A very pleasant surprise

Rating: 10/10 (30 September 2005)

Lords Of Dogtown was a surprise. Not a huge one, since I had seen clips and knew a bit about the film and the "plot." It's based on a true story, so there are no big mysteries here. So like any film based on a true story, the key is in the storytelling. I always want to be pleasantly surprised. So when I already know what is going to happen, my attitude is "go ahead, make my day."
In no particular order, these were my pleasant surprises:
1) The soundtrack. Or should I say the music. If you are familiar with the music of the 70s, you'll hear one classic after another. It is virtually nonstop -- more like an extended music video than a film with music. There are very few moments in the film when there isn't music playing. And I don't mean a score -- there isn't a traditional one -- there are mostly songs, one great song after another.
Of course, if you have ever been to or seen any kind of extreme sports in person or on TV there is always rock blaring underneath. So the sound of the film is the sound of skateboarding itself. I can't imagine them having done it any other way.
And the moments without music are so dramatic in the absence of it. It is essentially opposite of how films are usually made. Instead of music punctuating poignant moments, here we have silence punctuating most of the poignant moments. It is very powerful.
2) The look. It is shot more like a documentary, with mostly handhelds and natural lighting. The outdoor scenes all have the look of a home video to some extent. You really get the feeling you are following them around with cameras. And most of the interiors are very softly lit in hues of blue and amber, so even then it doesn't feel like a typical movie. In most films, lighting more than anything dictates the "movie" look. Just like with the music, this takes the opposite approach.
If you appreciate the look of a film and cinematography, you'll really enjoy how this was done.
3) The performances. There are 3 main skaters. The one who is considered the "father" of modern skateboarding is Jay Adams, played by Emile Hirsch. This is so different a role than any he has ever played. He is scary in this. He is wild, crazy, mad, and the rebel of the bunch. I know that he wanted to stay in character throughout the filming and it's easy to see why. It is an incredible transformation and a shocking performance. He is stunning in this, physically as well as in his performance.
The next is Stacy Peralta, played by John Robinson. Stacy is the one who wrote the documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys," on which this was based. He wrote and directed the documentary. It was so successful that many wanted to see the "story" told. So he wrote this film. Since he wrote it, it is told from his perspective to some extent and so his character is the most sympathetic.
But that is perfect for Robinson, since the character is very similar to his character in Elephant. He is sweet, good-natured, kind, friendly, affectionate, and pretty. So if you liked his character in Elephant, you will love him here.
The 3rd is Tony Alva, played by Victor Rasuk. Like Jay, he is not necessarily a very likable character but it's not hard to imagine what it must be like to go from zero to hero.
But the most amazing performance, and the one that steals the movie, is from Heath Ledger as Skip, who runs the surf/skate shop where they meet and first organize as a team. He is essentially the one who guided their careers in the early days, and although I am not a big fan of Ledger and wasn't expecting much, I would even say it is an Oscar-worthy performance. Just blew me away. Breathtaking.
Again, it's hard to comment on the "story" or the "sets" since they are telling a true story. And they don't spoonfeed you the story -- it is told in bits and pieces and you sort of have to put them together yourself. They chose not to have a narrator, so there is no "and this is the day we discovered swimming pools." You just have to figure out the significance of the moments on your own.
So if you know nothing about the history of these guys or of modern skateboarding, you may be confused. They don't telegraph much. You find yourself looking back on scenes and saying "oh, that's what that meant" as opposed to going into a scene saying "I know what's supposed to happen here." The filmmakers assume going in that you know the story beforehand. So it might be good to read a bit about it if you aren't familiar with it.
This was a very difficult film to make since almost all the action involving the 3 stars is dangerous. They could not use doubles or stuntmen for everything or else they would have had very little to do. So they had to learn to skate. And there are a lot of stunts that they did themselves which would be amazing even if they were stuntmen, and in many cases they are not. These guys could have gotten themselves killed on this film.
Watch for Elden Henson (of Butterfly Effect), Rebecca DeMornay as Jay's (Emile's) mother, and Michael Angarano as Sid, another of the Z-Boys. He is adorable and a joy to watch. Watch for him -- he has a big career ahead of him.