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DODGEBALL:
A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY |
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"Ben Stiller's
Actual Proposal To
Christine Taylor - Wig
And All" |
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Written and
Directed by Rawson
Marshall Thurber
Starring Ben Stiller,
Christine Taylor, Vince
Vaughn, Rip Torn
Distributed by 20th
Century Fox - 2004 -
92mins - Rated PG13 |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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B- |
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A true underdog story. |
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There
is a desperately funny film here trying to find its way to the
surface. It doesn't quite make it. First, however, I must confess that
I enjoyed this film a bit more than the B- rating that I give it. I
did laugh at several points during the film, and definitely consider
this film a decent way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Yes, I'll admit it. I saw this film on opening day, however, that was
primarily because I was ready to see a film and "The Terminal" didn't
have a showing for over another hour. Ah yes, the things one will do
to get the matinee price.
Of course, we have another Ben Stiller comedy this year...thankfully,
it's a slight alteration from his far too common "poor shmuck you
can't help but root for" character. Oddly enough, as much as I loved
the change of pace it's also one of the challenges of the film.
Stiller has so often portrayed the "poor shmuck" that it seemed
awfully weird to have him portray, in essence, the bad guy here...and,
to top it off, Vince Vaughn plays the good guy. Now, I'm sure that
Vaughn is a nice enough guy and he's played nice characters
before...but, his look, his attitude, his presence sort of radiates
the "tough guy" thing. I had a hard time letting go of that enough to
buy into him being the "victim" here...Vaughn's performance didn't
really help matters much as he gives a competent, but far from
energetic performance here. Having seen Stiller pull off wonderful
"buddy" flicks, it was hard to not be disappointed with the teaming
here. Stiller, on the other hand, clearly relishes the change of pace
and creates a character that you just love to hate. His voice, body
language and presence are funny just to watch.
In supporting roles, you have Stiller's wife Christine Taylor...she
does a nice job here, and gets to beat up on her hubby a bit. Stephen
Root, who was so brilliant as Milton in "Office Space," creates
another adorable loser here...kudos also to Missi Pyle, Jamal Duff and
Chris Williams. Gary Cole, also seen in "Office Space", mostly has a
throw away role here as the announcer for the Dodge Ball Championships
and Jason Bateman co-anchors with mostly a bland energy. A brief
appearance by Hank Azaria has some charm, along with cameos by Lance
Armstrong and Chuck Norris. Perhaps the highlight of the film is
actually a supporting performance by Rip Torn as wheelchair-bound
Patches O'Houlihan, who seems to get the majority of the scripts witty
jokes and offbeat quirks. Torn has a field day with the role, and
doesn't get nearly enough screen time.
The film is written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber...and I
agree with the idea that he seemed to think he could take the flavor
of BASEketball, add a "real" sport and make a better film. Admittedly,
there's lots of potential but it just doesn't work up to its
potential.
There are, however, some nice moments here and the supporting actors
keep this film moving at a nice pace. It's tremendously silly,
occasionally sweet but generally nonsensical. In other words, it's
another Ben Stiller comedy BUT it's probably his best one this year so
fans of Stiller and fans of "Baseketball" type humor will probably
enjoy this film. I will warn parents that it is a fairly strong PG-13,
and I heard more than one person comment it should have been an "R".
Also, stick around for the closing credits...Stiller has a bit at the
end that is worth watching. (Think about a slightly eroticized "Fat
Bastard"). |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
Vince
Vaughn and Ben Stiller can carry a film well.
Jacob Hall's
Comment
"Dodgeball"
is NOT a great movie, but it sure is fun. One
may think that stupid humor is easy to pull off,
but it requires a certain degree of intelligence
to make stupidity funny. First time
writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber. He
takes what would have just been stupid in
another director's hands and turns it into
humor. I can't say I'm a big fan of slapstick,
but there's something endearing about seeing
people repeatedly hit in the head with not only
balls, but wrenches and moving vehicles. There's
also an old dodgeball training video that our
heroes watch that is alone, worth the ticket
price.
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