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Sean Penn, Tony Alva, Jeff Ament, Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta ... see more see more... , Henry Rollins , Glen E. Friedman , C.R. Stecyk , Jeff Ho , Zephyr Skateboard Team , Jay Adams , Bob Biniak , Paul Constantineau , Shogu Kubo , Jim Muir , Peggy Oki , Nathan Pratt , Wentzle Ruml , Alan Sarlo , Skip Engblom

In the mid-'70s, skateboarding was widely seen as a fad of the 1960s that had all but died out, except for a handful of committed fans in California. But that began to change with the emerge of the Z-... read more read more...Boys, a team of teenaged skateboarders who emerged from a decaying urban community in Santa Monica, CA. Hard-core surfers who sought to translate the hot-dogging stunts of world-class wave riders onto their skateboards began hanging out at the Zephyr Productions Surf Shop, a store that stocked top-grade equipment for local surfers and skaters, and with the help of the store's owner Jeff Ho, twelve of the skaters organized themselves into a team to compete at local skate events. Soon the radical moves and scruffy-streetwise style of the Zephyr Skate Team -- the Z-Boys for short -- upended public preconceptions of skateboarding as a sport and a lifestyle, and the wild style of Z-Boy skaters such as Tony Alva, Jim Muir, and Jay Adams made them celebrities who blazed the trail for the extreme sports movement. But while the Z-Boys' success brought them a measure of fame and fortune -- lucrative endorsement contracts, deals to manufacture their own custom skateboards, and even movie roles (Tony Alva starred opposite Leif Garrett in Skateboard, while Z-Boy Stacy Peralta was top-billed in Freewheelin') -- their fame proved to be fleeting, and several of the Z-Boys fell prey to drugs, crime, and ego. Dogtown and Z-Boys is a documentary by former Z-Boy Stacy Peralta that chronicles the glory days of the Z-Boys through footage of the skaters in their prime and interviews with the pioneers of the Southern California skate scene. Rock musicians and noted skate enthusiasts Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, and Jeff Ament also appear to discuss the importance of the Z-Boys' legacy; Sean Penn narrates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

86% liked it

12,927 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

95 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Stacy Peralta

Release Date: January 19, 2001

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DVD Release Date: August 6, 2002

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Stats: 810 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (810)

  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    August 25, 2010
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "This is concrete warfare we're talking about... if you're going to ride you gotta get on that shit."

    Documentary about the pioneering 1970s Zephyr skating team.

    REVIEW

    Waycool documentary by l... read moreegendary skateboarding ace Peralta chronicling the origins of the original extreme sport with vintage Super 8mm home movie archival footage, black & white stills, and assorted media combining with a classic rock and roll score to form a comprehensive and obvious valentine to a way of life. Gravity defying gravitas is captured like lightning in a bottle showing the wayfarer scruffy charisma and authority-defying nonchalance that has a visceral thrill in watching underdogs become cult heroes. Excellent portrayal of unbridled angst, anomie and pure adrenaline rushes from curling on a wave from the prototypical surf in the Pacific Ocean to the concrete playgrounds of abandoned suburban pools. Narrated by perfect choice, Sean Penn, The Artist Formerly Known As Spicoli.
  • ileo
    March 4, 2008
    ileo
    Phenomenal.
  • KLFilmmaker
    August 11, 2006
    KLFilmmaker
    The history of skateboading. Very rad.
  • cooper417
    November 17, 2011
    cooper417
    Extremely interesting documentary about these few kids who changed the world of skateboarding in the 70's.
  • jmillerdp
    July 28, 2009
    jmillerdp
    Stacy Peralta's electrifying debut documentary. Immerses you in the world of 1970's skateboarders. Lots of energy, and well made!
  • jmg5063
    September 14, 2008
    jmg5063
    This was really good and very interesting. I wanted to see it after I saw Lords of Dogtown and I recommend it!
  • wolverineland
    August 11, 2008
    wolverineland
    Quite arguably the greatest and most entertaining documentary ever made. Stacy Peralta's masterpiece documents the early days of him and his legendary Zephyr Skate team who pioneered the sport of skateboarding. Screen legend and local skateboard enthusiast Sean Penn narrarates th... read moreis journey back to Dogtown in Venice, California where a talented group of kids in the early to mid 70's redefined what was possible on a skateboard which up until the late 60's was pretty much viewed as a passing fad. A wonderfully edited blend of music from the era, home movies, photos, and interviews with Dogtown legends like Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Stacy Peralta, Wentzle Ruml, Bob Biniak, Nathan Pratt, and Jim Muir. There is lots of great pool skating footage and I definitely recommend this movie to fans and non-fans of the sport.
  • KCJUGGALO
    January 11, 2008
    KCJUGGALO
    I loved this documentary its cool how lords of dogtown was based from true events and this documentary explains it all.
  • mrluckytjd
    October 29, 2007
    mrluckytjd
    Not a skateboarding fan? No worries! This is an insightful and highly entertaining documentary. Ride back to the 70's and enjoy the footage, photos and music from that period! The original members share their stories of the troubled youth of Dogtown who turn to surfing and skatin... read moreg as their outlet. Well made and alot of fun.
  • goblue
    July 27, 2007
    goblue
    Near perfect documentary about the birth of trick skating. Extra half point for the classic soundtrack and Sean Penn's deadpan narration.

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Critic Reviews

David Ansen
November 1, 2007
David Ansen, Newsweek

You want to know more about their private lives than you get. But most viewers may be too stoked by the sheer adrenaline rush of the subject to care. Full Review

Dennis Harvey
April 2, 2007
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Package is lively, if loosely structured. Full Review

Meredith Brody
April 2, 2007
Meredith Brody, Chicago Reader

This propulsive, highly satisfying 2002 documentary concerns a group of daredevil skateboarders from an economically depressed and dangerous area of Santa Monica known as Dogtown who reinvented the sp... Full Review

Michael Wilmington
July 20, 2002
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Few sports films catch their time, place and sport so well. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
June 7, 2002
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

This is pop history that blows your hair back. Full Review

Liam Lacey
June 7, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Blatant promotion aside, the chronicles of Dogtown make for fascinating insider cultural history. Full Review

Joe Baltake
May 31, 2002
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

About nowhere kids who appropriated turfs as they found them and become self-made celebrity athletes -- a low-down version of the American dream. Full Review

Roger Moore
May 30, 2002
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

You may see more important, more moving, more meaningful documentaries in your time. But you will never see one cooler.

Carrie Rickey
May 30, 2002
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

An exhilarating, breathless, must-see chronicle of the skateboarder revolution and evolution.

Terry Lawson
May 10, 2002
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

When these guys were headed down the street at 50 m.p.h., you got out of the way. Full Review

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  • The 2005 movie LORDS OF DOGTOWN followed the release of a 2001 documentary called DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS written by 1 of the original skateboarders?  Answer »
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