"Dude, Where's My Car?" on DVD

Dude? or Dud?

By Johnny Bray

If the title didn't turn you off of this movie, then the previews undoubtedly did. Yet, believe it or not, Dude, Where's My Car? is actually pretty funny.

Not since Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure have we rooted for two guys so utterly stupid.

Jesse and Chester got a little too drunk last night, and they can't quite remember what they did. The problem is, today is their anniversary with their twin girlfriends, and the presents they bought are in the back of the car.

Not only that, but they trashed their girlfriends' house at some point during the night, so they're in hot water as it is. So begins the quest to answer the title question.

Along the way, Jesse and Chester meet up with several people involved in their excursion from the night before. There's Christie Boner, the transsexual stripper, the extremely hot chicks, Zarnoff and company, and even the "Super Hot Giant Chick." And somehow, the entire plot revolves around a little device called the Continuum Transfunctioner.

And once their girlfriends are kidnapped and held ransom by the super-nerds, they become the best boyfriends in history, and set out to save their beloveds.

The nice thing about Dude, Where's My Car? is that the main characters' intentions are good. They just want to find their car, so they can give their girlfriends the anniversary presents, and get their "special surprise" in return.

The fact that the plot is completely inane only adds to the humor. There's not a single scene in the entire film in which it expects to be taken seriously. Many of the laughs come about because you can't help but laugh at how stupid these two guys are. A perfect example is the tattoo scene:

"Dude, you got a tattoo!"

"Sweet, what does it say?"

"Dude. What does mine say?"

"Sweet. How about mine?"

And so on and so forth.

Ashton Kutcher (That 70's Show) and Seann William Scott (American Pie) are perfect for their roles. And the screenplay by Philip Stark is perfectly stupid. As long as you understand that this isn't a movie made to make you think (in fact, it's made to prevent you from thinking altogether), you'll have no trouble laughing and enjoying.

The picture and sound are typical DVD quality, and it has anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 or Dolby surround. The special features include a commentary by director Danny Leiner, and actors Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott; seven extended scenes; a featurette; a music video; and the theatrical trailer and TV spots.

Dude, Where's My Car, from 20th Century Fox Home Video
83 min, anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 TV compatible, Dolby Digital 5.1
Starring Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Kristy Swanson
Produced by Wayne Rice, Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove, Gil Netter
Written by Philip Stark, Directed by Danny Leiner

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