Analysis: Dodgeball

Dodgeball

Released: 27^th August 2004 

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is an American sports comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Red Hour Productions, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn. 

The film is based on a rivalry between the owners of Average Joe's, a small gymnasium and Globo-Gym. Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn), the owner of Average Joe’s, has defaulted on his mortgage and enters a dodgeball tournament in an attempt to earn the money necessary to prevent his gym from being purchased by Globo-Gym, owned by White Goodman (Ben Stiller). 

Cast

Vince Vaughn: Peter La Fleur

Christine Taylor: Kate Veatch

Ben Stiller: White Goodman

Rip Torn: Patches O'Houlihan

Justin Long: Justin

Stephen Root:  Gordon

Joel David Moore: Owen

Chris Williams: Dwight

Alan Tudyk:  Steve the Pirate

Missi Pyle: Fran

Julie Gonzalo: Amber

Storyline

Peter La Fleur is the owner of Average Joe’s Gymnasium, however he faces tough competition from Globo-Gym, whose owner and founder, White Goodman is trying to buy Average Joe’s. To stop White doing this, Peter has to try and come up with $50,000 in time. After a failed car wash Joe, and his team of gym goers, Justin, Gordon, Owen, Dwight and Steve the Pirate decide to form a dodgeball team. However it doesn’t start off well as they lose to a group of girl scouts and their dreams look all but over, until they get through due to disqualification of the girls team for drug use.

After this, under the guidance of Patches O’Houlihan and the added addition of Kate, they manage to start winning and look like real competitors. Seeing that Average Joe’s have entered this tournament however White Goodman also decides to create a dodgeball team, made up of elite players. They both manage to reach the final of the tournament however the night before the match, Patches O’Houilhan is killed by a falling sign. This has a big effect on Peter and knocks his confidence a little before the big game.  He expresses his fear that the team will lose to Globo-Gym and shouts at Steve for his childish pirate persona, causing Steve to leave the team. 

White offers Peter $100,000 for the deed to Average Joe's in a secret deal, which Peter accepts. The day of the final, Justin leaves to help his classmate Amber, who he is also in love with, with a cheerleading competition. This leaves Average Joe’s without enough members to compete in the final due to Steve, Peter and Justin’s absence. Peter has a chance encounter with a man in a bar, who encourages him not to give up on his team, but by the time Peter arrives Average Joe's has already been forced to forfeit the match. Although Gordon is able to find a loophole in the rules that can overturn the forfeit, if enough of the judges vote in favour of Average Joe’s. The judges rule that they be allowed to play so the match goes ahead. 

After a fierce game, Peter and White are left on the court in a sudden death face off. Extraordinarily Peter decides to blind fold himself and is able to dodge Whites shot and then throw the ball straight at him, which means they won the championship and the $50,000 prize money they needed. White reveals the deal that Peter and him made, which is taken badly by the Average Joe’s team. However Peter explains that he used White’s $100,000 bribe to bet on Average Joe’s to win the game with the odds against them meaning they won around $5 million. 

With the money Peter buys a controlling share of Globo-Gym, which now includes Average Joe’s Gymnasium and he fires White, who then goes on to become obese on junk food. The end of the match also sees the beginning of various relationships with Kate revealing that she’s bisexual as she kisses Peter and her girlfriend, Justin also gets together with Amber and Owen begins dating Fran from Globo-Gyms team. 

Reception and Success

Dodgeball received generally good reviews, with a 70% aggregate rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was made on a budget of $20million and got over $167,722,310 at box office. The film was a commercial success as it grossed over $30 million in its first week. The film then eventually went on to gross more than $114 million domestically.