Dodgeball (2004)
Join us as we dive into a lively discussion about the comedy classic "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." The conversation highlights the film's unique blend of outrageous humor and memorable characters, with hosts sharing their personal experiences and opinions on its impact since its release in 2004. Despite mixed feelings about Ben Stiller's performance, the hosts can't help but appreciate the comedic genius of Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman, whose contributions elevate the film’s humor. The episode also explores the absurdity of certain plot points and the memorable quotes that have made the film a cultural staple. Listeners will enjoy the banter and analysis as the hosts rate the film, reflecting on its enduring charm and the laughs it continues to provide.
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Transcript
And then like when she tells him off, Michelle comes out.
Michelle:The little scooter.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, the scooter's funny.
Ben Stiller:It's just everything that Ben Stiller's doing.
Michelle:Oh my gosh, that part killed me with the.
Michelle:I was like, well, what if she had said yes?
Michelle:What were they going to do?
Michelle:Like, where was he going to go?
Ben Stiller:Like, we're all gonna hop on the Back With Me show.
Ben Stiller:Welcome to the what's up?
Ben Stiller:Every podcast we fashion ourselves, yourselves, cinematic judge and jury.
Ben Stiller:My name is JJ Kerner.
Ben Stiller:I'm here with my co hosts, Matson Heiner.
Michelle:Yeah, Better Red than Dead and Alec Burgess.
JJ Kerner:Let's get it.
Ben Stiller:We appreciate you tuning in.
Ben Stiller:Go and hit that.
Ben Stiller:Follow subscribe like bell notification buttons.
Ben Stiller:Tell a friend about us.
Ben Stiller:Tell a family member about us.
Ben Stiller:Tell a professional dodgeball player about us.
Ben Stiller:Or a gym rat.
Ben Stiller:That'll work too.
Ben Stiller:We are into week three.
Ben Stiller:Week three of our greatest comedies.
Ben Stiller:Whatever.
Ben Stiller:I don't comedy.
JJ Kerner:Something along those lines.
Michelle:Yeah, we should just be taught, like, comedies some of us enjoy.
Ben Stiller:There you go.
Ben Stiller:Like all time comedies I think was the official title.
Ben Stiller:But it's all subjective at this point.
Michelle:Like, comedy is like the most subjective thing is we've talked about.
Ben Stiller:Absolutely.
Ben Stiller:It's.
Ben Stiller:It's quite the.
Ben Stiller:The chat.
Michelle:What's that all about?
Ben Stiller:There it is.
Ben Stiller:And I've got a new list now with some weird here in this month.
Ben Stiller:But yeah, we're on week three and we are diving into dodgeball.
Ben Stiller:A true underdog story.
Ben Stiller: ,: Ben Stiller:It was written and directed by R.A.
Ben Stiller:ross and Marshall Thurber.
Ben Stiller:It stars Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn, Rip Torn, Justin Long, Stephen Root, Joel, David Moore, Chris Williams, Alan Tudyk, Missy Pyle and Jason Bateman, along with a slew of many other people.
Ben Stiller:It's about a group of misfits who enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate.
Ben Stiller:Corporate health fitness chain.
Ben Stiller:Look, if you haven't seen dodgeball at this point, you've been living under a rock.
Ben Stiller:But who's.
Ben Stiller:Was this a Matson pick?
Michelle:I think this is me.
JJ Kerner:I think this was Matson.
JJ Kerner:I don't think it was me.
Michelle:Yeah, yeah.
Michelle:So let me like, let me talk about this movie.
Michelle:So I don't remember when I first saw this movie.
Michelle:This is probably a movie that I first like, saw half of it on like tv.
Michelle:It just feels like that type of movie.
Michelle:The reason I say it feels like that type of movie because I think this movie is very funny in certain parts, but then there's other parts that can be pretty forgettable.
Michelle:And this is.
Michelle:That's why, like, to me, a classic TV movies, you remember the parts that you really liked and the other things you kind of like, tune out.
Michelle:And that's where I feel like a lot of this movie lands for me.
Michelle:And I know what.
Michelle:Last week we talked about Ben Stiller.
Michelle:I don't think he was just a character in this.
Michelle:He didn't have anything to do with directing this, I think.
Ben Stiller:Right.
Michelle:J.J.
Michelle:from what we just said to me, this character, like, I feel like in this movie happened, I think, well, after like heavyweights.
Michelle:I feel like he just took his heavyweights character and like, leaned into it in a slightly different way.
Michelle:And I love heavyweights.
Michelle:So, yes, I like, I appreciate what Ben Stiller was doing for his character in this because it's.
Michelle:I think he was genius.
Michelle:And I really, really, really like that.
Michelle:And then Vince Vaughn, there's some things I really like him in as well.
Michelle:And so those two people played quite well.
Michelle:And then when you throw Jason Bateman with the.
Michelle:The announcer that I should fna.
