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Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Parent Guide

When Peter La FleurÕs (Vince Vaughn)is forced to come up with big bucks to stop the bank foreclosing on his ÒAverage JoeÕs Gym.Ó But this isn't his only problem. Across the street Globo Gym, run by White Goodman (Ben Stiller), is muscling in on his business.

Release date June 17, 2004

Run Time: 92 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by rod gustafson.

Peter La Fleur’s (Vince Vaughn) ?Average Joe’s Gym? reflects every aspect of his life. His utilities are about to be cut off, his house is a mess, and it’s worthy of a celebration when his car actually starts. But even a closet full of years of ignored financial statements doesn’t prepare him for the news from cute blonde banker Kate (Christine Taylor, who is Ben Stiller’s wife in real life). It seems the mortgage on his aging sports facility has been recalled and he must come up with $50,000 within 30 days.

Across the street, Globo Gym is bursting with bucks, biceps and egos. At the center of the action is White Goodman (Ben Stiller). Looking like he buys steroids from a candy machine, the over-the-top promoter is permanently pumped up—including the air-compressed pocket on the front of his pants. Yet Goodman still wants more, and has his beady eyes set on acquiring La Fleur’s business so he can expand.

And, like in so many other films where a protagonist needs cash in a hurry, you can expect they’ll try the strangest thing in hopes of getting the money. Such personalities usually have a small rag-tag group of believers too. In this case, it’s five devoted customers who convince La Fleur they should enter the world dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas. The grand prize? You guessed it… 50 grand.

Dodgeball opens with rapid-fire comedy and takes a healthy aim at spoofing the gym culture, infomercials, and cable television’s desperate attempt to fill dozens of networks with anything they can get their lenses on.

But the genuine comedy that could result from such fertile ground is choked out by many weeds of innuendo and gross humor, along with profanities that include a use of the sexual expletive. Talk of selling blood and semen (?…but not mixed together?), drinking your own urine, and using a doorknob as a sexual device, are a sampling of the dialogue. Meanwhile, watching Stiller’s character take shock therapy through his nipples and imply masturbating with a pizza, are only two of many moments that accurately define the term sight gags.

For families, the best that can be found in this script, with the sole purpose of propping up the jokes, is a secondary message about friends working together and a few exciting scenes of the actual game being played. Otherwise Dodgeball’s early comedic bounce springs a leak by the middle of the game, and ends on a definite flat note.

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Rod Gustafson

Dodgeball: a true underdog story parents' guide.

At the start of the movie, Peter La Fleur is portrayed as a guy who can’t manage even basic aspects of his life. Yet, after being compared with Ben Stiller’s highly exaggerated and unrealistic character, Peter seems quite normal. How are our perceptions of people skewed when we make similar comparisons in reality?

The best part of Dodgeball is the game itself! Check this site for information on what is believed to be the oldest schoolyard pastime: www.dodgeballusa.com

The most recent home video release of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story movie is December 6, 2004. Here are some details…

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"Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" is a title that rewards close study. It does not say it is a true story. It says it is about a true underdog. That is true. This is a movie about a spectacularly incompetent health club owner ( Vince Vaughn ) who tries to save his club from foreclosure by entering a team in the $50,000 world series of dodgeball in Las Vegas. Proof that the team is an underdog: One of the team members believes he is a pirate, and another team member hasn't noticed that.

Vaughn's club, Average Joe's Gym, is run-down and shabby but has a loyal if nutty clientele. Across the street is a multi-million-dollar muscle emporium known as Globo Gym is (there is no "l" in the title, perhaps because it fell off). Globo is owned by Ben Stiller , overacting to the point of apoplexy as White Goodman; his manic performance is consistently funny, especially when he protects against Small Man Complex by surrounding himself with enormous body-builders and building an inflatable crotch into his training pants.

Vaughn, playing the absent-minded Peter La Fleur, acts as a steadying influence; he plays more or less straight, which is wise, since someone has to keep the plot on track. He's visited by the lithesome Kate Veatch ( Christine Taylor ) who works for the bank and explains that Average Joe's needs $50,000 in 30 days or it will foreclose.

Standing by to turn it into a parking lot: White Goodman. Among other questionable business practices, La Fleur has neglected to collect membership dues for several months.

Kate hates Globo's White Goodman, not least because at their last meeting he rudely drew attention to his extremely well-inflated crotch. One of the Average Joe staff members comes up with the idea of the dodgeball tournament, and for reasons unnecessary to explain, Kate becomes a member of the team, along with the pirate and four others.

None of them know anything about dodgeball. This may not be a handicap. My own experiences with dodgeball have led me to conclude that it is basically a game of luck; the only skill you need is to pick bigger kids for your side. But I learn that Extreme Dodgeball is actually a real sport, with its own cable TV show.

"Dodgeball" explains the sport by pausing for a grade school educational documentary from 1938. It is a very short documentary, because all you need to know about the game are the "Five Ds," of which both "D No. 1" and "D No. 5" are "Dodge!" The film is hosted by dodgeball legend Patches O'Houlihan, who must therefore be in his 80s when he appears at Average Joe's in his motorized wheelchair, and announces that he will coach them to victory. Patches is played by Rip Torn , whose training methods get enormous laughs.

The Las Vegas tournament itself follows the time-honored formulas of all sports movies, but is considerably enhanced by the weird teams in the finals. Weirdest is Globo Gym, captained by White Goodman and including four gigantic musclemen and a very hairy woman from an obscure former Soviet republic. The finals are telecast on ESPN8 ("If it's almost a sport, we have it here!").

I dare not say much more without giving away jokes; in a miraculous gift to the audience, 20th Century-Fox does not reveal all of the best gags in its trailer. Therefore let me just gently say that late in the movie a famous man approaches Peter La Fleur at the airport and gets laughs almost as big as the Patches O'Houlihan training technique.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Rated PG-13 for rude and sexual humor and language

Alan Tudyk as Steve the Pirate

Vince Vaughn as Peter La Fleur

Stephen Root as Gordon

Chris Williams as Dwight

Justin Long as Justin

Ben Stiller as White Goodman

Christine Taylor as Kate Veatch

Rip Torn as Patches O'Houlihan

Joel David Moore as Owen

Written and directed by

• Rawson Marshall Thurber

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• DVD & Streaming

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

• Comedy , Sports

Content Caution

In Theaters

• Vince Vaughn as Peter LaFleur; Ben Stiller as White Goodman; Christine Taylor as Kate Veatch; Rip Torn as Patches O'Houlihan; Justin Long as Justin; Stephen Root as Gordon; Joel Moore as Owen; Chris Williams as Dwight; Alan Tudyk as Steve the Pirate; Missi Pyle as Fran; Jamal Duff as Me'Shell Jones; Gary Cole as Cotton McKnight; Jason Bateman as Pepper Brooks

Home Release Date

• Rawson Marshall Thurber

Distributor

• 20th Century Fox

Movie Review

I have to confess that I went into Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story amused by its premise and hopeful that it would do the sport of dodgeball proud! If ever there was an experience most of us can relate to, surely getting thunked on the head with a red rubber ball during grade school PE qualifies. And just because many of our collective memories are tarnished from having been picked last and eliminated first, doesn’t mean I sat down ready for a smearfest.

