Lords of Dogtown

56%

Tomatometer

147 Reviews

81%

Audience Score

50,000+ Ratings

A drought in 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. Read More Read Less

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Lords of Dogtown

What to Know

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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Critics Reviews

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Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Sep 16, 2005

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 12, 2005

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

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.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 11, 2005

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

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.

Aug 16, 2024

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

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

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 23, 2022

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)

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

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 5, 2019

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Gareth v Not a bad movie, but not a great one either. If you're into skateboarding this will be right up your alley. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/24 Full Review Nawt W As a rear-view look at the beginning of the new progressive skateboarding style pioneered by a few street rascals from Santa Monica who incorporated their surfing skills into their enthusiasm, it's pretty palatable. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/19/23 Full Review Bruce S This really makes you wanna go out and skate with your homies Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/12/23 Full Review Ryan O Great movie. Based on a true story. Good peice of history for the kids. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/16/23 Full Review Dave Admittedly not as good as the documentary Dogtown and z boys but if you like the subject matter you'll enjoy the film. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Good acting. Not a fan of the writing Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/12/22 Full Review Read all reviews

Lords of Dogtown

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Cast & Crew

Catherine Hardwicke Director Emile Hirsch Jay Adams Victor Rasuk Tony Alva John Robinson Stacy Peralta Michael Angarano Sid Nikki Reed Kathy Alva

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Lords of Dogtown

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Pool Skating