Top 10 Dodgeball Movies
What are the most popular dodgeball movies?
- Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
- Billy Madison
- Bad Moms Christmas
- Wonder
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green
- Chicken Little
- St. Vincent
- Bad Teacher
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
- My Spy
1. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
The holy grail of dodgeball movies is hands down the movie Dodgeball. Released in 2004, this laugh-out-loud comedy stars Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn as adversaries in a dodgeball tournament. Dodgeball is about a small gym owner named Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) whose gym, called the Average Joe’s Gymnasium, is about to be foreclosed on if they do not raise enough money after defaulting on the gym’s mortgage. A member at Average Joe's suggests that the gym enter themselves into the Las Vegas dodgeball tournament as the grand prize is $50,000. They agree, and they train, learning all of the important rules and tactics in dodgeball, including the iconic 5 D’s - dodge, duck, dive, dip, and dodge.
2. Billy Madison
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
Billy Madison is a very well-known movie, produced by and starring comedian Adam Sandler. The movie is about a childish man named Billy Madison (Adam Sandler) who never graduated from elementary school. In typical Sandler fashion, this movie is full of silly and crude comedy. This movie deserves to be on this list for top dodgeball movies because of the iconic dodgeball scene. This PG-13, cringey comedy movie is still very popular since its release in 1995.
3. Bad Moms Christmas
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
This raunchy, R rated movie definitely deserves a spot on the top dodgeball movies for their hilarious dodgeball scene. Bad Moms Christmas is about a group of tired and overworked moms who try to take on the holiday season, planning family gatherings and hosting dinners. One scene in the movie shows all of the mothers, their children, and the mother’s mothers spending time at a trampoline park, and one daughter asks her grandmother if she wants to play dodgeball. The daughter’s mom (played by Mila Kunis) interrupts and tells her daughter that grandmothers do not play dodgeball. Offended, the grandmothers decide to play and go against their children and grandchildren. This results in a fierce dodgeball game, ending in a sudden death round. The slow-motion of the cinematography of this dodgeball game adds to the laughter from the audience. This movie was released during Christmastime in 2017 and earned $130 million dollars in the box office.
4. Wonder
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
Wonder is a heartwarming story about a young boy named August Pullman with Treacher Collins syndrome who decides to attend an elementary school after being home-schooled his entire life. Starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as the boy’s parents, this story discusses themes of acceptance and compassion as this syndrome creates a facial deformity. This movie is on the top dodgeball movies list because of the dodgeball scene portrayed. This dodgeball scene shows August being pelted with many balls and clearly being a target of bullying. This is an important scene in the beginning of the movie because over time, you see those same kids who targeted August, stop bullying and accept August for who he is. This movie clearly sat well with the audience, earning $305 million dollars in the box office with a rating of PG for the whole family to watch.
5. The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a sweet, whimsical movie about a married couple who receives the greatest gift of all, a child. Starring Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton as the married couple, they stumble upon a young boy named Timothy in their garden and after learning about how he has no family, they decide to raise him and embark on parenting. Knowing little about the world, Timothy finds himself in a game of dodgeball outside. Not sure what to do, Timothy just bounces around and enjoys himself, not anxious or worried about if he might be pummeled with a ball. This uplifting movie earned $56 million dollar in the box office and warmed the hearts of their viewers.
6. Chicken Little
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
Chicken Little is an animated children’s comedy released in 2005 all with anthropomorphic animals that has a classic dodgeball scene. This movie is about Chicken Little, a tiny talking male chicken, who claims that the sky is falling. The whole town goes into chaos but then nothing happens, so Chicken Little gets a bad reputation in the community. In the movie the gym teacher decides that the class will play dodgeball. Chicken Little and his friends use their dancing skills to help them dodge the ball, with the song “Everybody Dance Now” playing in the background. This children’s movie is enjoyable for both children and parents. This movie was Disney’s first fully computer-animated feature film before merging with Pixar.
7. St. Vincent
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
St. Vincent earns this position on the list of top dodgeball movies because of the movie’s dodgeball scene and the renown actors starring in the movie. The movie stars Bill Murray as a drunken, distasteful man named Vincent living in Brooklyn who agrees to watch his new neighbor’s (played by Melissa McCarthy) 12-year-old son, Oliver. Most see Vincent as a total lowlife and the bad influence he must be on this child, however, Vincent and Oliver form a friendship. In the movie, Oliver is struggling with school as he is being bullied, so Vincent teaches Oliver how to defend himself. Vincent specifically teaches Oliver how to break someone’s nose, so in school the next day in gym class, Oliver decides to target his bully while they play dodgeball, and Oliver breaks his bully’s nose. This comedy drama shows that there is good even in the darkest of humans.
8. Bad Teacher
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
Bad Teacher is an R rated, 2011 comedy that earns this position on this list due to its association with dodgeball in a popular scene. The movie stars Cameron Diaz as a lazy, greedy teacher named Elizabeth Halsey who learns that she could earn a huge bonus if her students, whomst she previously did not care about whatsoever, received the highest state test score. Upon this new knowledge, she decides to quickly change her teaching methods towards a more consequence-based teaching method. In this popular scene, Ms. Halsey is testing her students’ knowledge on the famous book, To Kill a Mockingbird, in the gymnasium. If a student does not answer correctly, Ms. Halsey hurls a dodgeball at them. At the end of that scene, a student answers the question correctly, so Ms. Halsey tosses the dodgeball over for the student to throw it at her. The gym teacher walks in at this point, and the audience expects the gym teacher to stop this, but the gym teacher actually gives advice to the students on how to throw the dodgeball.
9. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a fun mixed-animation movie about the most renown trio of chipmunks. In the pun-intended ‘squeakquel,’ Alvin, Simon, and Theodore halt their stardom and decide to return back to school. Just like in any other high school, Alvin and the Chipmunks attend all of their assigned classes, including physical education. The gym class is divided into two teams to play dodgeball, and all three chipmunks are put on one team, and a bunch of jocks are on the other. In this hilarious scene, the viewers see both humans and computer-animated chipmunks playing the game of dodgeball. Simon is the first one to be hit, with Theordore following soon behind, leaving Alvin to fend off the rest of the jocks. Alvin ends up winning for his team. This cute movie is enjoyable to watch with the whole family. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel was clearly loved by all as it earned over $443 million dollars in 2007.
10. My Spy
Warning: Possible Spoilers Ahead
My Spy is the newest released film to make this list, and the first to be released only on a streaming service. My Spy is an Amazon Original movie about an undercover CIA agent named JJ who is tasked to surveil a family, but has quickly blown his cover as the family’s daughter, Sophia, discovers his true agendas. Sophia makes a deal with JJ, stating that she will not tell her family as long as JJ spends time with Sophia. The two form this unlikely friendship, and JJ finds himself wanting to be protective over Sophia. This protective side results in a scene where Sophia brings JJ to a dodgeball game and JJ immediately scares all of the other kids off by even just holding a dodgeball due to his sheer size. This comedic scene blends in well with the heartwarming scenes in the movie.