Reflecting on her own dodgeball memories, star Christine Taylor said, “If you weren’t a [great] athlete, it could be a painful experience.” Alas, Dodgeball the movie is far more distressing. It goes awry in its opening scene, and doesn’t let up.

The film begins with the protagonist, Peter LaFleur, asleep on his couch as a TV infomercial for Globo Gym begs for attention in the background. (The camera zooms in on women’s spandex-clad bodies—heads cropped—foreshadowing the searing objectification to follow.) Globo Gym owner White Goodman aims his meanspirited sales pitch directly at his audience’s deepest insecurities, labeling ugliness and fatness “genetic disorders.” It’s a rancid combination of highly sexualized content and nasty name-calling that sets the movie’s tone.

LaFleur, it turns out, is the owner of Average Joe’s gym, a rundown workout haven for the kinds of people who just don’t fit at Globo Gym. LaFleur’s gym has a Cheers -like quality to it. The regulars come as much to be with each other as to work out, and generally good-natured ribbing is the name of their game.

Their gym, unfortunately, sits across the street from Globo Gym, making it a prime real estate target for White Goodman’s nefarious parking lot plans. LaFleur is a nice guy but a lousy bookkeeper—and the gym is in foreclosure. So Goodman’s bank dispatches Kate Veatch to dig through the details of Average Joe’s financial woes. (She quickly falls for LaFleur’s compassionate approach to people.)

All hope for saving the gym seems lost until one of the regulars at Joe’s sees an advertisement in his favorite magazine, Obscure Sports Quarterly , for a national dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas. The winning team will take home $50,000—exactly the amount Peter needs to stave off foreclosure. It’s time for the misfits to play some dodgeball!

Positive Elements

Dodgeball depicts the positive character traits that show up in most films in this genre: persevering against impossible odds, believing in yourself and others, and encouraging other teammates to give their best performance. LaFleur exhibits moments of genuine compassion for the regulars at his gym; he cares more about them than he does making Average Joe’s a slick, money-making operation.

Sexual Content

From the first scene to the very last, Dodgeball is chockfull of sexual references and images. At a carwash, bikini-clad women pose suggestively and use various parts of their bodies (including their breasts) to scrub the cars. Joe’s team competes wearing skimpy bondage gear after suffering a uniform mix-up. Dodgeball cheerleaders perform in sexy outfits. An obese Goodman is seen nude in a photo (private body parts are hidden). A statue of nude wrestlers dominates his office.

That kind of visual input is only the beginning, though. Dodgeball leaves virtually no perverse sexual preoccupation untouched. The characters fixate on every expression of deviancy, including homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, oral sex, group sex, masturbation, prostitution, bondage and submission, cross-dressing, pornography and bestiality.

Several scenes are particularly crass and unnecessary. In one of them Goodman gets caught lusting after images of food on his computer screen while stuffing pizza down his pants. In another, he uses an inflatable pouch placed under his pants to accentuate his crotch. When LaFleur finally gets a chance to kiss Kate, he has to wait his turn: Before laying one on him she unexpectedly gives a woman from the audience a deep, full-mouthed kiss. When someone exclaims that she is a lesbian (the guys had been joking for some time that she was since she was a good dodgeballer), she corrects him, saying that she’s bisexual . When LaFleur declines an invitation to bed some hookers, he’s deemed “queer” for exercising discretion. Finally, a sick scene after the closing credits depicts an angry, fat Goodman doing things too offensive to even hint at here.

On a more subtle note, Goodman spends the entire movie making sexual overtures toward Kate, which she rejects. LaFleur—supposedly a much nicer guy—does the same, albeit in a more chivalrous fashion. Closer examination shows that his sexual habits and fondness for objectifying women differ very little from Goodman’s; he’s just not as obnoxious.

Violent Content

Dodgeball is, of course, a contact sport. The ball contacts your body . And the filmmakers missed no opportunity to punish the characters every way possible. They’re especially fond of slow-mo head shots and crotch shots. (Announcer Cotton McKnight bleats, “Ouch. Right in the testicles,” as if we would have missed it without his commentary.)

More problematic are old-timer dodgeballer Patches O’Houlihan’s coaching methods. Patches begins one practice by saying, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball,” and proceeds to hurl wrenches at the team. Several get clocked in the head, and—for effect—writhe screaming on the floor before getting back up with no apparent harm done. After the wrench-throwing scene, Patches ups the dodging ante: “If you can dodge a car, you can dodge a ball.” A hapless player is hit by cars twice as he attempts to race across a busy street. (Both scenes practically beg young, undisciplined souls to imitate them in real life.)

A large “Luck o’ the Irish” sign falls and kills a wheelchair-bound man. A knife is pulled on Peter and held against his throat. Goodman tortures himself with electrodes. Patches slugs a player in the crotch. Kate smashes Goodman against a wall. A passerby in a car hurls a drink at a man on the sidewalk.

Crude or Profane Language

Profane exclamations pepper the dialogue. Goodman calls Average Joe’s a “s— heap.” The f-word pops up twice, as do nearly a dozen misuses of God’s or Jesus’ name (Patches combines “god” with a profanity). The British profanity “b-llocks” is used. More frequent than profanity is the use of crude metaphors, name-calling and scatological references—everything from drinking urine to messing underpants.

Drug and Alcohol Content

A team of girl scouts is disqualified because one of them tests positive for three different kinds of steroids. Joe’s team drinks together in a bar. A dodgeball “history” film depicts a roomful of aged Chinese men smoking opium through giant pipes.

Other Negative Elements

Goodman, who was once morbidly obese, repeatedly mocks those who are overweight.

