By: Eliot John Hagen (December 13, 2004)

When I rented this film I figured it would be no better than mediocre, it turns out, I was pleasantly considering surprised..

Vince Vaughn plays the Mr. Nice-Guy owner of Average Joe’s Gym, which is close to foreclosure, and Ben Stiller plays the iron pumpin’ Globo-Gym tycoon. Stiller, who is hell-bent on taking over Average Joe’s, buys out the mortgage, leaving Vaughn 30 days to raise $50 thousand. The need for this money leads to the National Dodgeball Championship in Las Vegas, an event which has certain monetary awards for the team who comes in first.

Stiller and his band of muscle-bound, over-sexed, low-I.Q. jocks hear about the Average Joe’s plan to get the money, so they join the competition themselves.

I’ve never much liked Ben Stiller. In this, he gives a new meaning to the word "jerk." (In fact, he goes so far as to have an inflatable crotch.) Vaughn, however, does a very good job. (I’m not saying that Stiller does a bad job, in fact, he plays a good jerk.)

It’s hard not to laugh at physical comedy, and there’s plenty of it in this. Of course, Hollywood always has to have the main character doubt himself, let his friends down, and eventually become a better man.

With a supporting cast of Stephen Root, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn (who does a great job), bit parts played by William Shatner and Hank Azaria, and cameo appearances by Chuck Norris and Lance Armstrong, "Dodgeball" is, on the whole, a very enjoyable film.