Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Release Date: June 18, 2004

This picture is so funny that no alt tag could possibly do it justice.

On the Big Board
Position Staff In Brief
20/92 David Mumpower After watching this movie, I called my cable service and complained about not having The Ocho.
25/126 Kim Hollis Possibly the funniest film since There's Something About Mary.
36/48 Les Winan Ben Stiller needs to find a new character. I'm tired of "over-the-top-intense-guy".

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Note: When this write up was written, the title of movie was "Underdogs".

When criminals in this world appear
And break the laws that they should fear
And frighten all who see or hear
The cry goes up both far and near
For Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog...Underdog!

When in this world the headlines read
Of those whose hearts are filled with greed
Who rob and steal from those who need
To right this wrong with blinding speed
Goes Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog...Underdog!

Sadly, this film isn't actually based on the wonderful 1960s animated show, but a girl can certainly dream, right?

I'm taking consolation in the fact that it instead stars one of my favorite actors in the business, Ben Stiller. In this case, he's again working with his wife, Christine Taylor, with whom he teamed in the marvelous comedy about the fashion industry, Zoolander. Vince Vaughn will be there, too.

The movie itself revolves around a group of misfits who enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to rescue their cherished local gym from the impending takeover by a corporate health fitness chain.

To my mind, there just aren't enough movies about nerds playing dodgeball. For those of you who never saw it (99.9% of you, judging from the show's ratings - for shame!), Freaks and Geeks was a perfect illustration of the sequence of events that usually occurred during a dodgeball match. Teams were picked, with captains grudgingly taking the nerds and dweebs last, and then the fun began. In a textbook illustration of natural selection, the jocks took aim at the weakest of the weak, the bookish types with the horn-rimmed glasses and pants that never fit quite properly because of all the wedgies they received.

Indeed, this is subject matter that has the potential to make for a killer concept. Here's hoping John McTiernan gets his Rollerball-dirtied hands nowhere near the project. (Kim Hollis/BOP)




Vital statistics for Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Main Cast Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn
Supporting Cast Jason Bateman, Gary Cole, Missi Pyle, Stephen Root, Justin Long
Director Rawson Marshall Thurber
Screenwriter Rawson Marshall Thurber
Distributor Twentieth Century Fox
Trailer Click Here for Trailer
Official Site http://www.dodgeballmovie.com/
Rating PG-13
Running Time 92 minutes
Screen Count 2,694
Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture



Comparison films for Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Title
Date
Opening
Adjusted Opening
Screens
PSA
Adj PSA
Total BO
Adjusted Total
Mult
Meet the Parents 10/6/0028.62 32.01 2614 10949.00 11781.9 166.23 185.96 5.81
Old School 2/21/0317.45 17.45 2689 6491.00 6491.0 75.16 75.16 4.31
Zoolander 9/28/0115.70 16.75 2507 6262.00 6428.2 45.16 48.19 2.88
Brady Bunch Movie, The * 2/17/9514.83 20.55 1822 8139.00 10852.0 46.55 64.52 3.14
There's Something About Mary 7/17/9813.74 17.66 2186 6285.00 7772.5 176.48 226.90 12.55
Mystery Men 8/6/9910.02 11.94 2132 4700.00 5366.1 29.66 35.34 2.96
Royal Tenenbaums, The 1/4/028.51 8.84 751 11344.00 11344.0 52.35 54.42 4.72
Keeping the Faith 4/14/008.08 9.03 2152 3755.00 4040.6 37.04 41.43 4.58
Made 7/27/010.66 0.70 105 6307.00 6474.4 5.31 5.66 7.04


     


 
 

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