Don't be misled by the display box or the cast listing: there is no surfing and almost no sex in this picture.
The lead character fancies himself a philosopher, and pontificates continuously. But his philosophy is just surfer dude prattle, there's no thought or sense in it anywhere. And real philosophers don't babble on pretentiously about themselves. Drama works when the characters are believable. This character is utterly unbelievable, so there is no drama.
The lead dude's sidekick is supposed to be intelligent and sensitive. It is not plausible that such a person would hang around with a self-absorbed, pretentious, babbling surfer dude who can't surf for even a day, much less for an endless summer. No drama here, either.
I have known unambitious intellectuals who do janitorial work for the Zen of it. They're fascinating people. Had these characters shown even a hint of that depth, it might have made this picture interesting.
Brian Dennehy is one of my favorite actors. He can be convincing as a guru-mentor or an evil villain, with powerful charisma. But he doesn't have anything to work with here. Kimber West and Lorissa McComas light up the screen for a few seconds each, just enough to raise hopes this picture just got better, and then they're gone. If you rent this picture to see them, you're wasting your time. (Won't someone *please* give Lorissa a decent role in a real movie?)
There are great buddy pictures about likeable dudes from southern California. _Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_ and _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_ were brilliant. Even _Wayne's World_ and _Dumb and Dumber_ have their moments. But _Dish Dogs_ isn't one of them.
The lead character fancies himself a philosopher, and pontificates continuously. But his philosophy is just surfer dude prattle, there's no thought or sense in it anywhere. And real philosophers don't babble on pretentiously about themselves. Drama works when the characters are believable. This character is utterly unbelievable, so there is no drama.
The lead dude's sidekick is supposed to be intelligent and sensitive. It is not plausible that such a person would hang around with a self-absorbed, pretentious, babbling surfer dude who can't surf for even a day, much less for an endless summer. No drama here, either.
I have known unambitious intellectuals who do janitorial work for the Zen of it. They're fascinating people. Had these characters shown even a hint of that depth, it might have made this picture interesting.
Brian Dennehy is one of my favorite actors. He can be convincing as a guru-mentor or an evil villain, with powerful charisma. But he doesn't have anything to work with here. Kimber West and Lorissa McComas light up the screen for a few seconds each, just enough to raise hopes this picture just got better, and then they're gone. If you rent this picture to see them, you're wasting your time. (Won't someone *please* give Lorissa a decent role in a real movie?)
There are great buddy pictures about likeable dudes from southern California. _Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_ and _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_ were brilliant. Even _Wayne's World_ and _Dumb and Dumber_ have their moments. But _Dish Dogs_ isn't one of them.