My Favorite Movies- "Dodgeball" (2004)

I've seen "Dodgeball" more than almost any other movie. I would say 99% of my rewatches came when I was 9 years old, and I thought this was the funniest movie ever made. I hadn't seen it in a while, but it's one of those movies I found myself quoting all the time. The 2000s was a banger decade for comedies. I've already written about "Anchorman," which came out the same year this movie did. I feel like "Dodgeball" gets lost in the fold sometimes. It should. This is one of the funniest fucking movies ever made.

This is how comedies should be done. You have a nice, simple premise and script that takes full advantage of that promise. There are a ton of famous people in this movie. And I'm not sure just talking about the A-Listers like Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn; you have a ton of character actors who give really funny stand-out performances. Steven Root, Alan Tudyk, and Rip Torn are character actors who always bring their A-game. This is the first film that Rawson Marshall Thurber ever directed, and you would not have guessed that based on watching this movie. I believe he wrote this in college, which is crazy. I could barely write a term paper in college, let alone an entire movie script that's this funny. 

I have a question. When did the world turn on Ben Stiller? He kind of put out bangers for over a decade, and I feel like people just stopped liking him. He goes against type here by playing an asshole. Also, he's directed some awesome comedies. He is the driving force behind why “Tropic Thunder” became a classic. I feel like nobody talks about that. Ben Stiller kind of rules. I feel like he's due for a comeback. Maybe he should play White Goodman again. I’d be down for a sequel. 

This would normally be the part where I nitpick certain things that I don’t like about this film. There’s not a whole lot here to pick apart. Does every single joke land? Maybe not, but this movie has an insanely high hit rate. From a structural standpoint, this is a perfect comedy. The third act drags just a little bit. The Lance Armstrong scene hasn’t aged well, but that’s about it. It’s a very easy watch. It’s a textbook example of what comedies used to be. Even with the jokes being as prevalent as they are, you get wrapped up in the story. Even though you know how it will end, it earns its cliches. 

There’s almost a sadness that comes with movies like this. Funny movies still exist, but there is a sanitization that comes with modern comedies that people try to act like doesn’t exist, but it does. Somewhere along the line, a message was sent that comedy needs to be this broad thing that appeals to everyone, and if you don’t find it funny, it’s somehow offensive. That’s such bullshit.

Rawson Marshall Thurber wrote this movie with one goal in mind. He wanted to be funny. Sadly, just being funny isn’t something that can exist in movies today. It’s not just comedy, either. Pretty much every movie I’ve written about since I started this series has one thing in common. They’re all movies that couldn’t exist today in some capacity. It’s such a shame because something like “Dodgeball” is a stroke of comedic genius. If you have the spine-to-stomach jokes that might not fly in 2023, give it a watch. It’s one of my favorite comedies.