DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
A cash-strapped gym rallies a gloriously mismatched dodgeball team to defeat a wealthy fitness empire and save its home.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- goofy
- witty
- group movie night
- casual comedy night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film erratic and relentlessly silly but acknowledged its entertaining absurdity, comic performances, and central ensemble chemistry.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
White Goodman’s Globo Gym persona and rivalry with Average Joe’s turn fitness culture and masculine dominance into comic targets.
Globo Gym’s resources and status are set against Peter LaFleur’s struggling neighborhood gym and its improvised team.
Peter’s team includes unusual gym members whose contrasting personalities drive the tournament’s comic energy.
The dodgeball matches, training sequences, and White Goodman’s theatrical presentation rely on heightened bodily humor.
Films like DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, and why
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
shares an irreverent sports-comedy structure, exaggerated rivals, and a scrappy underdog team pursuing an unlikely victory
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
matches the broad comic performances, absurd competition, and satirical take on aggressive masculine culture
The Benchwarmers
combines a low-stakes recreational sport with eccentric teammates, rivalry, and buoyant underdog humor
The Mighty Ducks
features a mismatched group entering competitive athletics against a better-funded opponent in a broad, feel-good comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Rawson Marshall Thurber
- Release Date
- 2004-06-18
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (3973)
Cast
- Vince Vaughn
- Christine Taylor
- Ben Stiller
- Rip Torn
- Justin Long
- Stephen Root
- Joel David Moore
- Chris Williams
- Alan Tudyk
- Missi Pyle
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story about?
- A cash-strapped gym rallies a gloriously mismatched dodgeball team to defeat a wealthy fitness empire and save its home.
- What is DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story as mild.
- What did critics think of DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story?
- Critics generally found the film erratic and relentlessly silly but acknowledged its entertaining absurdity, comic performances, and central ensemble chemistry.
- Which films are like DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story?
- Films with a similar feel include Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The Benchwarmers, and The Mighty Ducks.
- How long is DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story?
- DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story?
- In United States, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
