Different Themes on the Film, "Lords of Dogtown"

Film Critique # 2 Lords of Dogtown
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Film Critique # 2 Lords of Dogtown
The 2005 American drama film, Lords of Dogtown, based on a true story, directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta, shares the beginnings of the skateboarding we know of today (Lords of Dogtown, 2005). In line with this progress in skateboarding as a sport is a development in the lives of three teenagers involved in the process. This paper aims to discuss the different themes: the American dream; the consequences of success; and art, identity, and commercialism presented by Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, and Jay Adams, respectively, in the movie Lords of Dogtown.
Background
Skateboarding is a form of sport and recreation, famous among teenagers, where a person attempts to ride and balance himself/herself on a board with wheels. This is also included in extreme sports. There are already various categories in competitions, such as big air or street-style, that skaters can join on a professional level (Atencio et al., 2018). As seen in the film, the sport started with the young boys in Santa Monica, California, in the mid-1970s. Aside from skateboarding, racism towards Mexicans is prevalent at the time, emphasizing the opportunities compared to Americans (Williams, 2020). Skateboarding was born in the empty pools of the neighborhood because of the drought that Santa Monica was experiencing. The surfboards then became skateboards. The skateboarding subculture was also presented in the film through the creative and rebellious freedom-loving teenagers (Young, 2020).
Theme #1: Stacy Peralta & the American Dream
Stacy Peralta’s character perfectly showcases reaching and living the American dream. From his humble beginnings, it can be seen that he worked hard while staying by the rules, as much as possible, until he gets to the top. Stacy Peralta did not come from a wealthy family. Consequently, he did not have any advantages among his peers. In the story, it is also evident how he had a rough time during the start of their skateboarding career, such as when Skip Engblom, the owner of the surf shop who had a significant influence on the skating career of Stacy and his other skater friends, did not even want him as part of the skateboard team. There were challenges along the way, but these did not stop him from achieving his goals and showing the world what he is capable of when it comes to skateboarding. Physically, the most noticeable will be his straight, long blonde hair, and he was able to carry it well, very fitting for his character. It also adds a touch of uniqueness even though there are other blonde characters in the movie and the aesthetic vibe that he gives off when he executes skateboard moves beautifully (Sunil, 2020). Among the brotherhood, he has also shown very admirable traits as a person. These can be seen in instances, such as when Tony Alva and Jay Adams just suddenly left Skip Engblom as a “manager” to go for better opportunities. However, Stacy Peralta had the decency to talk to Skip Engblom about his decision and explain things to him. In addition to this event, he also did not use his fame to go sleeping around with women even thoug...