Michelle:Like, my goodness.
Michelle:Like, that part when they.
Michelle:When they get into the montage scenes of the dodgeball and build up to that, like, the patches of Houlihan stuff to me is just kind of like, eh.
Michelle:Like just a little.
Michelle:Not so much for me.
Michelle:But the dodgeball montage and then the.
Michelle:The actual, like the announcing and then some of the scenes with Ben Stiller with some weird sexual pizzas and things, I just love it.
Michelle:But outside of that, it's bad.
Michelle:Like, and there's.
Michelle:There's some storylines that I don't care for.
Michelle:Steve the Pirate so much or some of the, like the.
Michelle:The cheerleading thing.
Michelle:But man, the parts that they do really well, I.
Michelle:I enjoy seeing them again.
Michelle:And I laugh every time and I will.
Michelle:I don't.
Michelle:I have yet to tire of them.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:I think this movie is a conundrum for me because we've talked about it earlier this month.
Ben Stiller:I hate Ben Stiller.
Ben Stiller:Like, it.
Ben Stiller:I just don't like him.
Ben Stiller:And I.
Ben Stiller:He drives me nuts in this movie.
Ben Stiller:But on the flip side of that, I think Vince Vaughn is one of the funniest dudes out there when he's.
Ben Stiller:Look, Vince Vaughn plays Vince Vaughn in almost everything, especially in comedies.
Ben Stiller:Like, it's.
Ben Stiller:There's very few things that you like.
Michelle:The Wedding Crashers, for instance, he's like.
Michelle:It's the same.
Michelle:I'm like, he.
Michelle:He just went to dodgeball in the Wedding Crashers like story.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, He.
Ben Stiller:He plays the same guy in every comedy he's in now.
Ben Stiller:He's done some drama stuff that he doesn't like.
Ben Stiller:He's.
Ben Stiller:There's some difference there.
Ben Stiller:But in his comedies is the same dude.
Ben Stiller:But I laugh at his delivery mechanics.
Ben Stiller:Like, I can't help myself.
Ben Stiller:Like, the way he delivers a line.
Ben Stiller:His facial expressions, like, I love Vince Vaughn.
Ben Stiller:So it's this dichotomy of, like, someone I love and someone I hate starring in this movie.
Ben Stiller:But I'm with you.
Ben Stiller:Like, there are parts of this movie that still get me cackling pretty good.
Ben Stiller:Like, tears in my eyes kind of that I laugh at.
Ben Stiller:And I'm.
Ben Stiller:I like the wrench thing.
Ben Stiller:The first time the wrench thing came out in the trailer, dude.
Ben Stiller:And that's why one of the reasons we talked about this in the podcast too.
Ben Stiller:One of the reasons I hate trailers, because it was funny in the trailer.
Ben Stiller:If you can dodge wrench, you can dodge body smacks.
Ben Stiller:Justin Long in the face with the wrench, dude.
Ben Stiller:If I hadn't seen that in the trailer and I see that in the movie, the shock value on top of the fact that that's funny would have been hilarious.
Ben Stiller:But that moment's really great.
Ben Stiller:The him, the other dude, the stapler dude getting hit by the car.
Ben Stiller:Like, it's great.
Ben Stiller:So, like, the silly weird for me in this movie is very funny.
Ben Stiller:And then Ben Stiller comes on the screen and I'm like, ah, get the out of here.
Ben Stiller:Because I just don't enjoy him when he gets going.
Ben Stiller:So it's.
Ben Stiller:It's a weird movie for me.
Ben Stiller:But when I'm laughing, dude, like, I laugh a lot at this movie.
Michelle:Did you not laugh at the part when he's berating the.
Michelle:Why am I forgetting the feel females.
Michelle:The.
Michelle:What's her character name?
Michelle:When he tries to pick her up the house after he just gets her fired from her corporate job and she like, ruins her life.
JJ Kerner:Ms.
JJ Kerner:Beach.
Michelle:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Michelle:And then like when she tells him off, Michelle comes out.
Michelle:The little scooter.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, the scooter shit's funny.
Ben Stiller:It's just everything that Ben Stiller's doing.
Michelle:Oh my gosh, that part killed me with the.
Michelle:I was like, well, what if she had said yes?
Michelle:What.
Michelle:What were they going to do?
Michelle:Like, where was he going to go?
Ben Stiller:Like, they're all going to hop on the back with me show.
Ben Stiller:Jesus.
Ben Stiller:What about you, Alec?
Ben Stiller:Like, what are your responses to dodgeball?
JJ Kerner:Because there's a lot of stupid comedy which I enjoy and I think it does.
JJ Kerner:Well, then there's a lot, not a lot, but there's a few, like, intelligent comedy pieces that are in there that just really gets brushed over.
JJ Kerner:And it's a lot of what Vince Vaughn is doing.
JJ Kerner:So you have the stupid kind of comedy coming in with the mix of the intelligent comedy.
