Dudes is a fun albeit weirdly different movie. I didn't love it as much as Pepper Anne, but yeah - it's fun. From the opening with The Vandals to Lee Ving popping up as Cryer's nemesis, it never takes itself too seriously, even when it's taking itself too seriously. The plot is basically summed up in the Vandals tune "Urban Struggle" and P.A. above. Cryer and co. become disillusioned with the NY scene and head out west to see what lies out there. Run into Ving and his boys and things take a turn for the worse and then it's Cryer in Eastwood mode. Avenging angel.Anyway - take our words for it - Dudes is a semi-cult classic that's good for watching once every couple of years.
20 Reviews
"That's it man. We're going to California."
lost-in-limbo26 December 2011
Film-maker Penelope Spheeris's 80s absurdist road-tripping slacker black comedy sees three punk rockers leaving New York on their way to a better life in California, but on their way there they become targets of a ruthless hillbilly gang (led by an impressive Lee Ving) with one of them ending up dead. For the remaining two, instead of heading to California they decide go after the gang. This is one very odd, slapdash journey narrative with broad humour, but an even brutal tone and cross-cultural conflict as the modern punk scene meets old west philosophy as actors Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck and Flea find themselves along for the ride. I'm not that much of a fan of Cryer, but this is definitely the best thing I've seen him in. Also showing up in the cast is Catherine Mary Stuart. For a road movie, scenery is important and here the Arizona backdrop provides many picturesque sequences. Director Spheeris crafts out some surreal dynamics from the visuals and sets up some good stunt pieces. Pumping soundtrack, edgy script and kooky characters only added to this cult film's spontaneous and jarring charm.
"I'm so sick of waiting for the world to end."
"I'm so sick of waiting for the world to end."
"Decline of the Western Civilization", it is not, but entertaining, it is.
a_chinn18 December 2017
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.
Dud.......es
Wizard-810 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Director Penelope Spheeris has produced mixed results when it comes to directing feature films. She's done some good movies ("Wayne's World", "The Boys Next Door"), but also some duds ("The Beverly Hillbillies", "Black Sheep"). "Dudes" is not one of her better efforts. Part of the problem is with the screenplay, which doesn't flesh out the protagonists enough, or explore their minds when they make the transition from punkers to gun-wielding vigilantes. It's even worse with the bad guys, who aren't fleshed out at all! Spheeris should have sent the screenplay back for a rewrite, but she shares some of the blame for making a tired feeling to everything, such as (yes) staging the climatic battle in an abandoned warehouse. There's some good scenery and photography, and the music isn't bad, but that's all that's good about this movie. Instead of watching it, track down the soundtrack instead.
Playing Indian Is Offensive
nafps6 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Really? Punk kid has visions of being Native and becomes one? Not just obnoxious but racist. Would you do that with Africans? No.
Even without that, a dull witless unfunny supposed comedy. Obnoxious, irritating, like listening to the sound of a dentist's drill for 90 minutes.
One of the worst films ever made.
Even without that, a dull witless unfunny supposed comedy. Obnoxious, irritating, like listening to the sound of a dentist's drill for 90 minutes.
One of the worst films ever made.
If you love John Cryer...
coltsw-108035 June 2021
...well then, there's something seriously wrong with you. And this movie is a perfect example why. The little guy is totally unlikable on a good day, but when he is playing a hardcore, supposedly tough-guy, punk rocker, as he does in this bomb, it is painfully obvious just how obnoxious he really is. I have to admit he wasn't too awful playing the straight guy the first few seasons on Two And A Half Men, but when that character morphed into the weird sleazeball who was supposed to get all the laughs, that show quickly went downhill.
This movie is slow moving and dull, and full of cliches and poor writing. The dialogue is stupid and the "action" scenes are lame. If you think it's hilarious for one of the main characters to wear a huge, bleached out, spiky mohawk throughout the entire movie, then you might be simple-minded enough to dig this slop. Otherwise you would do well to pass on this antique steamer.
This movie is slow moving and dull, and full of cliches and poor writing. The dialogue is stupid and the "action" scenes are lame. If you think it's hilarious for one of the main characters to wear a huge, bleached out, spiky mohawk throughout the entire movie, then you might be simple-minded enough to dig this slop. Otherwise you would do well to pass on this antique steamer.
Pointless.
gridoon23 March 2002
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)
Dude, This is Not Good Dude
witster1831 July 2022
No, seriously, it's not dude.
"Dudes" is perhaps the least satisfying of many similar, average b-comedy/adventure-types from the decade. The writing is cringeworthy, and the entire films' only saving grace, is that it may very well be the worst of it's guild.
If it's a comedy, it isn't funny. In fact, the film seriously struggles to have any meaningful or emotional impact on the viewer at all. The characters are all unlikable. Aside from decent music in select parts(cringeworthy in others), and some occasional, nice western scenery, there are virtually no redeeming qualities to this film, dude.
24/100.
Ive seen and reviewed 100's of '80s films, maybe 1000, and I have an affinity for the decade, and these low-budget comedy adventures(think Hiding Out/cryer, Run/Dempsey, or even stuff like 3 O'Clock High). I've always liked these types 80s flicks, but not this one. Avoid. Conversely, this could be a MST3K/Rifftraz Gem, because it. Is. Bad. Dude.
