In the interest of full disclosure, I must start by saying I write this as a filmmaker who has spent the last six months carting his own short film around the festival circuit. I've only crossed paths with "Dodgeball" at two festivals so far, but after watching at least 200 short films this year, it's my opinion that Dodgeball is one of the funniest--maybe THE funniest--short out there.
One thing that separates Dodgeball from other comedy shorts is its longer running time (22 minutes, but drum-tight). It plays more like a feature comedy than a quick joke. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the setup/punch-line shorts of Sundance and Slamdance. They're a lot of fun. But after you've seen a dozen of them, they start to melt together in memory. It's nice to see a truly funny short like Dodgeball, that actually knows how to employ character-based humor.
Also, the production values are flawless, and there isn't a single hiccup in the performances. I wasn't surprised to see a casting director credited at the end of the film. Above all, it's a fun film to watch with an audience. At both festival screenings I attended, the crowd ate it up.
Lastly, if I can talk shop for a minute, one thing I've learned on the festival circuit is that a good FESTIVAL short isn't necessarily the same thing as a good CALLING CARD short. Festival pieces are short and snappy crowd pleasers that don't normally demonstrate whether or not their directors can handle the complexity of feature-length material. On the other hand, a good calling card film shows facility with feature film characteristics, such as character development, structure and pace, often resulting in a longer, slower, less festival-friendly film. But "Dodgeball" is one of the rare shorts that is both a natural festival piece AND a great calling card. Frankly, it makes me jealous...And from a filmmaker, that's the ultimate compliment!
