, fun-loving guy with a small gym that caters to the "less popular" in society. He has very funny lines, and constantly made me laugh when he was verbally sparring with Ben Stiller's character. The cast of the gym known as "Average Joes" is just as funny, and many of the best lines come from them. Also, Rip Torn is perfect as a one-time dodgeball champion turned coach who prefers to teach his team to avoid being hit by throwing wrenches at them. The training sequences he puts them through are priceless, as is the eventual dodgeball tournament itself (sponsored by ESPN 8, The Ocho, which specializes in offbeat sports like squirrels water skiing). Stiller's wife is also in this movie, once again playing the quick-witted professional who eventually falls for the main character and helps him to outwit the evil Globo Gym. Is it predictable? Totally. Is it formula? No question. But is it fun? Absolutely. In fact, it's almost worth it to watch it twice just for the cameos (David Hasselhoff, Lance Armstrong, William Shatner and Chuck Norris are just a few that come to mind). One final thing, though. This movie is laced with some very adult humor, and it's definitely not for kids (language, many sexual references, and a fairly blatant lesbian scene at the very end). In my mind, the movie suffered for these. Enough to cause me to remove one star. So if you're seeking something to watch that won't make you think a lot, and will also keep you laughing out loud, this is a great choice. Bottom line is that if you liked 'Zoolander', you'll like this movie. And I loved Zoolander.
Rating:
Summary: "It's Time to Put Your Mouth Where Our Balls Are..."
Review: I saw this movie yesterday with a friend and we both loved it. It's about a guy (Vince Vaughn) who owns a crappy little gym called Average Joe's with only a few very dedicated members. Across the street, there's a bigger, more fancy gym owned by Ben Stiller's charcater. Stiller tries to buy out Average Joe's, but Vaughn and the very dedicated members of his gym simply don't want to leave it. They have to come up with $50,000 to keep the gym, so they all decide to play in a dodgeball tournament with a grand prize of $50,000. Stiller's character finds out, so he and his crew enter the tournament just to beat out Vaughn. Stiller is amusing in his role, but I don't really think he's that funny. The funniest character in the movie is definetly Patches, the crazy washed-up ex-dodgeball player who trains his team by throwing wrenches at them. Why are the crazy people always so much fun to laugh at? But anyway, this is a mostly entertaining film. A few jokes fall flat, but for the most part, it'll get the laughs out of you. If you enjoy pirates, crazy people, cheerleaders or the sport itself, dodgeball is for you. P.S.: THEY MENTION MY BAND'S NAME, "JABBERWOCKY", IN THE MOVIE. How much ass does that kick?
Rating:
Summary: Funny...at times.
Review: I think when you walk into a movie theater to see a Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn comedy about professional dodge ball, expectations should probably be lowered. Odds are you all ready know the plot, a big business gym run by the ego maniac Stiller wants to take over the run down gym next door. A gym run by goofy, but nice salt of the earth kind of guys. You know there's a good chance that they'll be a love interest and she comes in the form of Christine Taylor, a cute but no nonsense banker who's indirectly helping Stiller foreclose on the goofy guy's gym. Vaughn, owner of said gym, needs $50,000 to stay solvent and keep his place but there's no way he can get that kind of...oh...but wait a minute... he and his employees could enter the local dodge ball tournament which eventually leads to Las Vegas and, you guessed it, a $50,000 grand prize. It's the perfect plan, but, oh no, Stiller and his thugs have entered the tournament too and the Average Joe's (the name of Vaughn's team) may be in trouble. Odds are you can guess how it ends.
So we don't see these movies for the plots, we go to them for the jokes and Dodgeball has its share of funny and even laugh out load moments. Stiller's over the top performance is typical Stiller, but he's one of the few comic actors today that can pull off such a performance with out looking silly. Vaughn pretty much recreates his role from "Old School" while supporting roles and guest appearances by Rip Torn, Gary Cole, Hank Azaria, and Jason Bateman keep the action moving.
My first problem with the film is that it takes some wrong comic turns. Alan Tudyk seems wasted as a guy who thinks he's a pirate, that's the joke...he thinks he's a pirate. When the team HAS to ware leather bondage uniforms for their first Las Vegas match, Joel Moore wears a gag bar in his mouth. Why? No real reason except it's suppose to look funny. There's also lots of "ball" (i.e. testicle) jokes, because testicle and ball mean the same thing and that's funny. The second problem is that this movie rips off its idea and look from the very underrated BASEketball. Where Trey Parker and Matt Stone grossed out their audience perhaps a bit too much BASEketball, the idea was original and sound. It also seemed a lot funnier the first time around.
Rating:
Summary: By no means bad, but not a masterpeice
Review: If you're looking for a film that's funny, light viewing and by no stretch of the imagination the slightest bit challenging, Dodgeball is for you. In a way, the film reminded me of a lesser version of Kingpin staring Woody Harrleson (a film which I personally adore, through it's sheer comic value). The film followed Average Joe's gym in a battle against the awesome and overpowering Globo Gym, who's owner White Goodman (Ben Stiller in, perhaps, the most bizzare role he's ever played) is determined to crush the little guy. He, physically, is the little guy himself, with an enormous Hollywood-style bodyguard and a mass of ridiculous 80's style hair. His obsessions with staying 'buff' and steering clear of calorific foods often verges on the sexual (electrodes to the nipples, pizza down his pants...) and puts the audience in the position of being a little creeped out by the strange way in which he conducts his fat-free lifestyle.
Peter La Fluer, owner of Average Joe's gym, is the opposite of his rival. A good guy, kind to his gym regulars, his looses all hope when discovering that unless he can pay up the $50,000 he owes in debts, White will take his gym. The solution? The regulars form a team and enter a dodgeball tournament, where the $50,000 prize will fix all their problems. However, when Globo gym form a team of their own, and the competiton commences, Average Joe's are in for a bit of a drama...
This film runs on hilarious (although often overdone) cliche's, and Ben Stiller holds the majority of the narrative. I wouldn't buy it, but it was fun to watch. I doubt I would sit through it again, unless I was in an avid sports comedy mood, but it was fine to pass away a bored couple of hours.
Rating:
Summary: It is the cameos
Review: The movie was silly and little crude. The slapstick humor was continuous and almost boring at times. The plot was cliche and most of the jokes were too. However, the cameos were hilarious. The scene with Lance Armstrong was worth the price of the rental. The cynical appraisal of the sports and fitness industry was very accurate too. The movie made me laugh out loud, which surprised my wife. Ben Stiller was over the top, but the role called for it. He was very funny.
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