Dude, Where's My Car? (PG-13, 2000)

common sense media says

Brain-cell depleting comedy will appeal to kids.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the female characters are all either bubbleheads or strippers (or women who otherwise openly exploit their sexuality). Black and Asian characters are stereotypically depicted. A stripper is revealed to be a transsexual. An old lady uses the f-word in one scene. While not actually depicted, Jesse and Chester's regular use of alcohol and drugs is a pivotal part of the plot. They also steal the pizzas they're supposed to be delivering for their job. Jesse and Chester visit a strip bar where one of the girls talks about a lap dance they shared the previous night. Jesse gets to place his hand on a woman's bosom. Cartoonish beatings from a group of bad guys. Jesse and Chester bean their captors with a fire extinguisher.

Positive messages: The female characters are all either bubbleheads or strippers (or women who otherwise openly exploit their sexuality). Black and Asian characters are stereotypically depicted. Lots of tasteless humor.
Violence: Cartoonish beatings from a group of bad guys. Jesse and Chester bean their captors with a fire extinguisher.
Sex: Talk about sex accompanies the appearance of any female character. Jesse and Chester visit a strip bar where one of the girls talks about a lap dance they shared the previous night. Jesse gets to place his hand on a woman's bosom.
Language: An old lady who uses the f-word.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: While not actually depicted, Jesse and Chester's regular use of alcohol and drugs is a pivotal part of the plot. A character teaches his dog to smoke dope.

More on Dude, Where's My Car?

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about whether they find comedies like this one funny or not. Families can also talk about Jesse and Chester as one-dimensional characters, with little on their minds besides partying and women.

What's the story?

What's the story?
DUDE WHERE'S MY CAR begins when dopey duo Jesse (Ashton Kutcher) and Chester (Seann William Scott) regain consciousness after a wild night of partying and realize they have no idea where Jesse's car is. Besides the all-important need for wheels, the guys have to find the car because that's where they've left their anniversary presents for their girlfriends, twins Wilma (Marla Sokoloff) and Wanda (Jennifer Garner). Chester and Jesse's search for the car turns into an adventure involving aliens, massive amounts of pudding, strippers, and more.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Dude, Where's My Car is a sloppy, unappealing comedy that falls somewhere between Cheech & Chong and Bill & Ted. It's a prime example of the kind of comedy that is marketed to teenagers even though it's not appropriate for them. As concocted by filmmakers who come from TV shows like South Park and That 70s Show, it's as raunchy as possible without getting an R rating: profanity is minimal, women are treated in an extremely sexist way but there's no actual nudity, and drugs are a part of the plot but no one's shown using them.

The result is a movie that tacitly endorses substance abuse: the fact that Jesse and Chester were so "wasted" that they have no idea what they did the previous night is one that amuses rather than worries them. The roughly assembled script offers a few funny moments, but mostly the movie features ideas that might have been funny had they been developed a little, or at all. Dude isn't as gross as some other comedies popular with young viewers (American Pie, Scary Movie, but that's hardly a recommendation.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Danny Leiner
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Seann William Scott
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release: December 15, 2000
DVD release: March 5, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: language and some sex and drug-related humor

This review was written by M. Faust
 
 

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What parents & educators say

11

Most useful reviews by all members

 
Random but hilarious
This movie was full of very random situations. Some sex related scenes and some pretty bad language but not bad for kids above the age of 13. Not a high quality movie but good for a stupid random comedy.

angelostar
kid, 12 years old
 
hilarious. and then. its funny!. and thenthe dog is hilareous. and then. nooooo

Plague
parent
 
Dude, Wheres My Car?
It has many funny moments, but the plot itself is horrid.

weszu
teen, 18 years old
 
SO STUPID
This movie is SOOOOO stupid, but that's why it's funny! I don't think there was anything bad content wise, but very funny and stupid is all I can say.

Booklover
teen, 15 years old
 
bad
worse

KennyMcCormick
teen, 13 years old
 
Stoner comedy
Funny and dumb!

 
Random Events
Very funny movie, I mean it is so stupid that it is funny. Not for someone under 10 but it is really good.

Dante
teen, 17 years old
 
Dude Where's the bad stuff?
I see no bad things in this movie except that there friend lets his dog smoke dope but that's (dont teach you pets to do that kids)but other wise it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

Rorie6
teen, 18 years old
 
Amazing movie! one of my favorites. Quotealer. My only recomendation, is that it is a "stoner comedy" so there is a lot of drug referances, and sexual referances. But all togother it as a really good movie! =]

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age