JJ Kerner:And then there's just some egregious sins that personally I only come to realize on, like, more recent watch throughs, the more, you know, kind of traveled I get and places I've seen.
JJ Kerner:And there is no way a guy dressed up as a pirate in Vegas is getting bullied.
JJ Kerner:There's no way, not a single chance in hell of that happening.
JJ Kerner:He is living his best goddamn life in Vegas, the pirate is.
JJ Kerner:And so, especially on this watch through, because I was just in Vegas like two weeks ago, I'm sitting there going, no.
JJ Kerner:No way.
JJ Kerner:Like, no.
JJ Kerner:And so there's little things like that throughout the whole thing that it's very jarring because there's.
JJ Kerner:I mean, I like a.
JJ Kerner:Even Ben Stiller in this.
JJ Kerner:Like the.
JJ Kerner:Nobody makes me bleed my own blood.
Ben Stiller:Okay, that line's funny, I will give you that.
Michelle:I know that.
Michelle:You know that, I know that.
JJ Kerner:So there's.
JJ Kerner:There's a couple of real, you know, humdingers in there.
JJ Kerner:And it's just.
JJ Kerner:It's so hard to kind of figure out because there's so much going on and it never really decides what it wants to be a feel good story, a stupid comedy film.
JJ Kerner:And it just kind of just bounces back and forth.
JJ Kerner:So you're going from one thing to the next going, what the fuck is happening?
JJ Kerner:And then they throw in a couple of really good comedy lines.
JJ Kerner:And like, I mean, the ending, right?
JJ Kerner:So take the money that you got paid out to go place a bet.
JJ Kerner:That's funny.
JJ Kerner:That's good.
JJ Kerner:That's great cinema.
JJ Kerner:And it almost gets completely passed because of the I'm bisexual scene.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
JJ Kerner:And so they.
JJ Kerner:I think it's a dodgeball is its own worst enemy.
Ben Stiller:Like a hundred thousand dollars times five or fifty.
JJ Kerner:$50,000.
Michelle:You know, the one part of this movie I feel like is underrated, though, thinking back to how popular he was then was Lance Armstrong and that scene and how he does it.
Michelle:Like, I watched it, I was like, dang, dude.
Michelle:He, like, I thought he killed it because I was like, the way he's talking is like, I could totally see him saying that.
Michelle:Like, it just felt so casual and normal.
Michelle:I was like, man, what a freaking great cameo.
Michelle:Like, he killed that I.
Michelle:I will.
Ben Stiller:Say this movie's cameos are on point.
Ben Stiller:Like the Chuck Norris cameo.
Ben Stiller:I laugh my ass off every time because.
Ben Stiller:Especially because back then was like the height of the Chuck Norris memes and like, the jokes of, like, you know, in some of the Chuck and I.
Ben Stiller:I had a friend that.
Ben Stiller:A good friend of mine that worked with me that like, loved the Chuck Norris.
Ben Stiller:Like the whole, like.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:I don't know, the wind fight.
Ben Stiller:Like the wind asked Chuck Norris for permission or what had to blow, whatever the.
Ben Stiller:You know, so when it pans over and he just goes.
Ben Stiller:And then.
Ben Stiller:What's his name?
Ben Stiller:Frickin.
Ben Stiller:Oh, I can't think of it.
Ben Stiller:Captain Kirk, like, doing the.
JJ Kerner:William Shatner.
Ben Stiller:William Shatner, like, his cameo.
Ben Stiller:And then of course, Lance Armstrong.
Ben Stiller:Like, the cameos were on point because they were quick, they were dirty, they were funny.
Ben Stiller:And then like, at the end, like, you're like, where the fuck is William Shatner coming into this?
Ben Stiller:And then all of a sudden, at the, like the very end, he's like, wow.
Michelle:Like, it just did this movie.
Michelle:Yeah, did this movie.
Michelle:JJ like, help create the ESPN OO that, like, actually is like a real thing now.
Ben Stiller:I didn't know the Ocho was a real thing, but yes, this is where the Ocho was born.
Ben Stiller:Like you.
Ben Stiller:This was.
Ben Stiller:Because there was at the time there was like four spns espns.
Ben Stiller:Now there's only like two.
Ben Stiller:And then of course, if there is.
Ben Stiller:I didn't know there was an.
Michelle:Oh, they do like an oo.
Michelle:They like, do it yearly where they do like some of these sports.
Michelle:And I think it honestly like, got created because of this, which.
Ben Stiller:Oh, yeah, this is where the oo they.
Ben Stiller:They wrote that as a joke.
Ben Stiller:Because like I said at the time there was like four different ESPN channels.
Michelle:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:And they just named them ESPN.
Ben Stiller:ESPN2.
Ben Stiller:And ESPN2 still exists.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:But there was like ESPN3, ESPN4, so that's.
Michelle:Yeah, that's where I always love that.
