Dodgeball ! Même pas mal !

I don't know why this movie takes such a bashing. I've seen some people complain that elements of it are offensive. But come on, the humour is clearly tongue in cheek.

Is it childish and immature? Absolutely. It's also a hilarious way to lose 90 minutes if you've had a rough or stressful day.

If you're analysing every detail in this movie to look for things to criticise, then you're doing it wrong.

Such a simple yet somehow so original and creative comedy. It's absolutely hysterically without forcing it or overdoing it while still maintaining a good story line. The actors are all great and complement each other with Vince and Ben being at their absolute best. The cameo characters were also all great little add ins as well. The writing for this was unreal funny and there as so many good and recognizable quotes from this. This truly is one of the best comedy movies I have ever seen and it still holds up today all these years later. Absolutely recommend watching this movie over and over again.

What's funny about dodgeball? First, it's a movie about a group of non-competitive and somewhat eccentric adults playing dodgeball to save a not-very-impressive gym from the clutches of a competitive monopolistic chain gym. Second - Ben Stiller. Stiller is over-the-top and hilarious as the evil nemesis of average Joe Vince Vaughn. Vaughn - playing the slightly less than average Joe owner of Average Joe's gym, plays the perennial hard luck loser to the hilt. The supporting cast is terrific. Alan Tudyk, Rip Torn, Christine Taylor and Stephen Root are a great ensemble.

This is a rather extreme and rather Hollywood camp comedy. Although a lot of the humor is adult, the film is also refreshingly clean compared with the averaged 21st century comedy. Dodgeball also doubles as a spot-the-cameo film, since a whole host of odd celebrities pop up here and there throughout.

The first time I saw this film, I was charmed and I laughed a lot. Although the film remained entertaining, like most comedies it lost a bit of its luster in its second viewing.

Why only a 6 rating? Despite the campiness and good solid humor, this is still a very formulaic film and it does tend to vaporize after a viewing or two.

Strongly recommended - for one viewing!

Go and see it. It's one of the best comedies of the year and a lot funnier than it should be given the flimsy premise. Ben Stiller has a big 'Globo' health club worth millions (it even includes cosmetic surgery facilities - they know that 'fatness is genetic, like baldness or necrophilia'). The lovely Christine Taylor is his lawyer, charged with getting rid of the 'Average Joe' gym across the road so they can build a parking lot for Globo customers. She takes a liking to the 'underdog' owner of the Average Joe gym though, and helps them in their plan to win a Dodgeball contest in order to get the money they owe. Dodgeball is an 'obscure' sport that mostly consists of throwing a ball to hit your opponent (look it up on the Net - Dodgeball fans take it quite seriously!) Even when I describe the film, I think 'it sounds awful' - I probably would have avoided it if it hadn't been recommended so highly - and I recommend you stay till the *very end* of the credits for one of the best scenes (which also takes a swipe at the US film-making industry!)

Silly metaphor, I know. The film "Dodgeball: A true underdog story" while maybe be offensive at times, the film really brings it back up to place with the humor. You really can't help but laugh at the movie a couple times. Sort of like "Zoolander", another great flick with Ben Stiller, it's so stupid you've gotta love it. I would recommend this film for a good laugh. As of movie of the year or comedy of the year, no, this is not the film. But it was a good one to watch. A true film for any Ben Stiller fan, that's for sure. I will warn though, if you get offended easily, this maybe not the film for you.

8/10