DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
White Goodman (Ben Stiller) is the owner and founder of Globo Gym, and would love nothing more than owning Average Joe's Gymnasium. Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) doesn't want to lose his gym to Goodman, but can't find a way to get $50,000 in time. Peter and his gang of gym buddies think of ways to raise money, finally settling on winning a dodge ball tournament. White Goodman retaliates by creating his own dodge ball team to finish off Peter. Peter's team doesn't do too well, until legendary ADAA champ Patches O'Houlihan (Rip Torn) turns up ready to train them.
Despite a respectable budget of $20.0M, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story became a box office phenomenon, earning $168.4M worldwide—a remarkable 742% return.
2 wins & 9 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004) exhibits meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of Rawson Marshall Thurber's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 32 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Peter LaFleur runs Average Joe's Gym, a rundown establishment with oddball members. He's laid-back to the point of apathy, coasting through life without ambition or direction, unable to pay his bills.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when White Goodman reveals that Average Joe's will be foreclosed in 30 days unless Peter pays $50,000. The gym and the misfits' safe haven are threatened with extinction.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 22 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Peter and the Average Joe's team actively commit to entering the dodgeball tournament. They register for the competition, crossing into the world of competitive dodgeball despite having no experience., moving from reaction to action.
At 45 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Average Joe's defeats a favored team and reaches the finals against Globo Gym. They're one game away from victory and saving the gym. This false victory raises stakes—they seem destined to win, but the real challenge is yet to come., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 68 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Peter quits the team and sells Average Joe's to White Goodman for $100,000. He abandons his friends at their lowest moment. Patches is dead (literal death), and Peter's spirit dies as he betrays everything they fought for., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 73 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Patches appears as a ghost/vision, telling Peter: "You're better than that!" Peter has an epiphany, realizing he must stop running from challenges. He bets his $100,000 on his team as a long-shot, combining his newfound courage with strategic thinking., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story against these established plot points, we can identify how Rawson Marshall Thurber utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story within the comedy genre.
Rawson Marshall Thurber's Structural Approach
Among the 5 Rawson Marshall Thurber films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Rawson Marshall Thurber filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Rawson Marshall Thurber analyses, see Central Intelligence, Skyscraper and We're the Millers.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Peter LaFleur runs Average Joe's Gym, a rundown establishment with oddball members. He's laid-back to the point of apathy, coasting through life without ambition or direction, unable to pay his bills.
Theme
Patches O'Houlihan on TV: "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." The theme of facing challenges head-on, transforming through adversity, and finding strength in the underdog position is introduced.
Worldbuilding
We meet the Average Joe's members: Justin the male cheerleader, Gordon the sci-fi nerd, Dwight the pirate enthusiast, Owen the clueless romantic, and Steve the Pirate. Across the street, White Goodman runs Globo Gym, a corporate fitness empire, and covets Peter's property.
Disruption
White Goodman reveals that Average Joe's will be foreclosed in 30 days unless Peter pays $50,000. The gym and the misfits' safe haven are threatened with extinction.
Resistance
Peter considers giving up and selling to White. Kate Walker, the lawyer, joins the gym and plants the idea of fighting back. The group discovers a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament with a $50,000 prize and debates whether they can actually compete.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Peter and the Average Joe's team actively commit to entering the dodgeball tournament. They register for the competition, crossing into the world of competitive dodgeball despite having no experience.
Mirror World
Patches O'Houlihan appears in a wheelchair to train the team. This gruff, abusive mentor represents the film's thematic core: tough love, resilience, and believing in yourself when no one else does. Kate and Peter's romantic subplot also develops.
Premise
Training montages, early tournament rounds, and the "fun and games" of watching misfits compete in dodgeball. The team bonds, learns Patches' brutal methods, and surprisingly advances through the tournament. White Goodman assembles his own Globo Gym Purple Cobras team to crush them.
Midpoint
Average Joe's defeats a favored team and reaches the finals against Globo Gym. They're one game away from victory and saving the gym. This false victory raises stakes—they seem destined to win, but the real challenge is yet to come.
Opposition
White Goodman seduces Kate to psychologically destroy Peter. Patches dies in a freak accident. The team faces increasing pressure and Peter's leadership wavers. White's sabotage intensifies, and Peter's old patterns of avoidance resurface.
Collapse
Peter quits the team and sells Average Joe's to White Goodman for $100,000. He abandons his friends at their lowest moment. Patches is dead (literal death), and Peter's spirit dies as he betrays everything they fought for.
Crisis
Peter wallows in a Vegas strip club, having given up completely. The team is devastated and hopeless. This is the dark night where Peter must confront who he really is and what matters.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Patches appears as a ghost/vision, telling Peter: "You're better than that!" Peter has an epiphany, realizing he must stop running from challenges. He bets his $100,000 on his team as a long-shot, combining his newfound courage with strategic thinking.
Synthesis
Peter returns and leads Average Joe's in the championship finals against Globo Gym. The final dodgeball match sees the underdog team using everything they learned. It comes down to Peter versus White in sudden death. Peter wins, saves the gym, and gets the girl.
Transformation
Peter now owns both gyms. He's transformed from apathetic slacker to confident leader. Average Joe's thrives with its misfit family intact, while Peter turns Globo Gym into a paradise for outcasts. He's become the hero who stands up for the little guy.