I really did not think the Dodgeball would be a good movie. In fact, despite that Ben Stiller was playing a truly goofball character, I thought it would be a downright bad movie. I was wrong. It certianly is no comedy that will last long in the public eye, and I'm sure when the summer comes to an end, it will be long forgotten. But it has a certain charm about it, specifically in that it roots for the geeks and the nerds like myself. I can identify with the skinny kid getting crushed by a volley of balls while he awkardly turns to wave to a girl. Maybe that's just me. Maybe you identify with the pirate. But there's at least one character in the movie that acts a little like you. And that is what makes it so cool.
Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) owns the Average Joe Gym, who has a limited client base, due to the fact that a huge Globo Gym is right across the street. Globo Gym is owned by White Goodman (Ben Stiller). White is a fitness fanatic, and obsessed with the prospect of buying out LaFleur's gym, unless of course he can come up with the 50 thousand dollars needed to pay off the bank. So what's a rag tag bunch of geeks to do? Join a dodgeball tournament of course, in order to win that money. Enter Patches O'Houlihan, a dodgeball legend who becomes their teacher. He teaches them through such bizzare methods and theories like "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." Crazy logic, yes, but reasonable I suppose. And absolutely hysterical.
Ben Stiller steals the show right away with his performance as White. All his goofy sublteties become the highlight of his show, like his extreme competitive edge, the way he inflates his jock strap to appear larger, to his obvious lack of eduaction, as he fumbles with way through words. "No one makes me bleed my own blood." Vince Vaughn plays the cynic just as he did in "Old School", and he does it in a slightly tired manner. I can't help but feel that this man was meant for better things.
The movie is jokes about people getting hit with things, and Stiller acting like an idiot. This is all well and good, and makes for a very entertaining movie. It would be good for a second viewing, simply because Stiller's character is so outrageous. It has a feel good story and a large cast of goofy characters. If you're looking for a funny summer movie, then this one is definitely it.