Michelle:And like the whole magazine, everything is like, dang.
Michelle:Like, that was funny.
Michelle:But then it became like a real thing.
Michelle:I was like, wow, they like, willed that into existence.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, the other two.
Michelle:But the.
Michelle:The announcer stuff, dude.
Michelle:Like, oh, dude, they were.
Michelle:I mean, I.
Michelle:There's.
Michelle:If you take like that.
Michelle:What.
Michelle:What is that?
Michelle:Like, probably like 10 minutes of screen time where.
Michelle:Oh my gosh, dude, they.
Michelle:I mean, they quit that.
Michelle:They kill it.
Michelle:That's like one of my favorite.
Michelle:If I was to pull out a scene of cinema.
Michelle:It's not like the first, but it's like in Terms of comedy.
Michelle:It's up there for me.
Michelle:Like, it's so.
Michelle:They kill it.
Michelle:Like, it's so good facial expressions, the writing.
Michelle:Just Jason Bateman and the other guy.
Michelle:Like, it's great.
Michelle:They totally.
Michelle:It's certainly best part of the film for me.
Ben Stiller:Even the voiceover shit cracks me up.
Ben Stiller:Like there's a line where you see the main not guy and he's like, there's no way that they're gonna win.
Ben Stiller:And then it cuts away and you hear Jason basement.
Ben Stiller:Kids go, yep, pretty sure they're gonna lose.
Ben Stiller:Like, and the way that he just.
Ben Stiller:Like, Jason Bateman just rewords what the other guy says half the time.
Ben Stiller:Like that.
Ben Stiller:Other than the.
Ben Stiller:The one cotton is egg or FNA cotton.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:There's Jason Bateman for a 10 minute cameo.
Ben Stiller:Just absolutely slaughters it.
Ben Stiller:But that's Jason Bateman too.
Ben Stiller:Like, he's another one that for me, like, is Vince Vaughn.
Ben Stiller:Like, there's very little that guy can do wrong.
Ben Stiller:He's so funny and he kills it in this.
Ben Stiller:Just a weird look.
Michelle:He has a good actor because he is swung to the opposite side of the drama stuff too.
Michelle:Like, he's like.
Michelle:You were talking about our previous episode.
Michelle:A lot of good comedy people can do drama.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Michelle:He's a poster child for that now.
Michelle:And kills it.
Ben Stiller:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Ben Stiller:Ozark.
Ben Stiller:If you've ever watched Ozark.
Ben Stiller:Holy.
Ben Stiller:Jason Bateman wrecks it in that show.
Ben Stiller:That's a.
Ben Stiller:That's a wild show.
Michelle:See that?
Michelle:And you're like.
Michelle:And he was in Arrested Development.
Ben Stiller:He was the weird bit guy that just popped up and said he burned.
Michelle:The banana stand down.
Michelle:The money was in the banana stand.
Ben Stiller:What a great show.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, I love this.
Ben Stiller:I don't know, this movie's so weird because I'm with Alec too, that it gives me whiplash.
Ben Stiller:Now, look, I have a soft spot for Pirate Steve because I love Alan Tudyk.
Ben Stiller:Like, Tudyk is one of the most.
Ben Stiller:He's the most.
Ben Stiller:One of the most underrated genius comedy guys that's out there.
Ben Stiller:Which we talked about and it was the movie, the one where he versus, like something, something versus evil.
Ben Stiller:I can.
Ben Stiller:I can never remember the actual name of the movie.
Ben Stiller:Anyway, I love Alan Tudyk.
Ben Stiller:Hilarious.
Ben Stiller:And so.
Ben Stiller:But the cheerleading thing and like the weird love story between the One Fran and.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, like, there's some shit that I'm like, okay.
Ben Stiller:But the weird thing is too.
Ben Stiller:It's only an hour and a half long movie.
Ben Stiller:So it's not like you can cut much without getting down into like, is this really a movie or is this a TV show episode?
Michelle:I mean, the first time with a cheerleader seeing the tryout scene and I watch that and then it pans back to Vince Vaughn's face me every time I'm like, oh.
Michelle:Because he's like, oh, we can save.
Michelle:He's like, oh, yeah, I don't know about that.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, that's funny.
Ben Stiller:It's funny.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, I, I think there are parts though that I'm like, that just felt unnecessary.
Ben Stiller:But then you don't.
Ben Stiller:Like I said, you don't have much of a movie without it.
Ben Stiller:But it does take you out because like it's like just this.
Ben Stiller:And it's always rapid sharp turns.
Ben Stiller:There's like no easing into these side stories.
Ben Stiller:Like you're like, dodgeball, dodgeball, dodgeball side story.
Ben Stiller:You're like, what the fuck?
Ben Stiller:Dodgeball, dodgeball, dodgeball.
Ben Stiller:Weird ass side story.
Ben Stiller:Can't keep up.
