Lords of Dogtown

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Lords of Dogtown

PG-13

2005

1h 46m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

146 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

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.

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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

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

Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

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

Jun 6, 2005

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

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.

Rated: B

Jun 5, 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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Stephen C

Based on a true story in 1 hour and 46 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ages 13 and older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The worldwide gross is $13,411,957.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/04/25

Full Review

Janis E

Lords of Dogtown is an interesting look at the start of an ever increasingly more popular part of American youth culture, but often settles for surface gloss instead of introspection.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/25/25

Full Review

Mourning K

An awesome slice of life movie that brought me back to skating.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

Full Review

Emily C

Absolutely love this film. Yes it’s not the best film ever made but it’s highly entertaining and the soundtrack is wicked. Always love rewatching this.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/05/25

Full Review

Glen L

This might not hit as deep as the documentary, but it is well acted and has a great score

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/24/25

Full Review

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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

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Skip's Troubles

2:56

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Fame and Fortune

1:29

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Skateboard Championship

2:57

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - No Team Anymore

2:17

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Skating with Sid

3:30

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Not Looking Good

2:17

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Surfing the Streets

3:17

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Sorry I Left

2:55

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Bailing on Skip

2:59

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Synopsis

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.

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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