Did I say it was bad? That is, quite convincingly, one of or THe worst film(s) I've seen from the decade.
"Dudes" is perhaps the least satisfying of many similar, average b-comedy/adventure-types from the decade. The writing is cringeworthy, and the entire films' only saving grace, is that it may very well be the worst of it's guild.
If it's a comedy, it isn't funny. In fact, the film seriously struggles to have any meaningful or emotional impact on the viewer at all. The characters are all unlikable. Aside from decent music in select parts(cringeworthy in others), and some occasional, nice western scenery, there are virtually no redeeming qualities to this film, dude.
24/100.
Ive seen and reviewed 100's of '80s films, maybe 1000, and I have an affinity for the decade, and these low-budget comedy adventures(think Hiding Out/cryer, Run/Dempsey, or even stuff like 3 O'Clock High). I've always liked these types 80s flicks, but not this one. Avoid. Conversely, this could be a MST3K/Rifftraz Gem, because it. Is. Bad. Dude.
Did I say it was bad? That is, quite convincingly, one of or THe worst film(s) I've seen from the decade.
one of my favorites
intomydarkmind19705 June 2007
I first saw dudes when I was seventeen,I rented the movie and returned it two years later.Well I have always wished I added it to my collection.As far as plot is concerned, the film is a little weak,but there are some more memorable lines including Dare-Delvises line regarding angry beef.The personal development of Grant and Biscuit make the film worth it.If you are looking for a serious film to learn something from this isn't it but if you are looking for some escapist comedy with some serious moments then you have come to the right place.
Dudes became one of my favorites quickly and has never really let me go. The weaker moments include a seemingly out of sync dream sequence,and the bar scene when Grant finally meets Missoula. So check it out with an open mind and enjoy Dudes for what it is worth.
Dudes became one of my favorites quickly and has never really let me go. The weaker moments include a seemingly out of sync dream sequence,and the bar scene when Grant finally meets Missoula. So check it out with an open mind and enjoy Dudes for what it is worth.
Hard to believe Penelope Spheeris had something to do with this.
vertigo_1413 April 2004
I understand director Penelope Spheeris' loyalty to the punk culture as she was the director of the Decline of the Western Civilization documentaries as well as one of my favorites, Suburbia. But for crying out loud, this is just a slap in the face.
Dudes is about three young punks (Cryer, Roebuck, and Flea) on a road trip from New York to ye old West Coast. Except, after a little mishap, one of their punker friends is violently murdered. So Captain Dumbass (Cyer) "Grant" and his fat pal, Mr. Oblivious (Roebuck) "Buscuit," have some kind of stupid epiphany out in the desert and dress up like cowboy and Indian to avenge their friend's death caused by a mock Hells Angels.
There's not even much here about good old fashion good times and die hard freedom punk ethics at work in this story. Save your money, your time, and your brain. Dudes is just one thankless big pile of garbage.
Dudes is about three young punks (Cryer, Roebuck, and Flea) on a road trip from New York to ye old West Coast. Except, after a little mishap, one of their punker friends is violently murdered. So Captain Dumbass (Cyer) "Grant" and his fat pal, Mr. Oblivious (Roebuck) "Buscuit," have some kind of stupid epiphany out in the desert and dress up like cowboy and Indian to avenge their friend's death caused by a mock Hells Angels.
There's not even much here about good old fashion good times and die hard freedom punk ethics at work in this story. Save your money, your time, and your brain. Dudes is just one thankless big pile of garbage.
