DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story

Verbal Diorama

Warning. This episode contains jokes about balls. Lots of balls.

Sports movies are ten-a-penny in Hollywood, sports comedies even more so. There's nothing funnier than a ball being flung in the vicinity of a person's face or private parts, let's be honest.

But DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story is more influential than you might think. Not only is it a sharp satire of the fitness and health industry, but it also unofficially marked the creation of a real American professional dodgeball league, as well as reintroducing a sport seen as vicious and cruel to the general population, by some deft physical comedy showing the sport as indeed vicious and cruel, but also hilariously funny.

Rawson Marshall Thurber's directorial debut is self-assured, witty and fun, and has the benefit of the association of Ben Stiller's production company. Despite his busy 2004 schedule, Stiller was very hands on, and White Goodman remains one of his funniest, and most quotable, characters.

DodgeBall goes balls deep into an obscure, relatively unknown sport, so I do the same with this movie. Grab life by the balls and enjoy!

I would love to hear your thoughts on DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story !

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Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe

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