Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 Content: -2

This comedy is the story of Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn), complacent owner of a rundown Gym called Average Joes that is about to go under if he does not come up with $50,000. His misfit clients do not want to lose the gym because it is the only place where they feel acceptance, so they scheme and come up with the idea of playing in a dodgeball tournament that is offering the exact amount of prize money that they need in order to save the gym. La Fleurs biggest competitor, White Goodman (Ben Stiller), is the obnoxious owner of Globo Gym, a gleaming palace filled with all of the latest high-tech equipment and a lot of shallow people. Goodman wants the Average Joes gym for himself and enters the tournament to insure that La Fleur does not come up with the money. Against seemingly impossible odds, the Average Joes team makes it to the finals where they must face the biggest challenge of their lives.

The owner of Average Joes is unmotivated but keeps fighting after the encouragement of others. As he sees others overcome huge obstacles, he is ashamed for being so quick to give up. Dodgeball is a funny movie with clever dialog, but much of the humor is crude and in bad taste. One man has an exaggerated bulge in his crotch and uses a small air pump to make it larger whenever he sees a girl who interests him. The movie has the slogan Take life by the ball and many similar phrases that have crude double meanings. Another statement made in the movie is, Its a David and Goliath story that is truer than the Bible itself. Much of the humor is cruel and is derived from people being hurt, as when they are pelted with dodgeballs. The bad language is mild by Hollywood standards, but the cruel and crude humor more than makes up for it. Preview recommends that you dodge this one.

Preview Reviewer: Alan Boyer
Distributor: DreamWorks