At first glance Dodgeball is a boilerplate underdog movie in the tradition of Rocky, The Karate Kid and every other come-from-behind sports movie. The showdown here is between the buff goons from Globo Gym and the motley crew from Average Joe’s. And the story moves predictably to a climactic dodgeball battle. Along the way we’re introduced to colorful characters such as Steve, a Joe’s regular who’s convinced he’s a pirate, Patches O’Houlihan, a cantankerous Irish dodgeball legend from a bygone era, and Fran Stalinofskivich Striker, Goodman’s secret weapon—a monster athlete from “Ramanovia,” complete with a huge mole and a “unibrow” across her pockmarked forehead.

But nothing captures the true spirit of Dodgeball better than one of the lines from the black-and-white “training film” the Average Joe’s players watch: “Dodgeball is a game of violence, exclusion and degradation.” I would be hard put to come up with a more accurate description of this movie. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber and producer/star Ben Stiller have created a film that does nothing more than hurl obscene material. Just as the characters must dodge wrenches, cars and incoming red rubber balls, so moviegoers are forced to dodge two hours worth of angry verbal assaults, lowbrow humor and crude—more accurately, obscene —innuendo.

The sexualized humor of every conceivable kind combined with the sheer R-rated ugliness of Stiller’s angry character are simply overwhelming. This is a film that turns mocking others into an art form, with White Goodman crowned as champion mocker. The audience knows the underdogs will win, but that’s not why they keep watching: Dodgeball encourages us to relish the destruction of others. And it teaches us to make it happen with our own razor-sharp words.

King David wrote, “Blessed is the man who does not … sit in the seat of mockers” (Ps. 1:1). So when you see Dodgeball coming at you, take O’Houlihan’s advice: Dodge, duck, dip or dive out of the way!

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

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Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Reviews

We need more studio comedies where Stephen Root is a lead cast member.

Full Review | Jun 9, 2022

a few lapses aside, Dodgeball has its heart in the right place when it comes to embracing a team of lovable misfits overcoming ridiculous odds

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 2, 2022

It's laugh-a-minute comedy at it's finest. What could be better?

Full Review | Sep 3, 2021

Though the gags are only occasionally funny, the climax is surprisingly satisfying - despite fulfilling the most generic dark horse movie scenario.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Sep 29, 2020

It's tremendously silly, occasionally sweet but generally nonsensical.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4.0 | Sep 6, 2020

A hilarious screwball comedy that features a strong cast and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Nov 16, 2019

one of the funniest movies of the year

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 17, 2016

Full Review | Original Score: 71/100 | Feb 24, 2010

In the end it just felt like we were being told one long joke but were never given the punchline.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 29, 2009

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 18, 2008

The jokes fly as wildly as the titular sports gear, landing solidly more often than you'd expect thanks to a fast-paced script and a cast of good-natured misfits led by Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 18, 2008

Stiller is in fine form and just watching his exaggerated, paranoid egocentric White is amusing in itself.

Full Review | Oct 18, 2008

Trash comedies such as this are usually more painful than funny, but writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber pulls enough hilarious gags and cameos out of his gym bag to qualify his first feature as the summerâ(TM)s first guilty pleasure.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 7, 2008

Stiller gives one of his broadest and best performances to date, and the jokes ping around the screen as fast as the balls on the court.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 5, 2008

This masterpiece of modern cinema depends upon a single truism: A guy getting hit in the nuts a hundred times in a row is funny a hundred times.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 14, 2007

The film wants only to pit its common-man heroes against a bunch of colorful, laughable adversaries, and achieves this goal admirably.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jul 30, 2007

White Goodman is one of Stiller's craziest creations, a hilariously dim-witted and mean-spirited jock that doesn't realize how pathetic he really is.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Sep 22, 2006

The biggest laughs come from a cameo, which is never a good sign.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 22, 2006

Can somebody please stop Ben Stiller?

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | May 26, 2006

I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at seeing a young man get beaned in the head with a wrench.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 6, 2005

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Dodgeball: a true underdog story review.

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Josh Brolin Details Keeping Dune 2's Only F-Bomb Despite Director's Hesitance

Jason statham's $152m action thriller is a streaming success after becoming 2024’s first box office hit, the fall guy's box office confirms a harsh reality after $2.4 billion phenomenon, except for one miscast role and an over the top ending, dodgeball is a crude but extremely funny satire of the fitness industry..

If you're a guy, and you still have any hint of a teenager in you, you're probably going to like this movie. I've stated in the past that there is a very fine line when it comes to movies between "stupid funny" and just plain stupid. With just a couple of exceptions, where Dodgeball veers into just plain stupid, it's a very funny film.

The basic premise is small, friendly, rundown gym vs. uber-yuppie (can I still use that term?), glitzy mega-gym across the street. The owner of "Globo-Gym" (White Goodman, played by Ben Stiller) wants to buy "Average Joe's" across the street from it's owner (Peter LeFleur, played by Vince Vaughn) in order to turn it into a parking lot. These guys have been rivals for a long time and it comes to a head in the events that follow. I won't bore you with further details except to say that a professional dodgeball tournament is the answer to LeFleur and his nerd buddies problem.

The cast of characters in this film is hysterical with two exceptions: Vaughn, who was terribly miscast and just comes across as flat instead of a nice guy, and the character played by Joel Moore (Owen) who was just plain stupid and annoying. Ben Stiller in particular really shined as the ex-fatty-self-made-man (except for that inheritance he received from dad).

Is the humor crude? Of course, but some of it is quite witty in it's satire of the fitness industry. Overall I was laughing constantly throughout the movie. I don't want to give away the gags, so you'll have to take my word for it.

There were a few cameos that actually worked, including David Hasselhoff, Bill Shatner, and others.

Beyond the miscasting of Vaughn and the poorly written Owen character, my only other complaint is that the movie seemed to get a bit lost at the end and wanted to top itself with a few items that really left me cold. One was gross, another was unnecessary, and the third you'll miss if you blink, but I didn't like the message it sent.

Overall though, I recommend it as a good way to spend 90 minutes with a comedy that's actually funny .

Our Rating:

• Movie Reviews
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Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Review

This is the cinematic equivalent of standing by a patch of ice on the sidewalk, and just watching people slip on it. You know you shouldn't laugh, but you just can't help it...

