Lords of Dogtown

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Lords of Dogtown

PG-13,

2005,

1h 46m,

Biography/

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

55%

141 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

141 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

A drought in the 1970s Southern California has an unexpected side effect: as people empty their swimming pools, a group of teen surfers from the Dogtown area of Venice Beach move in with skateboards, and a new sport is born. Based on a true story, this film follows Z-Boys skate team members Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk) and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch), plus manager Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger), as their fearless pool surfing leads to fame, fortune -- and misfortune.

Critics Consensus

Lords of Dogtown, while slickly made and edited, lacks the depth and entertaining value of the far superior documentary on the same subject, Dogtown and Z-Boys.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Jun 11, 2005

2.5/4

If anything, Lords of Dogtown is an incredibly standard rise and fall tale of a friendship pushed to its limits by unforeseen superstardom. If you're looking for anything different or unusual, it might be best to take a look someplace else.

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Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Jun 6, 2005

These kids can act, and they can ride those boards.

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Jun 5, 2005

B

They maintained their balance on dangerous skateboard stunts but wiped out the way anyone who has ever watched an epsiode of VH1: Behind the Music knows all too well.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Aug 16, 2024

Heath Ledger is like a shot of lightning in his early supporting role as surf shop owner Skip Engblom, who co-formed the Zephyr skate team aka the Z-Boys.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Aug 23, 2022

3.5/5

The outfits, the cars, the lingo, the fantastic soundtrack – it’s all used seamlessly to recreate a highly believable 1970’s.

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Ellie Lucas

The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)

Jun 5, 2019

3.5/4

The feelings, emotions, language, every nuance and every frame comes alive with astonishing authenticity.

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Leia S

Jun 1, 2018

I thought the movie did a good job at capturing the spirit of being young. It has the feel of a party movie but also tells the story of skateboarding in Southern California and how it has it's roots in surfing. Pretty cool movie

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Oct 1, 2017

The best movie of surf and skate board

Finn M

Jun 13, 2014

The soundtrack is killer, you feel like you're in the '70s - Parties, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll galore. The big problem: The Characters. Skip Engblom is probably the most well-written character here, most of the others are complete douchebags including the Z-boys. They took real-life skateboarding legends and just turned them into these unlikable assholes who have little chemistry

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Catherine Hardwicke

Director

Emile Hirsch

Jay Adams

Victor Rasuk

Tony Alva

John Robinson

Stacy Peralta

Michael Angarano

Sid

Nikki Reed

Kathy Alva

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Pool Skating

2:16

Now Playing

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Skip's Troubles

2:56

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Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Fame and Fortune

1:29

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Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Skateboard Championship

2:57

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Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - No Team Anymore

2:17

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Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Skating with Sid

3:30

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Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Not Looking Good

2:17

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Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Surfing the Streets

3:17

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Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Sorry I Left

2:55

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Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Bailing on Skip

2:59

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Synopsis

A drought in the 1970s Southern California has an unexpected side effect: as people empty their swimming pools, a group of teen surfers from the Dogtown area of Venice Beach move in with skateboards, and a new sport is born. Based on a true story, this film follows Z-Boys skate team members Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk) and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch), plus manager Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger), as their fearless pool surfing leads to fame, fortune -- and misfortune.

Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Producer: Joseph Drake, John Linson
Screenwriter: Stacy Peralta, Catherine Hardwicke
Distributor: Columbia Tristar, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Indelible Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Drug and Alcohol Content|All Involving Teens|Violence|Language|Reckless Behavior|Sexuality)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.0M
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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