10 Basic Mistakes That Ruin Movies
2. Average Joe's Cheated - Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story doesn't really work as a movie if schlub Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) and his gym Average Joe's aren't likeable heroes who triumph over the tyrannical Globo Gym against massive odds.
But Average Joe's victory in the climactic dodgeball tournament is tainted by one unfortunate filmmaking gaffe - during the final sudden death phase between Peter and rival White Goodman (Ben Stiller), Peter breaks the rules.
The referee very clearly states that "both feet must remain in the triangle at all times," but the wide shot of Peter's winning throw shows Peter's left foot blatantly outside of the triangle.
This should've immediately invalidated the victorious throw, ensuring that Peter only got to keep Average Joe's afloat by cheating - or if you want to be more charitable to him, unknowingly breaking the rules. He is blindfolded at this point, after all.
Even so, given that Dodgeball's ending is meant to be a fist-pumping moment of satisfaction for the audience, the fact that Peter only achieved it through deeply dodgy means makes it - and in turn the entire throughline of the movie - feel somewhat hollow.