Dudes (1987)

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Blistering performances.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The much-loved 'Dudes' is a delightfully unrefined black comedy that for some inexplicable reason remains relatively unheralded; and it is a celluloid travesty that Penelope Spheeris's sublimely ludicrous cow punk road comedy is still unavailable on a DVD? (you could do a lot worse than hook yourself up with a copy of 'Dude's, man; besides the use of Keel's 'Rock N' Roll Outlaw' cover is a stone groove!) Jon Cryer, Daniel Robuck and Flea decide that the life of a big apple punker is a stone cold snooze, and in a moment of drunken inspiration they decide that a road trip to sunny California might improve their metropolitan ennui. A bummer for them, but fortunately for the viewer their ramshackle exodus is fraught with all manner of improbable calamity, not least of which is a violent encounter with some low down desert skeezoids, headed by the murderous redneck, Missoula; played with gleeful mania by ex-Fear vocalist, Lee 'Black Moon Rising' Ving. 'Dudes' is a genuine oddity that begs for rediscovery; due to endearing twin lead performances from Roebuck & Cryer, exhilarating RAWK soundtrack, and gleefully eccentric mise en scene by Penelope Spheeris; but the real clincher for me is when the bickering punkers over-imbibe a bottle of lysergic snake juice, procured from amiable renaissance man, Daredelvis (Pete Wilcox) and suddenly Spheeris plunges us deep into Alex Cox territory where all manner of gonzoid western archetypes are purloined for her and our amusement. In many ways it's the film's many flaws and incongruities that makes it such a lovable rogue.

Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck and Flea go for it on a twisted journey that puts guts and friendship on the line. The trip is set off course by a bunch of screw loose hillbilly's out to grease border jumpers and kill punks. They succeed in at least one of those things on camera within the first thirty minutes. Cathrine Mary Stewert, easily one of Canada's finest exports teaches Cryer how to shoot, and houses the battered collective as they undergo a series of mystical trips on her ranch. Lee Ving plays the bad guy and why he didn't get more work is beyond me as he comes off downright Terrifying in this romp. Penelope Spheeris directed and like most of her work this one is destined for V.H.S obscurity. I wish she could release a box set of her material, not only were her documentary's awesome but her straight productions were stellar as well. Pre-Fugitive Dan Roebuck, super early footage of the funkmaster himself "FLEA" and an always convincing Jon Cryer. Say what you will about the guy but he really fit the "weirdo gangster" role of the eighties better then anyone else. Dust off that vcr and snag a copy of this before it's too late.

I grew up watching mostly stuff from the 90s, but my mom loved this movie. I really like all the stuff this director, especially the Wayne's World movies. This is totally cool and different from those films though. It relates back to when the director was more into punk rock. And how can you lose with a cutie like the young John Cryer in it. He's really cool in this movie. Anyway, for a total piece of 80s new waveyness check this flick out. I wish I had more to say about the whole thing. The soundtrack rules that's for sure. It even had WASP on it, which is pretty wicked. The other awesome stuff is when Flea is in the movie. My 2 cents

Three punkers begin a road trip from New York to California looking for "paradise", but encounter romance, violence and death on their way instead. Problem is that the characters are mainly unengaging, so it's hard to care about the outcome of their adventures. A pointless, frequently obnoxious film, with very little to recommend it. (*1/2)