"Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" (Rated PG-13; List price: $29.98)
Release date: Dec. 7
A movie about an elementary school playground sport hardly sounds like the recipe for box office success. But somehow "Dodgeball," a formulaic but often funny comedy starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, managed to gross $114 million in the United States and more than $166 million worldwide during its theatrical release. Chalk it up to the football-in-the-groin effect: Everybody loves to watch other people getting hit in the face by flying objects.
Ben Stiller dives in "Dodgeball," a DVD that may be wiser to rent than buy.
(Tracy Bennett - AP)
|
|
There's certainly plenty of that in the movie and on the DVD's extras, which include four short featurettes; a gag reel; Easter eggs; and a commentary track by Vaughn, Stiller and first-time writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber, previously known for directing the "Terry Tate, Office Linebacker" commercial that aired during the 2002 Super Bowl.
"Dodgeball's" extras are brief, but intermittently entertaining (did I mention that people constantly get hit in the face with flying objects?). Still, I'm not sure this DVD needs to be a permanent fixture in anyone's collection. The features, while intermittently amusing, can easily be watched in an hour or two. "Dodgeball" may be more deserving of a place in your Netflix queue rather than on your holiday wish list.
Hidden Bonus Point: Click on the Purple Cobras logo on the Special Features menu screen to access a laugh-out-loud Easter egg featuring Stiller, who's wearing the fat suit he dons toward the end of the movie. "Every time I snap my fingers during the movie, hit enter," he says to the camera. "Then you'll get your precious Easter eggs. Have fun in nerdville." Being a DVD nerd, of course I had to see if this were true. Turns out it is: Press enter on your remote every time Stiller's character, White Goodman, snaps his fingers and you can access additional outtakes from the movie.
Most Amusing Bonus Point: Justin Long -- who played one of the greatest TV characters ever, Warren Cheswick on NBC's dearly departed "Ed" -- gets his own featurette entitled "Justin Long: A Study in Ham and Cheese." It includes a couple of deleted scenes, as well as an extended, continuous take of Long getting reamed repeatedly by dodgeballs. That's acting, people.
Most Skippable Bonus Point: Thurber does most of the talking during the commentary track, which could have been funnier with a little more input from Stiller and Vaughn. Maybe they were tired from taking all of those blows to the head.
Neglected Bonus Point: Gary Cole and Jason Bateman made memorable cameos in the movie as loopy sports announcers covering the climactic dodgeball tournament for ESPN 8: the Ocho. So why are they -- and the Ocho -- absent from the extra features? More fake sports coverage, or perhaps even a tongue-in-cheek documentary about the ludicrous network, would have been a welcome addition to this disc.
Coming in next week's "Bonus Points": "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" Platinum Series Special Extended Edition and "Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition." And don't forget to check out the DVD holiday gift guide.
If you have feedback about "Bonus Points" or want to suggest a DVD for review, e-mail Jen Chaney.