It's been awhile since I've picked up a Sports Illustrated, but last I remember they had a little weekly feature called "Sport or Not", if I remember correctly. Each week they would pick a certain game, and ask professional atheletes in various sports whether or not they thought that particular game was an actual sport, or just a game. If they haven't picked dodgeball for this feature, they certainly will soon, with the release of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story . It would certainly be picked on this movie alone, but now there is actually a televised version of the game called Extreme Dodgeball aired on the Game Show Network. Sounds like fun, but where the hell was the Game Show Network in 1998 when BASEketball came out?! Oh yeah, the movie. This is by far the funniest movie of the year, set against a wonderful backdrop of "professional" dodgeball and filled with some colorful characters and a surprisingly inventive script.

We start off the flick with a commercial for Globo Gym, starring the gym's founder White Goodman (Stiller), who, in Men's Hair Club fashion, is not only the founder, but also a client, as we see a picture of him from a few years ago that would make Fat Bastard look like Mini Me. Globo Gym is this huge franchise, and right across the street is Average Joe's Gym, a run-down gym with run-down clientel, run by an average joe named Peter La Fleur (Vaughn). He's very laid-back, not even worrying about membership fees from his regulars. This, of course, is a problem, when a lovely banker (Taylor) informs him that he'll lose the gym if he can't raise $50,000. Of course, Globo Gym will buy it out if Peter can't raise the scratch. So, over a few beers, they decide to enter a dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas where, of course, the first prize is $50,000. And Globo Gym puts together a team as well to stop them.

What I really liked about the movie was that it embraced its predictability. Rookie filmmaker Rawson Marshall Thurber doesn't set the world on fire with this story. Besides the dodgeball aspects of it, it's a basic story: some losers try to raise money to avoid having their ratty gym sold off. You know how it's going to end, and Thurber realizes that. So he doesn't stray from the predictability, but he throws you a few curveballs along the way, even though the end result is basically how you'd imagine it. The best example of this is when the committee members of this dodgeball league are put to a vote. There are 3 members, and, if you've seen scenarios like this unfold in the movies before, you could predict that the first member would vote yes, the second no, and the third yes. But the curveball here is the deciding third member is none other than Chuck Norris. Just brilliant. And there are even some more clever twists at the end that you'd never expect to see coming in this type of movie, and it worked wonderfully.

We've been seeing a lot of Ben Stiller this year, and that hasn't always been a good thing. Along Came Polly flopped, Starsky and Hutch had a decent showing, but Envy is probably the worst movie so far this year. But Stiller is back on point here as White Goodman. Stiller has this knack for playing damn near the exact same type of character in all of his movies. But every now and then he plays a character totally outside of his norm, and usually, he's great at it (See: Permanent Midnight). And he is on-point here as White Goodman, which seemed like a wonderful mix of Dr. Evil, Dark Helmet and either Hans or Franz from that SNL skit. Just looking at him, with his fu-manchu and deer-caught-in-headlights expressions is hilarious enough, at times. This is easily Stiller's best performance since The Royal Tenenbaums, where he played the saftey-freak Chas.

Stiller easily gives the best performance here, but Vince Vaughn turns in another great performance as well. He's more laid-back than we're used to seeing him, but he pulls it off nicely, as the easy-going Peter. Stephen Root, an amazingly diverse actor, gives us a few glimpses of the Milton character from Office Space that made him famous, as the timid-yet-talkative Gordon. Chris Williams, brother of actress/singer Vanessa Williams, is pretty good as Dwight, one of the "average joe's" but his character, along with a few others, just seemed to have no purpose but to fill out the dodgeball team. Rip Torn is just too over-the-top as dodgeball coach Patches O'Hoolihan, and Christine Taylor, Stiller's actual wife, is nice to look at, but she really can't act. But there are two wonderful smaller performances, in the announcers at the dodgeball tournament, Gary Cole and Jason Bateman. It reminded me a lot of the announcing duo in Best in Show, Fred Willard and Jim Piddock. Cole plays the regular announcer nicely, but Bateman's goofball "color commentary" provides some of the funniest moments in the movie. I never knew Bateman was that diverse, but he gives just a fantastic performance here.

Thurber's script won't win any Academy Awards, but it's a very solid debut effort. This isn't really a movie that demands much character development, and we don't get much here. But the movie is just plain over-populated with its characters. The two young kids on the Average Joe's team, Owen and Justin, played by Joel Moore and Justin Long, have no real purpose here, but to fill out the team. Thurber tries to rationalize Justin being there, with this very dumb sub-plot about him being a failed cheerleader, and it just isn't needed. Owen is barely heard from, and when we do hear from him, it isn't anything worth hearing. But still, this script is wildly hilarious, with some off-beat cameos and some wonderful dialogue. True, some of the humor just doesn't work, ("I love you." "Joanie loves Chachi.") but everything else more than compensates for those failures.

Thurber is also solid at the helm in his feature directorial debut. The dodgeball action is captured in a nice, swift style and he is great with his talent. It will be interesting to see what he takes on next, because he looks to be a great talent in comedic filmmaking. Hopefully it's not hopscotch or something, but I'm sure he could even make that funny.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story nails down the underdog part, even though it doesn't appear to be true. But, truthfulness aside, this is a delightful romp of a flick that will have you laughing more than anything else that's been in the theaters this year. This is the cinematic equivalent of standing by a patch of ice on the sidewalk, and just watching people slip on it. You know you shouldn't laugh, but you just can't help it...

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Why 'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story' is a top-tier sports movie

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With everyone stuck at home, there’s going to be a lot of binge-watching. With no live sport on, there’s also going to be a lot of rewatching classic games, documentaries and films. 

The Maradona film, which aired on Channel 4, rightly had the country encapsulated on Saturday night .

However, even with the endless recommendations of the best sports films to watch, there has been one glaring omission: ‘Dodgeball - A True Underdog Story’.

A film about a once-in a-generation-event that eclipses Leicester City's Premier League triumph of 2015 and the New England Patriots' comeback in Superbowl LI.

The story is amazing. Peter LeFleur (Vince Vaughn) is the owner of ‘Average Joe's’ gym. A small, local business for those who want to keep in shape without overdoing it. LeFleur is your average nice guy, easy-going, friendly, and isn’t chasing you up if your payment is late.

That’s not an efficient way of running a business though and even nice guys have to pay the bills. The gym is bankrupt and faces closure. Closing isn’t even the worst outcome though as they come to learn.

