Dogtown and Z-Boys is a 2001 American documentary film co-written and directed by Stacy Peralta, produced by Agi Orsi, and narrated by Sean Penn. The documentary explores the pioneering of the Zephyr skateboard team in the 1970s (of which Peralta was a member) and the evolving sport of skateboarding. Using a mix of film of the Zephyr skateboard team (Z-Boys) shot in the 1970s by Craig Stecyk, along with contemporary interviews, the documentary tells the story of a group of teenage surfer/skateboarders and their influence on the history of skateboarding (and to a lesser extent surfing) culture.

Synopsis

Dogtown and Z-Boys, narrated by Sean Penn, begins with the history of skateboarding in Southern California and how it had been strongly influenced by the surf culture in the surrounding areas of Santa Monica and Venice, nicknamed Dogtown. Surf shop owners Jeff Ho, Skip Engblom, and Craig Stecyk established the Zephyr Skateboard Team with local teenagers from broken homes. The sport of skateboarding evolved as the Z-Boys continued to bring edgy moves influenced by surfing. During one of California's record-breaking droughts, local backyard pools were emptied and became hotspots for these young skateboarders looking for places to skateboard.

Cast

The documentary includes footage, commentary, and interviews from eleven of the original members of the Z-Boys team, along with the team's co-founders, skateboarding champions, and other relevant skateboarding figures, journalists, and musicians from the era.

  • Sean Penn as the narrator
  • Jay Adams (Zephyr Skate Team member) as himself
  • Tony Alva (Zephyr Skate Team member) as himself
  • Stacy Peralta (Zephyr Skate Team member) as himself
  • Jeff Ament as himself
  • Steve Caballero as himself
  • Skip Engblom (Zephyr Co-Founder) as himself
  • Craig Stecyk (Zephyr Co-Founder) as himself
  • Tony Hawk as himself
  • Henry Rollins as himself
  • Tom Sims as himself
  • Peggy Oki (Zephyr Skate Team member) as herself
  • Jeff Ho (Zephyr Co-Founder) as himself

Production

The documentary features vintage video footage and photos of the Zephyr skateboard team from the 1970s, along with contemporary interviews from the original members of the Z-Boys group. The film combines the 8-mm and 16-mm vintage footage with modern editing and a soundtrack crafted from music of the 1970s era. Stecyk and photojournalist Glen E. Friedman, were the film's co-writer and co-producer, respectively, Daniel Ostroff and Stephen Nemeth were also co-producers, and Debra MacCulloch and Christine Triano were associate producers involved with the film.

The film opened April 26, 2002 in 20 theaters in Los Angeles, New York, and Phoenix.

Reception

The film also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary in 2001.

The film was well received by many critics, including reporter Steve McKee of The Wall Street Journal who stated that the documentary had opened with "boffo reviews" from around the country. The film received a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and a generally favorable rating of 76 on Metacritic. Stephen Holden of The New York Times said the film was a "giddy, thrilling, rock 'n' roll-saturated history of skateboarding in Southern California."

Music

See also

  • Lords of Dogtown

References

  • Dogtown – The Legend of the Z-Boys - The book that inspired the film