Big summer comedies and sports movies traditionally have triumphant happy endings, butThurber wantedDodgeballto subvert genre norms.
Reactions to Thurbers original ending forDodgeballmade the studio nervous.
Thurbers ending was shown at test screenings, and audiences responded negatively to the downbeat ending forDodgeball.
It is cathartic to see Peter not just save Average Joes but take over the Globo Gym franchise.
The rewatchability factor ofDodgeballdrops precipitously if the last thing the audience sees is Globo Gym tearing down Average Joes.
Dodgeballis a celebration of the little guy, a true underdog story.
The lighthearted nature and endless quotability ofDodgeballsuffers if the ending is made cynical for the sake of subverting genre.
Deus Ex Machina is a Latin term for a plot gadget that changes the outcome of a story.
Every character inDodgeballgets the absurd ending they deserve.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is a 2004 comedy directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn. Vaughn plays Peter La Fleur, the owner of a struggling gym who has fallen behind on payments. But after White Goodman (Ben Stiller) threatens to buy his competitor’s gym, Peter and his gang enter a dodgeball tournament to raise money.
Peter gets Kate, as well as Kates girlfriend.
The final thingDodgeballleaves the audience with is White saying:
Hope youre happy.
Good guy wins, bad guy loses.
Big friggin surprise… Thats the problem with the American cinema, it cant handle any complexity in it.
Dont make me think!
I just want to be entertained!
Vaughn plays Peter La Fleur, the owner of a struggling gym who has fallen behind on payments.
