Get ready to play in April. From literal game playing in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story to more sophisticated forms of social game playing in It’s Complicated and Pirate Radio, this month offers fun diversions on DVD. While there’s nothing sophisticated about Napoleon Dynamite – the direction, acting, and story all reflect low-budget indie filmmaking at its best – this runaway comedy hit from 2004 makes a game out of social awkwardness.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2010) Two-Pack Format DVD and Blu-ray
This smash comedy hit from 2004 features a narcissistic gym owner and his pumped-up team of bodybuilders out to even the score with a slovenly group of Average Joes during a dodgeball competition. Coached by the perverse old dodgeball star Patches O’Houlihan, the big-hearted group of misfits does its best to beat the rich and beautiful people.
- Starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor, Rip Torn, Justin Long, Jason Bateman, Gary Cole, Stephen Root, Alan Tudyk, Joel Moore, Missi Pyle
- Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
- Writers: David Diamond, David Weissman
- Genre: Raunchy Comedy
- Discs: 2 (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Run Time: 92 minutes
- Rating: Unrated (theatrical version had a PG-13 rating for crude humor and language)
- DVD Release Date: April 6, 2010
- Additional Information: Lance Armstrong, Hank Azaria, Chuck Norris, William Shatner have cameos in the film.
Napoleon Dynamite (2010) Two-Pack Format DVD and Blu-ray
This indie phenomenon from 2004 features a nerdy high school student and his odd family and friends. Alienated from others in his small Midwestern town because of his bad attitude and general geekiness, Napoleon puts his limited skills to use promoting his new friend for class president, dealing with his bizarre family, and courting an awkward girl from school.
- Starring Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Diedrich Bader, Tina Majorino, Haylie Duff, Sandy Martin, Trevor Snarr
- Director: Jared Hess
- Writers: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess
- Genre: Comedy
- Discs: 2 (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Run Time: 95 minutes
- Rating: PG (for thematic elements and language)
- DVD Release Date: April 6, 2010
- Additional Information: Visit the official website for Napoleon Dynamite.
Pirate Radio (2010) DVD and Blu-ray
From 2009, this period comedy concerns an illegal radio station in 1966 that operated from a boat in the North Sea. Set in Great Britain, where rock music was severely limited by the BBC during this time, a pirate radio station located off the coast was determined to keep things rocking.
- Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Darby, Nick Frost, Michael Hadley, Charlie Rowe, Lucy Fleming, Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, January Jones
- Director: Richard Curtis
- Writer: Richard Curtis
- Genre: Comedy
- Discs: 1
- Run Time: 116 minutes
- Rating: R (for language, and some sexual content including brief nudity)
- DVD Release Date: April 13, 2010
- Additional Information: Also known as The Boat That Rocked.
It’s Complicated (2010) DVD and Blu-ray
From 2009, this Nancy Meyers romantic comedy stars big name middle-aged actors in a mixed-up tale of love and lust. While attending their son’s college graduation, a divorced couple feels the spark of love rekindled even though they both have other romantic commitments. Despite these complications, their love affair persists.
- Starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Mary Kay Place, Rita Wilson, Alexandra Wentworth, Hunter Parrish, Nora Dunn
- Director: Nancy Meyers
- Writer: Nancy Meyers
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Discs: 1
- Run Time: 120 minutes
- Rating: R (for drug content and sexuality)
- DVD Release Date: April 27, 2010
For more information about any of these films, visit Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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