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Dodgeball is my absolute favorite film. Back when I had access to cable, if Dodgeball was on, I’d drop everything and watch it. The only other films I’d do that for are Lord of the Rings and X-Men; both series are objectively better films, so that says…something. I love Dodgeball, and I am not ashamed of it. 

Here’s IMDB’s synopsis: “A group of misfits enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain.” Featuring Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Vince Vaughn, this movie was either going to bomb or be brilliant. I personally say it was brilliant. 

What the hell does a dodgeball movie have to do with heritage conservation?

It may seem as though I’m grasping at straws when looking for preservation themes in a film like this, like maybe I just love this film so I’m finding easter eggs where there are none. But I promise that is not the case, and I’ve got the proof. 

First - let’s look at that synopsis again and break it down. Dodgeball is about a bunch of goofballs who don’t fit in anywhere else and find safety and community at a tiny local gym called Average Joe’s. Right across the street, you have Globo Gym, a meathead gym that prioritizes conformity, physical beauty, and profit. The gym's owner, White Goodman (Ben Stiller), has decided to buy Average Joe’s Gym and tear it down to build a parking lot, thus destroying a place where so many…” average joes” have found refuge. The group at Average Joe’s then tries to save their little gym through various methods, finally landing on a Dodgeball competition that would cover the taxes owed on the place.

Heritage conservation is about saving places that matter. 

Places that deserve saving aren’t always the pretty house, or the government building, or the piece of public art created by a renowned artist. Often, heritage conservation is about protecting places that are emotionally tied to a community. It’s about the little restaurant that’s been in a family for decades. It’s about the community center that offers low-cost art classes that inspire creativity. It’s about the little church that brings people together every Sunday. Hell, It’s about the little gyms where people can make friends and work out in peace and comfort.

It’s the little spots that build close community ties.

I bet you anything the gym-goers at Globo Gym aren’t friends. And if they are, I bet those friendships are as shallow as the puddles in the gym showers.

Example: I don’t go to an AMC theater to make friends; I go for the reclining seats, Dolby blacks, that damn popcorn, and Nicole Kidman’s commercial. When I want to connect with community, I don’t want a big theater; I want a movie night in a coffee shop or bookstore. I want to get a bunch of friends together to hang out and maybe make more friends. I don’t care if the popcorn is good so long as the vibe is.

There is always space for enjoying state-of-the-art amenities, but we also need intimate spaces. Intimacy encourages lifelong bonds. When you tear down places like Average Joe’s, you replace intimacy with money, and that’s a big issue we’re dealing with in the US now: late-stage capitalism.

I told you, didn’t I?

Sure, Dodgeball is Dodgeball. It’s a bunch of grown men getting their asses whipped by Girls Scouts and Kate (Christine Taylor) being obsessed with unicorns, and White’s shiny white shoes and dodging wrenches and cars. It’s ridiculous. But it makes for a great conversation on community, conservation, and building waste. And you don’t even need to look that hard. 

You can watch Dodgeball on Hulu and buy/rent it pretty much anywhere else.

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