Ben Stiller:We watch a dodgeball.
Ben Stiller:Watch a pirate Steve.
Ben Stiller:Like, what are we doing here?
JJ Kerner:And the one that gets me is the constant back and forth with the, the cutout of Ben Stiller.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
JJ Kerner:Like there's no way you're hiding camera that thing.
JJ Kerner:But some guy on the, in the writing or directing was like, you know, it's a good idea to help with all these transitions of what we want to do.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Michelle:Hey, I didn't care so much because those people are so stupid anyways that like, maybe, I don't know, they.
Michelle:Yeah, that didn't bother me as much.
Michelle:But gosh, what I was, what was I going to say?
Michelle:Frick.
Michelle:It's not coming to me anymore.
Michelle:I don't remember what I was going to say anymore.
Michelle:Oh, one of the other things that I, I love the.
Michelle:I just like Ben Stiller's outfit, like all his outfits.
Michelle:And this just cracked me.
Michelle:Like, I don't have to like Ben Stiller, but if he picked him or whoever picked him, like, damn, some of those are pretty dang funny.
Michelle:And the penis pump dude made that.
Michelle:That made me so bad.
Ben Stiller:I did love.
Ben Stiller:Nobody can resist when I put on my shiny shoes.
Ben Stiller:Weird ass white suit.
Michelle:Well, when he wears.
Michelle:Yeah, the white suit with the little like Bambi bow.
Ben Stiller:Whatever.
Ben Stiller:I'm like, dude, if he just didn't talk, like, I would laugh at his character, this Joe.
Ben Stiller:But like, God, every time he moves like his freaking mouth, I'm just like, oh, shut up, Ben Stiller.
Ben Stiller:But yeah, that would.
Ben Stiller:There are some great costumes with him.
Ben Stiller:And like, it wouldn't.
Ben Stiller:I don't know.
Ben Stiller:Like, I talk on Ben Stiller a lot, but I don't know who else you could shove in this role and have it.
Michelle:You need him to be over the top because you think about Vince Vaughn's type of humor.
Michelle:He's like the cool, like, more like, dry pan, like, more slightly sophisticated, like, verbal humor, and it works.
Michelle:But, like, I think you need that over the top person to have, like, that yo.
Michelle:Yo effect.
Michelle:Yeah.
Michelle:Because I'm like, I thought about that too, jj.
Michelle:I was like, well, who.
Michelle:Who would be.
Michelle:Who would be Ben Stillers care?
Michelle:Like, who's gonna do that?
Michelle:And I don't know.
Michelle:Like, it's not many people like him.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Michelle:I don't think they make this movie.
Ben Stiller:Well, no.
Ben Stiller:I mean, he was a producer on it, but I'm with you.
Ben Stiller:Like, I don't know that there's somebody that could do.
Ben Stiller:And especially this one.
Ben Stiller:Like, when we watched Freaking Wow.
Michelle:God Thunder.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:When we had Tropic Thunder, I think you could put almost any funny guy in his role there.
Ben Stiller:I don't think that's the case in this movie.
Ben Stiller:Like, I don't know.
Ben Stiller:I.
Ben Stiller:Because I think what I think my problem at least would be is I think somebody that to me is funnier or makes more sense, like, steals a lot of the thunder from what's going on around.
Ben Stiller:And that's the part to me that when I'm watching this movie, I'm not laughing at Ben Stiller and his character.
Ben Stiller:I'm laughing at the reactions of everyone else.
Ben Stiller:Like, when he says dumb.
Ben Stiller:And both Vince Vaughn's character and Kate are all just, like, looking at each other.
Ben Stiller:Like, the.
Ben Stiller:Is he talking about.
Ben Stiller:Like, that's the.
Ben Stiller:That really makes me laugh versus what Ben Stiller is actually saying.
Ben Stiller:With a couple of exceptions.
Ben Stiller:Right.
Ben Stiller:But, like, because you're not wrong.
Ben Stiller:Like, though nobody makes me bleed my own blood.
Ben Stiller:Like, that's a great line.
JJ Kerner:Like, I use it all the time.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, that's.
Ben Stiller:That's a great line.
Ben Stiller:But I just.
Ben Stiller:I don't think with this movie, I don't know that there's anybody else that you could put in that role and have it be.
Ben Stiller:Is impactful.
Ben Stiller:But I.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, that's.
Michelle:I.
Ben Stiller:When I think about it, like, I go to some big names, but I just don't think they work the same way.
Ben Stiller:And I think part of it, too, is because he's the villain.
Ben Stiller:And it works for me because I hate Ben Stiller so much that I'm like, yep, that's a villain that works for me.
Ben Stiller:Like, I.
Ben Stiller:That villain.
Ben Stiller:That villain story.
Ben Stiller:Works well.
JJ Kerner:I think his best roles are when he is the villain.
Ben Stiller:Agreed.
