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DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story: Difference between revisions
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[[File:dodgeball.jpg|
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, '''''Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story''''' revolves around amiable [[Dismotivation|underachiever]] Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn), whose rundown gym, Average Joe's, is populated by a less-than-average clientele including a [[Talk Like a Pirate|self-styled pirate]] (Alan Tudyk), an [[Collector of the Strange|ultra-obscure sports aficionado]] (Stephen Root), and a pining high school [[Nerd]] (Justin Long). The film also features Missi Pyle and Rip Torn.
Despite Average Joe's posing little threat to Globo Gym, a fitness goliath owned by White Goodman ([[Ben Stiller]]), Peter's humble recreation center becomes a subject of much controversy when Goodman learns of his competition's less than meticulous bookkeeping. Determined to expand his empire, Goodman hires [[Hello, Attorney!|attorney]] Kate Veach (Christine Taylor) to initiate a hostile takeover of the gym. Peter's [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|ragtag group of regulars]], however, are less than thrilled with the prospects, and enter a Dodgeball tournament as a last-ditch effort to raise the fifty grand they need to keep the gym. However, Goodman enters his own Globo Gym team to try and beat the Average Joes
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* [[Actor Allusion]]: [[Ben Stiller]] plays a fitness-obsessed bad guy. Ben Stiller also played a fitness-obsessed bad guy in ''Heavyweights''. {{spoiler|Both are formerly obese}}.
** He also tries to awkwardly seduce his real life wife throughout the movie.
* [[Adam Westing]]: [[
* [[All for Nothing]]: It almost looks like this was the case for Average Joe's in the match against Globo Gym, until a referee says that White stepped over the line in his throw, which allows the match to continue. Interestingly, an alternate ending on the DVD ends the movie [[Downer Ending|right after Globo Gym appears to win.]]
* [[Alpha Bitch]]: [[Lovable Alpha Bitch|Subverted big time]] with Amber, who is a genuinely nice person who is attracted to Justin and really likes him.
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* [[Big Ol' Unibrow]]: Fran Stalinovskovichdavidovitchsky.
* [[Bi the Way]]: Kate. "I am not a lesbian. I'm ''bisexual!''"
* [[Book Ends]]: The movie begins and ends the owner of a less-successful gym watching a commercial for a successful gym.
* [[Brawn Hilda]]: Fran.
** In the epilogue, she ''is'' shown to be [[Progressively Prettier|substantially more attractive]], though.
* [[Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs]]
{{quote|
** Later lampshaded by Dwight. "They've got Razor and Taser and all sorts of 'azer's!"
* [[Break the Cutie]]: "You are ''not'' a pirate!"
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* [[Briefcase Full of Money]]: Mocked with Goodman's offer.
* [[Captain Obvious]]: When Peter blindfolds himself, the announcers are astute enough to note "Peter has blindfolded himself." "He's not going to be able to see very well." In fact, the announcers have several of these moments throughout the film, with Pepper usually being the prime suspect.
* [[Caught
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: For a quick-fire comedy film, ''Dodgeball'' is surprisingly well-scripted as a story. Every single significant plot point is foreshadowed in advance, from the obvious (Gordon quoting the exact double-fault-elimination rule that comes into play during the finale) to the ridiculous ("Man, she gotta be a lesbian.") to the subtle (White's throwaway boast that Globo Gym is worth "over four million dollars", which later confirms {{spoiler|that Peter ''would'' have the funds to purchase a controlling stake with his $5 million win}}).
** Averted with the lawyer specializing in sexual harassment cases who doesn't sue the creep who sexually harasses her through a large part of the film.
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** And Steve the Pirate.
* [[Creator Cameo]]: Rawson Marshall Thurber as the guy who voices what he thinks of the Joe's in their [[It Makes Sense in Context|bondage gear]].
{{quote|
* [[Cuckoolander Commentator]]: Pepper Brooks.
* [[The Danza]]: Justin (Long).
* [[Dating Catwoman]]: Fran and Owen.
* [[Death
* [[Defictionalization]]: Several televised dodgeball tournaments based on an approximation of ADAA rules sprung up after this came out.
** One of which, GSN's ''Extreme Dodgeball'', featured a [[Mooks]] from this film as one of its star players.
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* [[Downer Ending]]: Originally, but test audiences disliked it, and it was changed.
** The creators have stated the "original" downer ending was a joke for the DVD. It just ends and doesn't go into any detail about what happened to the characters, if it wasn't a joke it was a terrible ending.
* [[Down to
* [[The Dragon]]: [[Scary Black Man|Mi'chelle]] effectively plays this to White's [[Big Bad]].
* [[Dropped a Bridge
* [[Enforced Method Acting]]: {{spoiler|Christine Taylor ''really'' got injured when she was hit by a dodgeball by her [[Ben Stiller|off-screen husband]] (who plays the baddie).}}
** Even though the wrench was made of rubber, it still hit Justin Long in the face, causing him to fall to the floor, crying in pain.
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* [[Girl-On-Girl Is Hot]]: The finale.
* [[Girl Scouts Are Evil]]: One of the dodgeball teams.
* [[Girls
* [[Happy Ending]]: The final cut, in contrast to the [[Downer Ending|original conclusion]], which tested poorly.
* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Fran, [[Love Redeems|as a result of Owen]]. The ending shows her at Average Joe's.
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* [["I Know What We Can Do!" Cut]]: Subverted with Average Joe's trying a car wash to raise money.
* [[Improvised Training]]:
{{quote|
'''Justin:''' "What?"
('''''THWACK''''')
(''Justin Long's eyebrow was cut open'') }}
* [[Insane Troll Logic]]: How do you argue with anyone who claims "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball"?
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* [[Opposing Sports Team]]
* [[Precision F-Strike]]: {{spoiler|Fat}} Goodman has one.
{{quote|
* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: Patches' character is completely built around this.
{{quote|
* [[Save Our Team]]: Well, Save Our Gym anyway.
* [[Scary Black Man]]: [[Gender Blender Name|Mi'chelle]].
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* [[Talk Like a Pirate]]: Steve!
* [[Take That]]: White Goodman gives one to the ''audience'' at the end of the credits.
* [[Took a Level
* [[Totally Radical]]: "ESPN 8-''The Ocho!''"
** This is a reference to ESPN 2, which was originally referred to as "The Deuce".
* [[Trailers Always Spoil]]: The POSTER spoils Kate joining the Joe's team.
* [[Training
** "If you can dodge traffic, you can dodge a ball!"
* [[The Triple]]: Dodgeball announcer Cotton McKnight is good at these. "It's an event greater than [[The World Cup]], [[
* [[True Companions]]: The Average Joe's regulars.
* [[Underdogs Never Lose]]: Supposedly this movie was going to be a subversion (making the subtitle ''A True Underdog Story'' a lot more meaningful), but due to negative test audience reactions, [[Underdogs Never Lose]] is played straight.
** Seeing as this "alternate ending" ends abruptly and has no character resolution, this was more than likely a joke.
* [[Whole-Plot Reference]]: This film surprisingly has a lot in common with the [[Sylvester Stallone]] film ''[[Over the Top (
** Probably because the film was also the subject of [http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12639668907950856677 a somewhat successful copyright-infringement lawsuit] by two writers of an unproduced screenplay about a dodgeball tournament with some [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/nyregion/22dodgeball.html interesting similarities] as well. They were allowed to proceed because the judge found that they could make a credible argument that that the screenwriter of ''[[Dodgeball]]'' had seen their script.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Sports Stories]]
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Films of the 2000s]]
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