The gym is bought out by White Goodman (Ben Stiller), the owner of a new-flashy gym across the road. His gym is only for the elite athletes of the world, the people who make you feel bad for failing to finish a rep of 20kg bicep-curls.

“Here at Globo-Gym, we’re better than you - and we know it” is their motto.

He threatens to demolish the gym and build a car park for his members. The only way to stop this from happening is by raising $50,000 in two weeks to pay off the debt.

LeFleur rustles up some of his loyal members in the hope they might come up with an idea of how to save the gym. After some failed attempts to raise the money - they are ready to accept defeat.

Until. Gordon Pibb (Stephen Root) lands on the genius idea of entering into the Las Vegas International Dodgeball Open which just so happens to have a cash prize of $50,000. He read all about it in ‘Obscure Sports Quarterly” - a popular sports magazine at the time.

The film follows the journey of a rag-tag group of misfits - one of whom thinks he’s a pirate - as they learn the sport from scratch and work their way through the tournament.

Here’s why it ranks as a top-shelf sports movie.

White Goodman

Played by Ben Stiller, White Goodman is everything you want from your villain. As any bad-guy should be he’s the antithesis of his counter-part Peter LeFleur. Cocky, arrogant and sleazy throughout the film, Stiller does a brilliant job at making you hate White Goodman from the get-go.

Goodman’s goal is to crush Average Joe's and ensure they don’t win the tournament. He does so by bringing together some of his best athletes and forming the “Purple Cobras”.

The team made up of; Blade, Lazer, Blazer, Michele and Fran Stalinovskovichdaviddivichski (the deadliest woman on Earth with a Dodgeball). They enter the tournament as clear favourites.

Goodman cheats, lies and steals in attempts to foil the hopes LeFleur’s team. The Purple Cobras also drew some negative press when they were caught spying on the Average Joes' training with hidden cameras.

They are talented, there's no doubt about it, but Goodman and the Cobras will do anything to win.

When the going gets tough though, they turn to their opponents biggest weakness. Money.

“Peter, I know you, you know you, and I know you know that I know you”, Goodman says before offering LeFleur $100,000 to sign over the deeds to the gym. An offer he can’t refuse.

Goodman is a ruthless winner. That's what he does and that's why it's so hard to give him any credit in the movie. Eventually, it all falls apart for him.

ESPN 8 ‘The Ocho’

Of course, an international dodgeball tournament is going to garner some attention from the national media. ESPN covers the entire tournament on ‘The Ocho’, its obscure sports channel.

“If it’s almost a sport we’ve got it here”.

Not only is the channel a great idea, but they also go all out when it comes to the production value.

The opening credits for the tournament features some brilliant graphics of a giant robot throwing a flaming Dodgeball through famous buildings in Las Vegas before knocking the head off another giant robot before flashing to the hotel where the tournament is taking place before flashing to the presenter and co-commentator; Cotton Knight (Gary Cole) and Peppar Brooks (Jason Bateman).

The pair are a commentary dream. Cotton Knight calls the game brilliantly and Peppar Brooks provides colour like no other.

They also don’t hold back when it comes to the promotion of the tournament selling it as “A sporting event better than the World Cup, World Series and World War II combined”. A bit more creative than the time Sky Sports sold ‘Red Monday’ to us all.

Lance Armstrong

There are several celebrity cameos in this film. Chuck Norris appears as a judge, William Shatner is the dodgeball commissioner. But there will never be a cameo quite like this cameo.

After taking the bribe from Goodman, Pete LeFleur goes to drown his sorrows at the bar. As chance has it, he runs into Lance Armstrong. That for me is already enough. It gets better though. Remember, this film came out in 2004. Armstrong wouldn’t confess to doping for another nine years.

This leads to the most extraordinary dialogue between the two. After telling Armstrong he decided to quit, the former cyclist responds.

“Quit? You know, I was going to quit once when I was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer all at the same time. But with the love and support of my friends and family, I got back on the bike and won the Tour De France five years in a row. But I’m sure you’ve got a good reason to quit. So what are you dying from that’s keeping you from the finals.”

Now, nobody is saying anything bad about his fight against cancer, his recovery was brilliant. All the other stuff, not so much.

It’s incredible that he was so sure of himself not getting caught, he appeared in a Hollywood movie talking about his achievements on a bike. It’s surreal watching.

An underdog story

Like any great story - the protagonists are Underdogs who overcome the odds.

Average Joe's is a team made up of sporting wannabes.

Justin Redman (Justin Long), a shy college student with no co-ordination, whose sports experience amounts only to his failed try-outs for the High School cheerleading squad. Steve Cowan (Alan Tudyk), who believes he is a pirate.

Gordon Pibb, a nervous nice-guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Owen Dittman (Joel David Moore), who has never played sports and Dwight Baumgarten, who isn’t very good at anything.

Their only shining hope is Peter LeFleur and Kate Veatch (Christine Taylor), who, at the start of the movie was the lawyer working the contracts between the two gyms but joined the Average Joe's team out of revenge when Goodman had her sacked in a failed attempt to date her.

With her experience playing softball and LeFleur’s natural ability on the court, they become a deadly duo on the court.

Of course, they didn’t become a brilliant team overnight. They enlisted the help of a legend of the game ‘Patches’ O’Hoolihan (Rip Torn) - an All American Dodgeball Hall of Famer.

Through unconventional training, like dodging wrenches and traffic, O’Hoolihan prepares the team for what’s to come.

Once they’ve learned the five D’s of Dodgeball - Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge - they are ready.

On their journey, they face the German champions (Team Blitzkrieg) led by David Hasselhoff, Skillz that Killz and Flying Cougars. After some close calls, they somehow make it to the final where they face off against White Goodman and the Purple Cobras.

Everyone loves an underdog story. By all accounts, they shouldn’t even have qualified for the tournament. To go on and win it is another story. At least with hindsight, you can say Leicester City had some top-quality players but Average Joe's had no real talent at all.

They had to overcome the death of their beloved trainer the night before the final. They lost one of their key players to a cheerleading contest and another to a crisis of identity when Steve 'the Pirate' realised he wasn't a Pirate.

“Do you believe in unlikelihood?” the ESPN commentator says at one point in the movie.

After watching it, I absolutely do.

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Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Dove review.

The owner of Average Joe’s 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. 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.

