“They just don’t make them like they used to” is a common phrase among comedy fans. Whether its the result of “woke” culture, the rise of streaming platforms or a lack of effort, Hollywood just can’t seem to produce the bangers we were accustomed to at the start of the new millennium.
Mindless Tik Tok-loving youngsters won’t remember, but the first decade of the 21st century gave birth to an endless list of hilarious films, including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Borat, Step Brothers, Superbad, The Hangover and hundreds of others. Actors such as Will Ferrell, Steve Carell and Seth Rogen were at the peak of their powers, crafting some of the most iconic characters that have ever existed.
While it seems that everything “funny” today has an underlying serious message, the ’00s was a period when we celebrated the stupid and silly in its purest form, and that’s the perfect way to describe the cult classic that is Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Providing a glimmer of hope for us all, Vince Vaughn recently suggested a sequel is in the works.
Starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, 2004’s Dodgeball boasts a lasting legacy thanks to its brilliant writing and iconic jokes, many of which are still referenced today. For example, the “That’s a bold strategy, Cotton” line has become one of the biggest memes to ever exist on the internet. Additionally, lines like “if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball” and “L for Love” has become part of our collective common vernacular. Take notes, Kevin Hart.
Fellow Dodgeball star Justin Long sent fans into a frenzy last week when he said his Average Joes teammate Vince Vaughn planned to revisit the movie. He admitted convincing Ben Stiller to revive his role as White Goodman was going to be a tough task but was confident his tall co-star could get the job done. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vaughn implied Stiller has begun to embrace the idea of the sequel that also caught the attention of the studio the former pitched it to.
“They’ve always talked about these things forever and I had an idea that was fun and the studio likes it, so we’ll see where it goes,” Vaughn said. I think Ben is open to doing it, I think he’s in the same boat as me actually which is if it’s a really fun and great idea then that’s fun, but if it’s just something to go do it again then why?”
He continued: “You would just want to make sure going into Dodgeball that it feels like a nice continuation and a story that could stand on its own. I think for all of us if it feels right and it’s funny, it would be something to go back to, and if it’s not, it’s just another idea getting kicked around.”
While excited at the prospect of a second Dodgeball film, one only has to look at the disappointing run of comedy sequels to remain cautiously optimistic. Based on how Anchorman 2 and Zoolander 2 were received, it’s easy to see why the likes of Stiller and others are hesitant to jump straight into another project. With that said, we pray they pull it off, and we can laugh like we once did.