The Movie Like Dodgeball That Sports Comedy Fans Need To See
"Dodgeball" has pretty much everything you could want out of a mid-2000s comedy. The cast includes members of the Frat Pack — namely Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller — who play off well against the likes of Justin Long, Christine Taylor, and Alan Tudyk. There's plenty of physical comedy watching grown adults throw dodgeballs at one another, as well as classic gags, such as a Girl Scout being caught using performance-enhancing drugs.
Granted, not every joke has aged well. The Lance Armstrong cameo where the cyclist gives a motivational pep talk about the importance of hard work even when facing extreme obstacles comes across in a very different light in the aftermath of Armstrong's own performance-enhancing scandal. But when looking at the film overall, it's held up as a prime example of a goofball comedy in the disguise of a sports movie.
Once you've finished laughing at the "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball" sequence, you may wonder what you should check out next. "Dodgeball" certainly isn't the first comedic sports movie, and while "Goon" and "Talladega Nights" are classics in their own rights, there's an oft-overlooked sports classic that's very much worth watching if you want to keep the good times rolling.
7 Days in Hell is a celebrity-filled, comedic masterpiece on HBO Max
Andy Samberg is a comedic tour de force, as evidenced in his starring roles in films like "Hot Rod" and "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping," but if you want to see what he can accomplish in the span of 45 minutes, then you better have an HBO Max subscription. In 2015 (when HBO Max was still just HBO), the actor starred in a mockumentary directed by Jake Szymanski that chronicles a fictitious tennis matchup where two players — Aaron Williams (Samberg) and Charles Poole (Kit Harington) — engage in a singles match that spans an entire week.
For each day of the match, something hilarious winds up happening to force them to push it back another day, and while Samberg and Harington are great as two athletes who refuse to concede, the movie also manages to squeeze in a ton of talent within its relatively short runtime, including Jon Hamm as the narrator — in case you're having trouble placing the voice. Some of the other famous faces you'll see in the cast include Karen Gillan, Will Forte, Howie Mandel, Fred Armisen, June Squibb, Lena Dunham, and Michael Sheen. The movie also features some of the biggest real-life stars in tennis history, including Serena Williams, John McEnroe, and Chris Evert.
This is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, but as you watch it, you find yourself becoming more and more invested. You recognize that the whole thing is ridiculous, but you just want to make it to the ending so that you can see who ultimately emerges victorious. It's great for both comedy and sports lovers, so check it out now if you're an HBO Max subscriber.