Interesting to say the least
jellyneckr30 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I bought this movie for $1.99 at my local video store and while I was expecting it to be better considering that it was directed by Penelope Spheeris, it didn't turn out to be too bad. It certainly is an interesting picture. DUDES starts off comedic and light with three punk rock friends (Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck, and Flea, all good in their roles) heading out to L.A. to find a better life. 20 minutes into the movie, the film becomes more dramatic when they are attacked by a group of rednecks led by the nasty Missoula (Lee Ving). Missoula kills Flea by shooting him in the head and the rest of the movie has Jon Cryer and Daniel Roebuck looking for revenge. It's hard to say exactly what genre DUDES fits under. It's a mix of genres. It's part comedy, part drama, part western, and part action adventure. The mixing of genres is not entirely successful, though it does make DUDES a somewhat fascinating motion picture. It's unlike any other film from the 80s, that's for sure. With some more character development and better dialogue, DUDES could have been pretty good. The ingredients to a good picture are here, but the screenplay is not as strong as it should have been. There's still some stuff to like about DUDES. There are some decent laughs, the music is very 80s yet enjoyable, the action scenes are handled quite well, and the revenge plot, though clichéd, is fairly intriguing. I'd be interested in a DVD release with a making-of documentary since I'm sure it would be just as interesting as the film is. However, that will never happen since it seems nobody has ever heard of this movie. Slightly recommended. 5/10
Nostalgic review
ezgoinguy97196825 August 2018
Somebody managed to make a punk-rock western
wulicoyote25 March 2009
This movie is fun. And it's great in that it is remarkably fun, as opposed to "about anything." If you can take it in context of "Punk-Western" as a "rock" movie and a western the bar is not set incredibly high to begin with, and this clears the hurdle with ease in merging two genres that usually droop into the exploitation movie quality level. Penelope Spheeris's prior works: Decline of Western Civilization and Suburbia were genuine and earnest portraits of punk-rock music, the first from a documentary perspective of the performers, and the second from the subjective fictional live of the fans of the genre. this is an attempt to launch these concepts into the language of mainstream genre cinema and succeeds better than adequately. Admirably, exceptionally, debate and quibble about the adjective. no matter what. this is approximately 1 1/2 hors of fun movie watching with that little extra to think about. And I occasionally entertain the bizarre notion of building a religion around Daredelvis. If one respects a youth culture as an anthropological phenomenon, tis film shines out as the "punk" take on westerns almost in the way that "LITTLE BIG MAN' was a 60's hippie western
A homage to a film that brought much joy to my life
ian_desert16 September 2001
This is not a serious film. It tries to be in a couple of places but doesnt make it. Some of the dream sequences are just a tad laboured but only a tad. Apart from this small points it is full of good humour and I certainly enjoyed it. I do not watch films for messages, for me that just escapes the point. Film is escapism, that is why it exists, to take us out of ourselves, to make us laugh,cry and smile. This is what DUDES does. We follow 3 punks cross country and their encounters with different people. They are products of the multi-cultural mix that is New York, the scene of all three bored in the VW driving thru the desert is truly hilarious. The second half of this film is bit more bleaker with dream sequences et al but still this is remains a joy. I was left with a good feeling after the end of this film and do so every time I revisit it.
An enjoyably rowdy, delightfully unrefined Cow Punk comedy gem!
Weirdling_Wolf23 January 2014
'Dudes' (1987) is a delightfully rowdy black road comedy that for some inexplicable reason remains relatively unheralded. And it is a cultural travesty that, Penelope Spheeris's endearingly ludicrous cow punk road comedy is still unavailable on a UK-friendly Blu? Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck and Flea decide that the life of a big apple punker is a stone-cold snooze, and in a prescient moment of drunken inspiration they decide that a road trip to California might demonstratively improve their dour, metropolitan ennui. A righteous bummer for them, but fortunately for the viewer, their riotously ramshackle exodus is amusingly fraught with all manner of improbable calamity. An especially memorable interlude is a violent encounter with some low-down desert skeezoids, headed by the murderous red neck, Missoula, vividly played with gleeful mania by ex-Fear vocalist, Lee 'Black Moon Rising' Ving.
'Dudes' is a thoroughly engaging, roughshod road-movie oddity that begs for rediscovery, due largely to the endearingly daft twin lead performances from Roebuck & Cryer, the exhilarating RAWK soundtrack, and playfully eccentric mise-en-scene by maestro, Penelope Spheeris. For me, the REAL clincher is when the divinely 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 squirrelly, Alex Cox territory wherein all manner of gonzoid western archetypes are purloined for our midnight movie edification! It's the film's flaws, mad energy, and joyful incongruities that make it such a winning VHS-era cult gem! And my vinyl soundtrack album featuring Keel's boisterous 'Rock N' Roll Outlaw' cover is something I shall, hopefully, never have to part with!
'Dudes' is a thoroughly engaging, roughshod road-movie oddity that begs for rediscovery, due largely to the endearingly daft twin lead performances from Roebuck & Cryer, the exhilarating RAWK soundtrack, and playfully eccentric mise-en-scene by maestro, Penelope Spheeris. For me, the REAL clincher is when the divinely 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 squirrelly, Alex Cox territory wherein all manner of gonzoid western archetypes are purloined for our midnight movie edification! It's the film's flaws, mad energy, and joyful incongruities that make it such a winning VHS-era cult gem! And my vinyl soundtrack album featuring Keel's boisterous 'Rock N' Roll Outlaw' cover is something I shall, hopefully, never have to part with!
I loved this movie, and it came out the year I was born
brodydanger4 November 2008
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
Awful. Just awful
BarbE-n-Rey6 June 2018
Not nearly as bad as some people make it out to be!
spost82605 June 2009
"Dude's" is for those who believe that films are *entertainment* as opposed to "works of art". "Dudes" is a great buddy film, a little shocking at times, poignant at times, fun at times, sad at times and great most times. It's a road trip, buddy film that showcases some under promoted great actors such as Lee Ving, who plays the bad guy o the hilt. The soundtrack alone is worth watching for. You will find yourself rooting for the good guy at the end. So it didn't win ten Oscars? It's a sort of twist that hasn't been done before...we always see the rude reception of country folk when they go to the "big city" for the first time, but this is a flip of that. I don't care what some people say...I LOVED this film!!
Mohawk pile-driver
peterpants661 December 2010
Warning: Spoilers
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.
The best movie you've never seen
ramirez13-28 January 2022
I have always loved this movie. I discovered it in my teens, in the early 90s and it has been a favorite ever since. Everyone should see this film, at least once
Great soundtrack, very cool styling and a excellent, different, little story.
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