Dudes

R

1987

1h 29m

Adventure

List

Reviews

62%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

Manhattan punkers on their way to Los Angeles become vigilantes when their friend is murdered by a gang of cutthroats.

Read More

Read Less

Peacock

Prime Video

Rent Dudes on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A woefully miscast Jon Cryer is about as punk as a McDonald's Happy Meal.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 22, 2021

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The violent clash between cultures makes for absurdist adolescent drama, but it's weirdly entertaining. Go figure!

Rated: B-

Apr 22, 2015

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Aug 7, 2005

Full Review

Rebecca Murray

About.com

Rated: 1/5

Jun 13, 2003

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

A dead and buried gem of the 1980's. Sometimes dead is better.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I love this film. Mostly for nostalgic reasons and seeing this in 1987 but with Cryer, Roebuck and a great badguy in Lee Ving. Not Spheeris best and plays like a Decline film entry. I had a good time revisiting it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/18

Full Review

Audience Member

Easily one of the worst films I have ever seen, but strangely so. Most bad movies end up being like so many other movies made--lacking originally. This story is so all over the place and bizarrely tone deaf and racist/sexist. An attempted western through the lens of punks driving to CA, but its all so shockingly handled. For laughs we see an Asian restaurant owner who speaks bad english have his place trashed. We see a group of white guys who hunt Mexicans for fun 'cross the line this time' by killing a white kid instead. The "love interest" might as well be a male fantasy creation. The bigger guy channels the indian spirits (even having a vision where he is in indian face and his people face mass execution, comparing the genocide of the Native Americans to him losing his friend). Let me just begin by saying, sometime the above can be handled well and I am not one to be offended...BUT this movie beats you over the head with its never ending storyline and it continually one-ups its oblivious offensive nature. Weird movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Fun offbeat 80s puck rock comedy/drama about two New York punks, Jon Cryer and Daniel Roebuck, who travel out west and run afoul various rednecks, bikers, and lawmen in a southwest desert community on their way to LA. "Dudes" was directed by Penelope Spheeris, who made the seminal punk rock documentary "Decline of the Western Civilization," but this film isn't as much a document of punk culture as it is an oddball 1980s counterculture time capsule. Despite the two lead actors being decidedly un-punk rock, the film does feature legitimate musicians Lee Ving (FEAR) as a biker, John Densmore (The Doors) as a cop, Flea (The Red Hot Chili Peppers, FEAR) as a punk buddy of the two leads, and also an appearance by The Vandals during the film's opening. Ving is a particular standout as a nasty loudmouth biker. Seeing him this film really made me want to see him in more, although his filmography is sadly pretty short and primarily supporting roles (though I really do want to find a copy of his appearance on "Who's the Boss"). "Dudes" also gets time capsule value with the casting of Catherine Mary Stewart ("Night of the Comet" and "The Last Starfighter") as a local wrecking service owner who helps the dudes when their Volkswagen Beetle needs fixed. Also of note is that this was the fourth feature film shot by cinematography by Robert Richardson, who'd later go on to be the regular director of photography for the likes of Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino. Overall, "Dudes" is not as gritty as Spheeris' "Suburbia" nor is it as entertaining of a counter culture comedy/drama as "Something Wild," but the end result is an interesting time capsule that held my interest. There's also a decent soundtrack that features everything from Jane's Addiction to Carl Perkins.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Penelope Spheeris feature about two punk rockers looking for their friend's killers tries to be too much. Part road trip adventure film, part revenge movie and part comedy. Probably could have worked best as a serious revenge movie.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Three musician friends travel to California in search of fame are sidetracked when one of them is killed by bikers leaving the other two to seek revenge. It's dark and amusing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Penelope Spheeris

Director

Jon Cryer

Grant

Catherine Mary Stewart

Jessie

Daniel Roebuck

Biscuit

Lee Ving

Missoula

Cal Bartlett

Witherspoon

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

View more photos

Synopsis

Manhattan punkers on their way to Los Angeles become vigilantes when their friend is murdered by a gang of cutthroats.

Director: Penelope Spheeris
Production Co: Vista
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $122.2K
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now