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.

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.

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.

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.