JJ Kerner:This one heavyweights like Matson was talking about earlier.
JJ Kerner:Same character.
JJ Kerner:Like he's got that give me you devil love.
JJ Kerner:Yeah, he's got that kind of villain esque.
JJ Kerner:Easy to hate.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
JJ Kerner:But still can be funny.
JJ Kerner:So it's not like a scary, intimidating, over the top evil kind of feeling villain.
JJ Kerner:So goofy, dorky villain.
Michelle:To Alex point though, like think at the end of this movie, the infomercial that they.
Michelle:The commercial infomercial, whatever you call it.
Michelle:Commercial for Average Joe's gy.
Michelle:Like, man, that was a good commercial.
Michelle:Like made you feel good.
Michelle:I'm like, yeah, I should go lift some weights now.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, that's not.
JJ Kerner:Never had that thought in my mind.
Ben Stiller:I will say that this has one of the best post credit scenes.
Ben Stiller:Like I don't like most of it, but I love the very end.
Ben Stiller:He's like Chuck Norris.
Ben Stiller:You can't do that.
Ben Stiller:Chuck Dort.
Ben Stiller:But that shit.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, they very fucking Chuck Norris.
Ben Stiller:Like that shit made me laugh every time.
Ben Stiller:It makes me laugh as he takes another bite of chicken.
Michelle:So I think we said a lot of things.
Michelle:Like there's things we really like.
Michelle:But to me still this movie, like it has those iconic scenes and this is a movie I have seen a decent amount of times, but not all the way through.
Michelle:Like, because this movie's on.
Michelle:I say tv.
Michelle:Like I don't watch.
Michelle:I watch sports.
Michelle:But like, I don't know, this is a movie that I would seek to.
Michelle:Because it's like you said, Jay, it's short, it's funny, but it's.
Michelle:It's funny every time.
Michelle:And that's what I come back to.
Michelle:And that's what's hard for me to.
Michelle:To do in a comedy.
Michelle:Like I think some movies it's like the trailer thing you talked about, Jay.
Michelle:Like once you've seen it, like you've seen it, is it as funny as when you saw it again?
Michelle:That's a hard thing to do.
Michelle:Dodgeball just still has that magic for me where I just still like it.
Michelle:Just whether it's my nostalgia bone or whatever it is or it's so out there because it's dodgeball, I don't know, but it just hits that for me.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:I think another thing that gets me, which is ironic because it's something that in most movies would bother me is the amount of force that these dodge balls are hitting people with.
Ben Stiller:Like the small, like Jake, like Justin Long.
Ben Stiller:Like this skinny little throws the ball and this giant beefy German dude goes flying backwards.
Ben Stiller:It's like.
Ben Stiller:Normally I'm like, that's not real.
Ben Stiller:But I like.
Ben Stiller:It's so funny to me, the way it works.
Ben Stiller:And like.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:Or like the one where he hits the one when the dude, the weird, goofy dude, gets mad because he sees his wife flirting with it.
Ben Stiller:He hits that dude in the face and the spit goes flying.
Ben Stiller:It's so ridiculous.
Ben Stiller:And I love every second of it.
Ben Stiller:That part, it's.
Ben Stiller:It's so weird for me because I'm not usually into that kind of.
Ben Stiller:But that it makes.
Michelle:Or the girl that.
Michelle:The scout.
Michelle:Or the girl scout girl.
Michelle:Testosterone or whatever.
Ben Stiller:Oh, yeah.
JJ Kerner:Beaver tranquilizers.
Michelle:Yeah, and traces of beaver tranquilizers.
JJ Kerner:God damn you, Bernice.
JJ Kerner:Yeah, I use that one, too.
Michelle:I forgot about that.
Michelle:That's a good line.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, I.
Ben Stiller:I'm with you.
Ben Stiller:I think it's one of those comedies that is immensely quotable, very memorable, no matter if you love it or hate it.
Ben Stiller:Like, you can't.
Ben Stiller:I think that's one thing that I remember the most about when I think about this movie is you.
Ben Stiller:There's no way to deny the impact that this movie had, because even back when it came out, I remember, like, all of a sudden people were like, playing dodgeball a lot more.
Ben Stiller:And they were like.
Ben Stiller:They started televising fucking dodgeball.
Ben Stiller:And I'm like, jesus.
Ben Stiller:Like one movie had that much of an impact.
Ben Stiller:But it's also memorable because the game of dodge, I mean, there's not a child on the planet, at least to a certain age, I don't know if they still do it because everybody's.
Ben Stiller:You might get my kid hurt.
Ben Stiller:But this was our once a week minimum activity in school.
Ben Stiller:Like, I played a lot of fucking dodgeball and those red balls fucking hurt.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Michelle:My friend.
Ben Stiller:No joke, my friend.
Michelle:I wasn't so much my friend then, but he.
Michelle:He broke a kid's finger playing dodgeball.
Michelle:And then they.
