Product Details

• Actors: Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn, Rip Torn, Justin Long
• Directors: Rawson Marshall Thurber
• Writers: Rawson Marshall Thurber
• Producers: Ben Stiller, Mary McLaglen, Rhoades Rader, Stuart Cornfeld
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Fox Home Entertainme
• VHS Release Date: May 24, 2005
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (250 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007R4TBC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,171 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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 Vaughan) faces foreclosure unless he can raise $50,000 in 30 days. The solution: A dodgeball tournament offering $50K to the winners, in which Vaughan 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, Vaughan, 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

From The New Yorker

The year of Ben Stiller (this is his fourth film to be released since January) continues with this hit-and-miss comedy. Stiller plays the owner of a corporate fitness center who's plotting to drive a local gym out of business. The cool-as-sweat Vince Vaughn plays the gym's owner, and, in classic "Bad News Bears" style, he puts together a team of misfits to win a tournament and save the day. Rawson Marshall Thurber's ragtag direction and writing leave plenty of room for the great supporting cast to let it rip. Especially so in the case of Rip Torn, who plays a tough, wheel-chair-using trainer. Jason Bateman and Gary Cole provide laughs as clueless sports commentators, and a host of cameo performers (including Lance Armstrong and William Shatner) hurtle their lines at the audience with glee. The movie is goofy, ridiculous, and, all in all, somewhat inspiring. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully stupid movie!, January 30, 2007

By 

M. J. Chipman (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (Unrated Edition) (DVD)

I guess my husband and I just don't have the sophistication needed to appreciate "films," because this movie is just our type! We actually had to stop the DVD a couple of times to compose ourselves. My stomach hurt so much from the wrench-throwing and car-dodging scenes. I know it's stupid, but it totally cracked us up! If you want to watch something that requires no thinking but entertains you to the max, give this one a try.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funniest Movie In Years!, September 24, 2004

By 

Ben Wand "I used to be cool..." (Gresham, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dodgeball - A True Underdog Story (Full Screen Edition) (DVD)

My wife and I saw this on opening night and laughed ourselves silly the whole time. The comedy here takes all forms - from subtle, to slapstick, to sexual references. The plot is standard small guy vs. big guy, but is very rewarding nonetheless.

Ben Stiller plays a fitness club owner who wants to buy out his neighbor's club. In response, Vince Vaughan's character is about to fold but gets together with some of his friends (one of whom is a pirate, who is absolutely hilarious the whole time) and enter a dodgeball competition. The rest is somewhat predictable but hilarious anyway. This movie is not about plot, it's about laughs, and luckily there are more than enough to last.

If you liked Dumb & Dumber, Pet Detective, etc. then get this DVD. You'll be laughing for days.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "You're in a chinese opium tent Timmy!", September 18, 2006

By 

Immaculate Friend "Maisie's Dad" (N. California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (Unrated Edition) (DVD)

"This is where dodgeball was invented....by opium addicted chinamen." This movie is perfect. It was never meant to be some critically acclaimed opus....actually, the more I know about most critics the less I care what they think but this movie is a perfect 90 minute smilefest with wonderfully warm performances by absolutely everyone in this film. From the two main stars all the way down to Chuck Norris.

I absolutely love everything about this film. They actually have a guy who actually thinks he's a pirate. Justin Long says "no doy" and did that guy by the jukebox get killed by a dodgeball? The direction is spot on, the writing is fantastic and everyone on the screen is absolutely the best person I can imagine for their respective roles. Also, there is something so funny about a rhino-skin playground ball smacking someone in the chops. I could never grow tired of watching this film. It will put you in a good mood....isn't that what entertainment is about?