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Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Review

27 Aug 2004

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Dodgeball's subtitle – 'A True Underdog Story' – couldn't be more apt. When the film first appeared, it was a true underdog indeed, written off as a lesser offering from Ben Stiller's Frat Pack. Once it hit, though, it was clear that this was arguably the most quotable – and funniest – dumb comedy since The Naked Gun.

On release, all the plaudits went to Stiller's preening villain White Goodman, but this is, in truth, an ensemble movie, with the likes of Rip Torn's foul-mouthed Patches O'Houlihan ably supporting him. The movie's secret weapon, though, is Vince Vaughn's sardonic protagonist Peter LaFleur, who keeps the craziness grounded in a manner reminiscent of a young Bill Murray.

So many ideas and gags crash into each other that some are bound to miss, and there are one or two patchy spells, but it's in the melding of styles that Dodgeball works, as director Rawson Marshall Thurber blends character-based comedy with gross-out and an excellent deployment of cameos (Norris! Shatner! Hasselhoff!). Most of all, it's a tribute to the joys of physical comedy – watching people being hit in the balls has never been so much fun.

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Imagine a gleaming gym that trades on the motto: `We're better than you... And we know it'. Imagine its proprietor being a sad little man, muscles bulging like basketballs, with a mullet and a big 'tache. Now imagine this comical, cartoonish creation being brought to life by the movies' funniest funnyman, Ben Stiller. Laugh? You'll pee your pants.

Playing White Goodman as two parts Zoolander and one part Mr Furious, Stiller's bug-eyed stupidity pads outs the will-o'-the-wisp concept as surely as Goodman pads out his leotard crotch. He's here to sculpt clients from "Frankenstein to Franken-fine"; to remind them that "ugliness and fatness are genetic disorders... Much like baldness and necrophilia." As crass caricatures go, it's a real rib-prodder. But it's not, thankfully, Dodgeball's only ace.

For starters there's Vince Vaughn, Starsky & Hutch's unsung villain again proving he has a knack for this comedy lark by bringing a ragged charm to the proceedings. Good job too, for it's his mangy underdog who gets most of the screentime.

He doesn't, however, get the top lines. That honour goes to Rip Torn's acerbic coach Patches O'Houlihan, a grizzled paraplegic who tags La Fleur's team ""as useful as a cock-flavoured lollipop"" before whipping them into some kind of shape. Next stop Las Vegas and the World Dodgeball Championship...

So what exactly is `dodgeball'? The craziest game to bruise our screens since BASEketball, that's what, with opposing players flinging balls at each others' faces - - and crotches - - across an open court. It's fast, it's furious, it's fabulously painful - - and you just know it's going to catch on in Blighty's playgrounds. Or not. Either way it makes for great physical comedy, La Fleur's misfits taking on amusingly un-PC teams (Germans, inner-city kids) in their quest to land the $50,000 prize money.

Dodgeball isn't subtle and it sure ain't flawless: the tournament commentators are no match for those Best In Show guys and Alan Tudyk's pirate-obsessed nutzoid belongs in Davy Jones' locker. But it is bloody funny. On a consistent basis. Which, when you think of it, isn't a bad start for a comedy...

America's obsession with winning takes a pounding in a comedy with muscles to spare. Another comic gem from the Ben Stiller stable.

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Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Reviewed by: Chris Monroe STAFF WRITER

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Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “A small local gym is threatened with extinction by a gleaming sports and fitness palace unless a group of social rejects can rise to victory in the ultimate dodge ball competition.”

G oing onto court and taking on a game with Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, prepare to be pelted, pummeled and pounded with humor, but ready to dodge the crassness it will throw at you as well. A unique backdrop and usual plot, this movie is sopping with slapstick comedy and sordid silliness. Written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and produced by Ben Stiller , this movie carries with it some of the same sportsmanship as Ben Stiller’s outlandish Zoolander.

Peter ( Vince Vaughn ) owns and operates Average Joe’s Gym, and due to negligence with his taxes, is about to lose his business. With only thirty days to come up with fifty thousand dollars, Peter and his other misfit friends decide to compete in a dodgeball competition where they can win the money. Besides overcoming their own shortcomings, they find their greatest competition with White Goodman ( Ben Stiller ) and his superiorly brawny crew at the high-powered Globo Gym across the street.

Playing against their usual types, Ben Stiller has been cast as the overly cocky, narcissistic, super-workout master and Vince Vaughn as the “average joe” type whom we like and can relate to. But keeping with his usual style, Stiller’s comedy rightfully lies in the fact that his character takes himself way too seriously. His character is fantastically adorned with the sleekest spandex, feathered hair and extreme arrogance to boot. As one of the commentators mentions during the final dodgeball competition, the story is much like a kind of David and Goliath showdown. Vaughn is the one whom we identify with and sympathize as he struggles to do the right thing.

The sporty feel to the whole movie and slapstick humor is entertaining. Many laughs can be had at some of the embellished, almost cartoon antics of it all. For example, when the average joe guys get a coach (Rip Torn), he trains them to dodge balls by first throwing wrenches at them. One guy he hits in the head. It’s so unexpected, but hilarious as it catches us of guard. The sound effects during the dodgeball games, and the fact that nearly everyone who is hit with a ball falls down, is also a bit far-fetched. But it all adds to the fun and hilarity of it all.

Some things to know before seeing the film is that there are crass jokes scattered throughout the movie. A lot of them are sexual and some are just plain crude. Most of them come from the average joe team’s gruff coach who delivers them in one-liners. There are also a few foul words and a surprising moment at the end where we discover somebody is a bisexual. Another event involves a mix-up of the team’s costumes with them wearing sadomasochistic outfits for one game. The sport commentators make a few references to these costumes while they play. The opening shot and a couple of other moments, too, highlight cheerleaders dancing and focus on their bottoms.

One idea this film clearly portrays has to do with pride. The bible talks extensively about it and its repercussions. White Goodman is clearly full of pride, while Peter is the humble “average joe.” Some biblical principals that are supported throughout this story are that, for one, pride comes before a fall. Expectantly, we see White lose—which is played out even at the very end of the credits. Also, Jesus said that he who exalts himself will be humbled, while he who humbles himself will be exalted. Obviously White suffers from his pride, but interestingly, we see the “average joe” guys humble themselves and work on their weaknesses, thereby becoming better by the end. Paul also stated that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

If you like physical humor, you could be in for some real belly laughs, but the raunchy humor can spoil the experience. The production value was nothing extraordinary, but very well done. They really have fun with some of the slow motion shots and exaggerated dodgeball playing. What was even more fun was the label on the box of money at the end that says “deus ex machina”—Greek for “machine of the gods”—referencing the Greek tragedy device, which is obviously being used at that moment.

