First, child-like Pee Wee Herman got his beloved bicycle stolen, then airheads Bill and Ted had an excellent adventure and a bogus journey through time. Now, we have two dolts unable to remember the night before because they got “wasted.” The Difference? Most critics will grudgingly admit that these previous films were somewhat fresh and contained a few morsels of wit. But “Dude” is a miscalculated rip-off of those films. It borrows freely from Pee Wee’s innocent nature (these guys are more amoral than naive) and downright steals from the plot of Bill and Ted’s adventure. Actually, the premise had promise. It could even have been a poignant statement about drug abuse. Or it could simply have been nonsensical slapstick. But it’s neither trenchant nor funny. And although the ad in the entertainment section of the newspaper shows the guys surrounded by scantily clad “babes,” I think those motivated by bawdy movie promos will also feel cheated. For this film is as devoid of sexiness as it is humor. Having missed the press screening, I viewed it at a matinee, surrounded by a staggering seven other ticket buyers. They sat there, stupefied. Or was it comatose? Whatever, they didn’t laugh, either. Speaking with my 16-year-old niece a day after seeing this drek, she verified that members of her generation also found it disappointing. For her, it was lame and unfunny. “Dude” made it just under the wire to be in contention for worst film of the year. Released in the final weeks of December, it leaps backward on the evolutionary scale of comedy. But then, maybe two guys who work as pizza deliverers and party so hardy that portions of their lives become lost the morning after is fodder for filmmakers with more perception, skill or humor. Or perhaps the subject is just not funny.
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