Lords of Dogtown is a 2005 biographical film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, written by Stacy Peralta. The film is based on the story of "The Z-Boys", an influential group of skateboarders who revolutionized the sport. The movie is dedicated to the memory of comedian Mitch Hedberg, who appears in the movie but died before the film was released.
Plot
In 1970s Venice Beach, surfers Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk), Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch) enjoy the life of skating and surfing the pier with board designer Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger) and the other locals. One day, Skip orders polyurethane wheels for the skateboards in his shop, Zephyr Skate Shop. Teenager Sid (Michael Angarano), a friend of the boys who works in the same shop, invites Tony, Jay, Stacy and the other locals to test the new wheels. After witnessing what the boys could now do with the wheels, Skip decides to put together a skate team, the Z-Boys. The team proves to be a success; winning many contests, Stacy, Jay, and Tony gain popularity from locals across Venice.
After a time, the pier stops sporting waves for them to surf on. A stop of rain dries out the land, so no swimming pools can be filled. Using this opportunity, the Z-Boys start to ditch Skip's scheduled practices and sneak into peoples' swimming pools to skate in. After winning many major contests, Stacy, Jay, and Tony start getting noticed by major skating companies looking to take the boys from Skip. The Z-Boys become famous, appearing in various magazines. One night, Skip throws a party at his shop to celebrate the success of the team. A company owner, Topper Burks (Johnny Knoxville), enters the party and convinces Tony that Skip is holding him back, and that it's time to make him famous world wide. Tony accepts his offer and leaves the team. Jay leaves the team as well, looking to make more money so his mom could pay the rent on their apartment. Stacy is the last to leave, as he begins getting offers to skate as well as to appear in T.V. Sad and angry, Skip decides to shut down the Zephyr Skate Team.
The three boys quickly become rich and famous. Their lives have changed: they are now skating for money rather than passion as they did before. They become enemies of some sort and compete against each other in various contests. Stacy appears on the original Charlie's Angels show while Tony starts creating his own commercials to manufacture his popular boards and merchandise. However, Jay refuses $10,000 to appear in a commercial sponsoring the new toy, Slinky. Before long, things start going out of control; at a major skating championship that they all take part in, Tony gets into a fight with another skater in the middle of the stadium, and gets violently knocked out, temporarily ending his career. Jay leaves the company he had endorsed when they sacrifice quality for cheap materials. Stacy ends up winning the competition.
Back in Venice, the pier that the Z-Boys use to surf around burns down, which affects them all. Skip, still selling surfboards in his shop, finally decides to settle down and continues his passion of sanding and creating surfboards. Sid's long-time equilibrium problem turns out to be caused by a brain tumor, and he undergoes surgery. Though Stacy, Tony, and Jay have all gone their separate ways, they all show up at the same time to visit Sid. Stacy reveals that he is leaving his company to start his own. Sid's father had finally emptied their pool for them to skate in. Stacy, Tony, and Jay skate the pool and bring Sid into the fun on his wheel chair, referencing all the good times they had before they became a skate team.
Closing cards reveal that Tony Alva went on to be a very successful skater (stating that he still sneaks into backyard pools); Stacy Peralta started Powell Peralta, a modern popular skating company that included a 14-year-old Tony Hawk as part of its team; and Jay, too, achieved the only kind of success at skating and surfing he really cared about, becoming known as the 'spark that started the flame'. Sid later died of brain cancer. His father's pool was kept empty and is known as the DogBowl.
Cast
Reception
Heath Ledger's portrayal of Skip Engblom was applauded for its realism and is considered one of the film's principal highlights.
Joe Donnoly (cited in Davies), who knew Engblom, was impressed by Ledger's attention to detail, saying “He’s almost eerie in how precisely he nailed not only the mannerisms, cadence and physical presence of Skip … but also how he raises Skip’s spirit, which is the heart and soul and most what’s really great in a not-altogether-great film.”
Luke Davies of The Monthly concedes how flamboyant the character is, but says the film is saved by Ledger's emotional depth: “The performance constantly sails close to hammy – Engblom was, by all accounts, a flamboyant character – but is pulled back, the wildness offset by a surprising depth of sadness. As in a number of Ledger roles, a kind of animal wisdom and melancholy exists side-by-side with gangly comedy.[1]
Awards
The Central Ohio Film Critics Association named Heath Ledger Actor of the Year for this film.
Soundtrack
The movie's soundtrack features songs by Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Cher, David Bowie, T.Rex, Jimi Hendrix, and Iggy Pop among others, as well as a cover of The Clash's "Death or Glory" by Social Distortion.[2]
References
External links