Violence: Minor / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: Mild

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Marielle becomes suspicious when her sister-in-law escapes from a cult and seeks refuge at her home. When another cult member shows up on her doorstep, she fears her daughter is their next t... Read all Marielle becomes suspicious when her sister-in-law escapes from a cult and seeks refuge at her home. When another cult member shows up on her doorstep, she fears her daughter is their next target. Marielle becomes suspicious when her sister-in-law escapes from a cult and seeks refuge at her home. When another cult member shows up on her doorstep, she fears her daughter is their next target.

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The Veil review – Elisabeth Moss muddles through creaky spy series

The actor struggles with a distractingly unbelievable British accent in Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight’s tiresome espionage drama

T he intimidating glut of prestige shows rushed to air before the end of the Emmys eligibility period makes it harder than ever to know how one should portion out viewing time. Recent weeks have seen new projects from big names like Park Chan-Wook with stars such as Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas and Julianne Moore while the remaining days see actors like André Holland and Benedict Cumberbatch premiere dramas alongside the return of awards magnet Hacks.

There’s an inevitable impossibility for the average viewer, and voter, trying to schedule it all in and so certain shows will, and must, be sacrificed. The Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight’s globe-trotting spy drama The Veil is the perfect lamb for the job, a bafflingly bad time-waster that can be easily excised and promptly forgotten. It’s a hodgepodge of shows we’ve seen before – a bit of Killing Eve, a touch of Homeland – but it’s mostly reminiscent of a junky Netflix action movie only stretched over six episodes and with a laughably straight face. Perhaps if it had been told in less than two hours with more light-footed action to distract us, it might not have been such a slog.

One can see why an actor like Elisabeth Moss would find it an appealing prospect on paper, allowing her the opportunity to do something she’s never done before, a far freer and frothier role away from the relentless cycle of torture that is The Handmaid’s Tale. Even outside of the show, she’s kept herself in the wringer in punishing films like The Invisible Man, Shirley and Her Smell and shows like Top of the Lake and Shining Girls. One hopes she had more fun than we did here, a deserved break from the murk. Because as undercover MI6 agent Imogen Salter, she’s glumly unconvincing, a fault of Knight’s thin, dated Strong Female Lead characterisation (“Fuck the past, I need a martini!”) but also of an even more jarring affliction, a clanging British accent that she spends the majority of her energy wrestling with. It’s a hugely uncomfortable effort for her and for us and as wonderful as Moss so often is, this feels like a rare misstep.

Her character is forced into an unusual partnership with a suspected IS terrorist (the far more effective Yumna Marwan), who could either be predator or prey. Their dynamic, which twists and turns on a journey from Istanbul to Paris to London, is entirely juiceless, the idea of these two women trying to figure the other one out more compelling than what we’re lumped with, their banter often sounding closest to that of Knight’s worst film work, the Anne Hathaway stinkers Locked Down and Serenity . They bond over their shared love of Shakespeare (!) allowing for some clumsily inserted quotes and both hint at gradually revealed backstories, neither of which prove all that interesting.

Knight is insistent that we be absolutely astonished by his radical, rulebook-ravaging heroine – smoking, drinking, shagging and quipping her way across the world – in a way that feels so embarrassingly forced (as well as being a decade or two too late), we can never see past how he’s telling us to think about her to see her as a real or even interesting person. Every time she says something irreverent or does something unconventional, it’s never quite as sly or as surprising as Knight seems to believe it is, a character with an “obsession with annihilation” who’s awfully hard to get obsessed with. The show too is never as sleek or as smart as it wants to be, slowly, boringly unfolding with a creak, like a Gal Gadot action movie that thinks it’s a John Le Carre novel.

The Veil might just be a limited series, in more ways than one, but Imogen is clearly being positioned as a character who can be transplanted into new situations with new missions for her to take on, a pick up and drop game piece to be reused for endless seasons to come. But there’s nothing here that deserves expansion in a series that is already at breaking point. We’re led through the at times punishingly dull, four-and-a half-hour runtime with the promise of surprise but it never really comes. The only real shock is why, at a time of far too much TV, anyone would waste their time watching this.

The Veil starts on 30 April on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in Australia, and will air in UK at a later date

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The fall guy, common sense media reviewers.

High-octane smiles in stunt romcom; action violence, drugs.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

When you fall down, you gotta get back up and do i

Colt Seaver is very aspirational, doing daring and

Main characters Colt (Ryan Gosling), Jody (Emily B

Near-constant action violence -- flipping cars, ch

Plot is motivated by a love story. Flirting. Datin

Strong language includes "s--t," "ass," "a--hole,"

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Colt is unwittingly drugged and doesn't enjoy it,

Parents need to know that The Fall Guy is a big, boomy action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Like the 1980s TV series it's based on, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, poking fun at Hollywood while celebrating the hard, often unrecognized work of stunt performers. Gosling's Colt has a…

Positive Messages

When you fall down, you gotta get back up and do it again. Honest communication is essential to a strong relationship. Supporting the people you love and respect is an important job. Finish what you start.

Positive Role Models

Colt Seaver is very aspirational, doing daring and dangerous stunts, outsmarting villains, and getting the girl. He's also able to admit to his mistakes and try to correct them, and he demonstrates integrity and humility while searching for the truth. Jody is a camera operator who becomes a director (both fields that have been historically tough for women to crack in Hollywood); she's serious about her work and doesn't let Colt get away with his iffy treatment of her. Stunt coordinator Dan is a good, supportive friend who helps Colt solve the mystery. Gail is tightly wound but effective at getting things done; Tom is a self-centered, overconfident blowhard who seems like a parody of Hollywood action stars.

Diverse Representations

Main characters Colt (Ryan Gosling), Jody (Emily Blunt), Gail (Hannah Waddingham), and Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) are White. Colt's best buddy, Dan (Winston Duke), is Black; he's the stunt supervisor on the movie, which puts him in charge of a lot of people. Tom's resourceful assistant is played by Chinese American actor Stephanie Hsu, and there are other characters of color in smaller/background roles, though the only brown character with a notable speaking part (Matuse, who's Arab Australian) has a cliched role as a drug dealer. Jody achieves her goal of becoming a director and is shown extensively on the job, leading her crew. There look to be as many women as men working on the production, including women of color, and women are just as able in fights as men (both Jody and Hsu's character deliver some serious smackdowns). The movie's plot revolves around stunt performers, who are famously unrecognized for doing the most dangerous work and getting little credit.

