Lords of Dogtown

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Lords of Dogtown

PG-13

Released Jun 3, 2005

1h 46m

Biography

Drama

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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

Full Review

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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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

Whistlerworld S

This really makes you wanna go out and skate with your homies

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/09/25

Full Review

Alexander S

Lords of Dogtown is a well-edited and refined film that the pioneers of skateboarding and surfing that will resonate deeply with both the skateboarding community and culture, as it delves into its immense popularity, especially in California during the 1970s and continues to be so to this day. The film also boasts solid performances from its lead actors. Grading: A-

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/25

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Colin M

It isn't really for older people like me to rate a movie such as this, as it's obviously aimed at the younger generation, and in particular people who are into skateboards not at folks like myself. But anyway. Out of control teenagers surf and skateboard for 102 minutes. A lot of the cast were morally degenerate, which I didn't like. The skateboarding was to a high standard, but they didn't wear protective gear, which I didn't like. There wasn't much of a story other than of people going surfing and skateboarding and being young people, but I suppose that was the story.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

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 - Not Looking Good

2:17

Lords of Dogtown: Official Clip - Skating with Sid

3:30

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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