Michelle:They scrapped it for like a couple weeks, but we brought it back.
Ben Stiller:Oh, yeah, you always bring it back.
Ben Stiller:I had, like, the little waffle line pattern imprinted on my face one time.
Ben Stiller:It was good.
Michelle:That same friend, he had the note and it was terrifying.
Michelle:He played.
Michelle:Kevin wasn't.
Michelle:He played baseball.
Michelle:He did this.
Michelle:No look where he'd, like.
Michelle:He'd look back and then he just like, pitch the ball overhead and you had no.
Michelle:He had no idea where it was going.
Michelle:I mean, sometimes it surely did, but it had a wicked curve.
Michelle:It was terrifying.
Ben Stiller:Yikes.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:Some guys, there's a Video, and I don't remember of somebody playing dodgeball, and this guy, like, goes to walk away and then spins and throws it behind him and just hammers this person in the chest, and they're like, what the fuck?
Michelle:I've seen that video.
Ben Stiller:I love that.
Ben Stiller:That video is awesome.
Ben Stiller:Dodgeball is just fun, man.
Ben Stiller:Like, dodgeball.
Michelle:Playing dodgeball with my.
Michelle:My family here in a couple weeks for Thanksgiving, we're doing.
Michelle:But we have the little.
Michelle:The smaller balls.
Michelle:Yeah, that still hurt.
Ben Stiller:Those are.
Michelle:Because you could be a lot more.
Michelle:Yeah, I can get some velocity with those balls, man.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:Well, those big ones, you kind of.
Ben Stiller:Kind of like curl your wrist around that and hurl it so you lose some accuracy and some speed.
Ben Stiller:Those little ones, I hated it when somebody get a hold of one of them little ones.
Ben Stiller:Like, that shit's gonna hurt.
Ben Stiller:So dodgeball.
Ben Stiller:I love dodgeball.
Ben Stiller:I'd probably kill myself playing it right now, but it's good times.
Ben Stiller:All right, should we rate this thing?
Michelle:Let's do it.
Ben Stiller:All right, Madsen, you're up.
Michelle:Yeah.
Michelle:I'm not gonna give this movie.
Michelle:Let me give us a three and a half.
Michelle:It's a good movie.
Michelle:I think there's, like.
Michelle:I mean, I've already said all the things.
Michelle:I think there's some parts of this movie that just aren't memorable.
Michelle:And like, we talked about, the plot swings are just so, like, this only works because this is a movie from Hollywood, that I can accept that this is how it would go.
Michelle:But once you get past that, the exaggeration of what we were just talking about with the dodgeball games, to the characters, to the announcing, I love it.
Michelle:I love.
Michelle:I love that it doesn't take itself seriously because it wouldn't be what it was.
Michelle:And I think it would.
Michelle:Like, JJ Taco, as a pop culture icon, made the Ocho what it is today.
Michelle:I think it's a funny movie.
Michelle:I definitely know I will be watching this movie again.
Michelle:It's an easy laugh.
Ben Stiller:Love it.
Ben Stiller:All right, out.
JJ Kerner:I'm gonna go two and a half.
JJ Kerner:I don't think I ever have or will ever say, you know what?
JJ Kerner:I want to watch dodgeball.
JJ Kerner:And when it comes to, you know, I mean, we don't have any more.
Ben Stiller:Right?
JJ Kerner:But this type of movie where if you turn it on on TV and you were at a part, you could sit down and watch it, but if you miss the good moments, you're not gonna sit down and watch it.
JJ Kerner:It's gonna flip to the next thing.
JJ Kerner:Because I don't want this reason for that reason, whatever it is, like, if you turn it on, young patches of hula hand is on the screen and be like, no, fuck that.
JJ Kerner:But every time that I do sit down and watch it, I get a couple laughs here and there.
JJ Kerner:So, yeah, two and a half, middle of the road.
Ben Stiller:It's a tough one for me.
Ben Stiller:I'm gonna give it a three and a half.
Ben Stiller:I've actually been sitting here bouncing around.
Ben Stiller:Do I give it a 4?
Ben Stiller:And it.
Ben Stiller:It's tough because this score and a higher score would even be more truthful around.
Ben Stiller:This is.
Ben Stiller:It's not about how good I think the movie is personally, but I think how good it is that it.
Ben Stiller:Because of the impact that it had.
Ben Stiller:Like, I can't deny the fact that someone can.
Ben Stiller:Again, I've talked about how bad I am at movie quotes.
Ben Stiller:This is another movie that I pick up quotes from.
Ben Stiller:This one, someone will say something.
Ben Stiller:Hey, Dodgeball.
Ben Stiller:And.
Ben Stiller:And so for me, like, that's a big deal.
Ben Stiller:And I have a good time watching it.
Ben Stiller:Like, I'm with Alec.
Ben Stiller:Like, I.
Ben Stiller:I get on YouTube.