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Violence & Scariness

Near-constant action violence -- flipping cars, chases, huge jumps, serious falls, fistfights, being set on fire, explosions, pyrotechnics, battling with swords, etc. -- much of which is shown in the context of being stunts for a sci-fi movie, with cameras and safety gear present. In "real life," Colt faces villains who beat him up (with some blood/injuries), chase him, and shoot at him; he's often in deep peril, but the dialogue and winking tone help remind viewers that none of it is real. Prop and "real" weapons (guns, swords, bottles) are used, an attack dog bites baddies in the groin, tasers are used, a dead body is seen, and characters briefly think that someone important to them has died. One serious on-set accident is life-threatening, but the crash itself isn't shown, just the before and after (but the after leads to hospitalization).

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Sex, Romance & Nudity

Plot is motivated by a love story. Flirting. Dating montage. Kisses. Desirable things are described as "sexy bacon."

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Strong language includes "s--t," "ass," "a--hole," "d--k," "p---y," " bitch," "balls," "damn," "goddamn," "hell," "for God's sake," "oh my God," "Jesus Christ," "bulls--t," "dips--t," and one somewhat hard to hear use of "f--king." Several middle-finger gestures.

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Products & Purchases

One character is constantly drinking Diet Coke, and Colt's brown and gold GMC pickup truck is heavily featured (as it was in the original TV show). Other vehicles are also featured, including Dodge, Audi, and Hummer. Other brands/logos seen include iPhone, Caterpillar, Hydroflask, NASA, Miami Vice .

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Colt is unwittingly drugged and doesn't enjoy it, although his trip is played for laughs. A drug dealer initially seems menacing but is ultimately a coward. References to a high-status but unlikeable character partying and doing drugs, which leads to negative consequences. Drinking throughout (beer, champagne, shots). At a bar, Colt orders a famously non-alcoholic drink, the Shirley Temple. He and Jody talk about drinking margaritas together.

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Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Fall Guy is a big, boomy action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt . Like the 1980s TV series it's based on, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, poking fun at Hollywood while celebrating the hard, often unrecognized work of stunt performers. Gosling's Colt has a life-threatening injury in the beginning of the movie (though the accident itself isn't shown), but, beyond that, stunt work is made to look really cool, even aspirational. The movie was directed by former stunt performer David Leitch , who's known for creating some of the industry's best action sequences, and it has tons of action violence and peril, as well as a glimpse of a dead body and another implied death. But viewers are constantly reminded that most of the physical fights, attacks, shoot-outs, car crashes, explosions, and -- of course -- giant jumps, car rolls, and falls, are stunts. Drug use is part of the storyline, and while it's not presented in a positive light, the consequences are funny. Characters also drink (beer, tequila shots, champagne) and swear ("s--t," "goddamn," "a--hole," "p---y," and more, plus one use of "f--king"), and the movie's romantic elements include flirting and kissing. There are clear messages about persistence and integrity, as well as the importance of honest communication. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (6)
• Kids say (9)

Based on 6 parent reviews

A fun movie!

What's the story.

Colt Seavers ( Ryan Gosling ) is THE FALL GUY, an experienced stunt performer who recently suffered a near-career (and life) ending injury on set. During his first post-recovery gig, trouble brews when Colt learns the movie's self-centered star, Tom Ryder ( Aaron Taylor-Johnson ), is missing, and that first-time director Jody ( Emily Blunt ) -- who also happens to be Colt's former girlfriend -- is frantically trying to save the film. Can he save the day? (Be sure to watch through closing credits, which show the actual stunt performers doing the stunts you just saw in the movie.)

Is It Any Good?

Director David Leitch 's reimagining of the 1980s TV series starring Lee Majors series is a kick, a happy adrenaline rush that's a fun pick for families with teens to watch together. You can absolutely enjoy it without having ever seen the original show, but fans should be assured that Leitch brings back what matters: the reveal of the grueling, dangerous work that stunt performers do to entertain us and the easy, casual cool of Colt Seavers. Colt, who's as aspirational as it gets (especially as played by Gosling), is also a great role model because he's effortlessly humble. It feels like humility is a quality that entertainment seems to have forgotten in recent years -- a lapse that's spilled over into real life, too. But as the catchy theme song goes (here performed with energetic verve by Blake Shelton), a stunt performer knows: "I might fall from a tall building, I might roll a brand new car, because I'm the unknown stuntman, who made Redford such a star."

Other than Colt and Jody, the characters are comedically exaggerated and the story isn't based in reality. This is another nod to the silliness of '80s action TV -- remember, this was the era of Mr. T and Kitt the talking car. But the plot doesn't really matter all that much Instead, Leitch offers moviegoers a peek of what life is like on set -- including laughing at the earned characteristics of those in certain roles (the frazzled, diet soda-slurping producer, the egomaniac movie star, the assistant director who manages through threats, etc.). And he gives gives us the joy of feeling like we're part of the film crew, riding wires, dodging bullets, and laughing alongside Colt. Yes, it's maybe a little goofy, but The Fall Guy is also just so much fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the courage , humility , and resilience it takes to work as a stunt performer. How is that shown in The Fall Guy ? Why are these important character strengths, no matter your age or profession?

How did the action violence make you feel? Did you ever feel like it was "real" or feel afraid or worried? Did the behind-the-scenes glimpses -- both as seen through Colt's eyes and the actual making-of footage during the credits -- impact how you internalized the violence and peril?

Is drug use glamorized in The Fall Guy ? If getting high is shown as funny, even if the character isn't enjoying it, does that unintentionally make drug use look fun? Why, or why not?

Did you learn anything about how movies are made from watching? Why do you think the fake (and real) movie filmed in Australia?

Why is Jody's occupation a notable example of female representation? Why is it important to show her doing her job extensively and capably? Why do you think there are so few female movie directors when there are more women than men graduating from film school? What can we, as moviegoers, do to change that?

Movie Details

• In theaters : May 3, 2024
• Cast : Ryan Gosling , Emily Blunt , Hannah Waddingham , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Winston Duke
• Director : David Leitch
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Topics : Great Boy Role Models
• Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Humility
• Run time : 126 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : action and violence, drug content and some strong language
• Last updated : May 5, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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