The raunchy sports comedy just added to Netflix is ​​Peak 2000s Nostalgia

by Robert Scocchi
| Published 10 seconds ago

Anyone who has known me for more than five minutes knows very well what I think baseketball is the best sports comedy of all time, and I’m willing to die on this hill. A close second, however, is 2004 Dodgeball: A True Underdog Storyan early sports parody that never hesitates to lean into all the familiar genre basins we’ve seen countless times before.

This willingness to get into a predictable story Dodgeball A cut above its contemporaries. The film’s plot may be a preemptive carbon copy of other underdog tales, but it’s not used as a crutch; It’s a way to deliver a quick joke.

If you’re a cynic who doesn’t like to have fun, it’s easy to write off Dodgeball As caring because of how predictable it is. But if you’re a fan of stupid, self-examination comedy, it’s perfect. The structure is part of the parody, and it’s integral to why the movie works.

Set up stocks, typecast characters, clear stakes

Easy going, no doubt about it Dodgeball It has a contrived premise, but that’s completely intentional and part of its charm. The first establishing shot tells you everything you need to know.

We see the average gymnast, owned by Peter LaFleur and Vince Vaughn, sitting across the street from the sleek, four-million-dollar gym owned by Ben Stiller and White Goodman. Right away, we have a David and Goliath story, and we already know what’s at stake.

Peter fit the archetype Vaughn was known for in the early 2000s: The Overconfinter Underachiever. His rival, White, is direct echo From Steeler Tony Burks from 1995 Heavy weight. I’m not complaining, just pointing out that this was a deliberate creative choice.

The RapidFire setup is a runaway train

Dodgeball Don’t waste time creating its conflict. White wants to buy Average Joe’s and turn it into a gym parking lot. Peter, who has defaulted on his mortgage, has 30 days to raise $50,000 to bail him out.

Within the first eight minutes, we meet each main character and their quirks. Steve (Alan Tudyk) thinks it’s a hack, Justin (Justin Long) is a socially awkward aspiring cheerleader, and Gordon (Stephen Root) is obsessed with obscure sports statistics. Dwight (Cres Williams) has nowhere else to go, and Owen (Joel David Moore) is a constantly pickling klutz.

When Gordon discovers that Joe’s regular crew can enter a Dodgeball tournament for the exact amount of money they need, the plot takes off. Wyatt finds out about the plan and joins the competition to humiliate Peter and his team of immigrants. Meanwhile, Peter takes a liking to Kate Fitch (Kristen Taylor), his financial advisor, who has to flag Wyatt’s advances every step of the way.

It’s intentionally predictable, and that’s a good thing

The real magic of Dodgeball It lies in the ability to deliberately predict. You can time it practically rip ripO’Houlihan spots them showing up for team practice by throwing them their keys. Every line from White Goodman contradicts something he said earlier because everything out of his mouth is a lie.

Every beat is clear, but that’s exactly the point. Dodgeball He knows it’s a formula, but she embraces that and turns it into one of the funniest and funniest parodies of its time.

As of this writing, you can stream Dodgeball On Netflix.

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