Dodgeball ! Même pas mal !

Picked this up on DVD for £3 ($6) - didn't know anything about it We thought it one of the funniest films we've seen for some time. Thought I'd check out the rating and was surprised how low (6.6) it was. Then checked out some of the "Hated It" comments to see why this could be I guess that a lot of people find this film offensive, with stereotypical attitudes - like how a bisexual woman could kiss both a man and a woman (an extraordinary observation). Or that it was unfair to poke fun at someone who spent all his waking hours dressed up as pirate. I think that comment came from a member of the Long John Silver Alliance.

Lighten up! Comedy - like any other artistic endeavour is subjective - all I can say is that I laughed and found that at many points the jokes were coming faster than I could process them - always a good sign.

A good combination of slapstick humour and smart-ass comments delivered at a rapid pace And an ever-popular theme: will the underdogs triumph? Watch it and find out

I just watched Dodgeball last night and I can't remember laughing so hard at a movie in years, from Vince Vaughn finally being cast as a person you can like to Rip Torn who is always at his best as the sarcastic coach who is full of colorful one-liners, and I didn't start out as a Ben Stiller Fan, but his movies have seriously picked up in quality lately

From the supporting cast and the cameo's everyone does a top notch job, Gary Cole is especially amusing as the sports announcer and his always missing the point sidekick, The Dim bulb Chris Klein type Dimwit on Vince Vaughns team adds to the hilarity, and Missy Pyle(What A Babe!!)

Forget what all the Negativity from the other reviewers state, this is a comedy, a comedy is meant to entertain, it is not Casablanca or the Producers, but it is not meant to be

(****) Out Of (****)

Once every few years, you're presented to a slapstick comedy so hilarious you instantly forget how LOW this form of entertainment actually is. I can't give a scientific explanation to state how come it's funny to see someone (preferably wearing glasses) getting hit in the face by a ball…it just is. Dodgeball is vulgar, crude and without substance…but your stomach will hurt from laughing and don't we all need that from time to time? In case you really want to defend this film, you can always say it features tons of unsubtle criticism towards modern American image of exaggerated health-obsession. Ben Stiller's character is the personification of the obnoxious fitness guru: 'We're better than you, and we know it'. Opposed to him, there's Vince Vaughn as the chilled-minded, lovable guy who owns a fitness center for the underdeveloped wimps. Due to his financial situation, he risks losing his gym to Stiller except if he and his teams of misfits manage to win the world-famous dodgeball tournament. The film is a series of cheap chuckles, eccentric characters and outrageous one-liners. It's pretty funny to hear Stiller yell out lines like: 'You're a skid mark on the underpants of society'. Or the always-amusing Rip Torn encouraging his team with the words: 'you're as useful as a cock-flavored lollipop'. The acting is great as it can be with Ben Stiller and Rip Torn who go delightfully over the top and lots of enthusiast cameos (Chuck Norris, David Hasselhof, William Shatner and even Lance Armstrong). It sure isn't Schindler's List but Dodgball is great entertainment and stress releasing.

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.