Ben Stiller:Like, I need a funny moment.
Ben Stiller:So I'll pull up and I'll watch, like, the final dodgeball match, right, with.
Ben Stiller:With Road Globo Gym.
Ben Stiller:But, like, it's.
Ben Stiller:I.
Ben Stiller:I'm with you.
Ben Stiller:I'm not going to sit down and I'm gonna watch Dodge.
Ben Stiller:I don't remember the last time I watched the entire movie, but I've watched a ton of clips, you know what I mean, and laugh my ass off.
Ben Stiller:But I think the impact that it had, it's.
Ben Stiller:It's.
Ben Stiller:It's a good movie in that it makes you feel good.
Ben Stiller:It's memorable.
Ben Stiller:It is funny.
Ben Stiller:As much as I want to say, it's not, like, because of my hate for Ben Stiller, like, I still laugh at even his parts, some of them.
Ben Stiller:And so.
Ben Stiller:But yeah, there are issues with it.
Ben Stiller:It's kind of weird you couldn't make it today.
Ben Stiller:Like, some of the jokes you're like.
Michelle:Well, that's the problem with colleague.
Michelle:You can't make any of these today.
Ben Stiller:It's true.
Ben Stiller:It's true.
Michelle:You can't.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, it's because nobody can take a joke anymore.
Ben Stiller:But yeah, you'd get like, I was watching that.
Ben Stiller:And the part you're talking about with, like, the.
Ben Stiller:The freaking girl scout, I was like, somebody lose their mind if you made that today?
Ben Stiller:Like, ah, you get canceled so fast.
Ben Stiller:But it's.
Ben Stiller:It's so, yeah, great, great movie for what it is.
Ben Stiller:And, and the remembrance of it.
Ben Stiller:It'll always be something that people talk about and watch and share with their friends and kids and whatnot.
Ben Stiller:So three and a half for me.
Ben Stiller:So yeah, there it is.
Ben Stiller:Dodge Ball.
Ben Stiller:It's a good one.
Ben Stiller:All right, tell everybody where you can find us.
JJ Kerner:Okay.
Michelle:Looking forward to this moment.
JJ Kerner:Thank you for tuning in to our review of Dodgeball, A True Underdog Story.
JJ Kerner:We have a first on what's our verdict?
JJ Kerner:And changing the title from all time comedies to Comedy Some of us enjoy.
JJ Kerner:Mid month.
JJ Kerner:Yeah, Matson for that suggestion.
JJ Kerner:It's a bold strategy.
JJ Kerner:I hope it works out for us.
JJ Kerner:And this is week three of Comedies Some of us enjoy.
JJ Kerner:What did you think of our verdict?
JJ Kerner:Do you agree or not?
JJ Kerner:Tell us why in the comments below.
JJ Kerner:Shout out to our patrons Richard mel Brooks and JJ's mammoth tasty foot Long.
Ben Stiller:It sounds even worse out loud for.
JJ Kerner:Making the selection and picking the movies.
JJ Kerner:I don't even know where he came.
Ben Stiller:Up with that one.
Ben Stiller:Like the luscious lumps I get because like it was part of one of the the Patreon videos, but I, I don't remember the math.
Ben Stiller:Massive Tasty footlord.
Ben Stiller:Anyway, unless he's quoting it straight off of our next film we're going to talk about.
Ben Stiller:There you go.
JJ Kerner:Ah, so Patreon is a place to join us to get in on all the shenanigans extra content there as well as getting on the context selection and then the picks that go into that selection.
JJ Kerner:With that I will kick it back to the Wazir of Wap, the King of Crash.
Michelle:Jj, Alec, is that your new favorite title though?
Michelle:For movie.
Michelle:For.
Michelle:For movie genres though?
Michelle:That we.
JJ Kerner:Yeah, that is.
JJ Kerner:That is.
JJ Kerner:I love it.
Ben Stiller:Comedy.
Ben Stiller:Some of us enjoy.
Ben Stiller:It's funny.
Ben Stiller:I liked it.
Ben Stiller:It's appropriate.
Ben Stiller:It's very appropriate.
Ben Stiller:Yeah.
Ben Stiller:Thanks, Alec.
Ben Stiller:Appreciate it.
Ben Stiller:Love having you read these names out.
Ben Stiller:They get worse and dirtier and more innuendoed.
Ben Stiller:I'm gonna go.
JJ Kerner:I just feel dirty saying that after.
Michelle:I go visit your local priest.
Ben Stiller:Yeah, I feel dirty.
Ben Stiller:I went from a lump to a foot long.
Ben Stiller:I've upgraded.
Ben Stiller:So with that, as always, we appreciate you tuning in.
Ben Stiller:Go ahead, hit the follow subscribe button and we'll catch you on the next one.
Michelle:Bye.
JJ Kerner:Oscar la Vista, baby.
Ben Stiller:Cinematic.
