Lords of Dogtown
When I was a kid, I had a skateboard, but I was never good at
skating, mostly because I didn't put in the work to master the necessary
skills. I wanted to be like the "Z-Boys" - the Zephyr skate team who
were constantly highlighted in the skating magazines of that time. Stacy
Peralta, Tony Alva, and Jay Adams were gods (and still are, in some
ways) of the skating world.
In previous posts, I've shown how mind, body, and spirit characters are used in stories based on real people and events. Lords of Dogtown continues that illustration. The examples given in this post are from the movie, and not necessarily on actual events.
Stacy is a character study in practicality. Early in the movie, he is watching some of the older guys surfing when one of then wipes out and gets cut. Stacy suggests he should get out of the water because of the injury, a suggestion that is not taken kindly.
Stacy is the only one of the Z-Boys who has a job and a car, which he describes as "one of the benefits of having a job." When Jay is goofing around and breaks the window handle, Stacy is concerned about how much it will cost to replace.
Skip tries to keep Stacy with Zephyr by explaining all his new business ideas, but Stacy wants more. He wants to know who else is involved and begins to question the soundness of Skip's business decisions. When Skip can't give good answers, Stacy leaves to join the G&S team.
Later, Stacy sees the limited potential in skating for someone else, so he leaves G&S team to start his own company.
Tony is all about winning, no matter the cost. He comes onto the scene skating down a hill, trying to time a traffic light so it turns green just as he passes it. He makes the light, almost causing an accident, and then wipes out. Tony is the first to try the new skate wheels, ripping the board out of Skip's hands to do it.
For Tony, winning isn't just about skate competitions. It's about life. His character is summarized later in the movie when he says he wants money, sex every night, and that he wants it all "right now." Another summary of his character comes when someone says Tony is "competing with the sun for the center of the universe." He is constantly showing off for the cameras and the girls, and when Jay and Stacy are getting a lot of attention, he jumps from a roof to focus the attention back on himself.
For Tony, second place isn't good enough. In one scene, he becomes angry and breaks a second place trophy. Contrast that with Jay Adams, who won second place in an earlier meet and took the trophy home to show to his mom.
Jay's character is defined by his relationships. He is very close to his mom and gets angry when her boyfriend leaves her. He skates alone to deal with the pain and anger generated by the situation. When he leaves Zephyr, he says it's because he needs to help his mom pay the rent.
Jay is also close to Stacy, even though he steals his girlfriend. He is the first to let Stacy know he didn't make the team, and when Stacy is finally selected and becomes "one of us," Jay points out that he has "always been one of us." He also sticks up for Stacy when his gang friends want to beat him up.
Another underdog friend of Jay's is Sid, a kid with balance problems who is bullied by some of the other Z-Boys. When one guy makes Sid wipe out, Jay returns the favor and chastises the other guy for picking on Sid. When Sid gets sick, Jay is the first one to drop everything and go to see him.
The line that best summarizes Jay's character is, "We get to do whatever we want." This isn't like Tony, tough, who wants it all and wants it right now. Jay can skate when he wants, hang out with Sid when he wants, be with his gang when he wants, etc. Twice in the movie, Jay turns down money and glory just so he is not tied down by the obligations that come with it.
In previous posts, I've shown how mind, body, and spirit characters are used in stories based on real people and events. Lords of Dogtown continues that illustration. The examples given in this post are from the movie, and not necessarily on actual events.
The Mind Character: Stacy Peralta (John Robinson)
Stacy is a character study in practicality. Early in the movie, he is watching some of the older guys surfing when one of then wipes out and gets cut. Stacy suggests he should get out of the water because of the injury, a suggestion that is not taken kindly.
Stacy is the only one of the Z-Boys who has a job and a car, which he describes as "one of the benefits of having a job." When Jay is goofing around and breaks the window handle, Stacy is concerned about how much it will cost to replace.
Skip tries to keep Stacy with Zephyr by explaining all his new business ideas, but Stacy wants more. He wants to know who else is involved and begins to question the soundness of Skip's business decisions. When Skip can't give good answers, Stacy leaves to join the G&S team.
Later, Stacy sees the limited potential in skating for someone else, so he leaves G&S team to start his own company.
The Body Character: Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk)
Tony is all about winning, no matter the cost. He comes onto the scene skating down a hill, trying to time a traffic light so it turns green just as he passes it. He makes the light, almost causing an accident, and then wipes out. Tony is the first to try the new skate wheels, ripping the board out of Skip's hands to do it.
For Tony, winning isn't just about skate competitions. It's about life. His character is summarized later in the movie when he says he wants money, sex every night, and that he wants it all "right now." Another summary of his character comes when someone says Tony is "competing with the sun for the center of the universe." He is constantly showing off for the cameras and the girls, and when Jay and Stacy are getting a lot of attention, he jumps from a roof to focus the attention back on himself.
For Tony, second place isn't good enough. In one scene, he becomes angry and breaks a second place trophy. Contrast that with Jay Adams, who won second place in an earlier meet and took the trophy home to show to his mom.
The Spirit Character: Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch)
Jay's character is defined by his relationships. He is very close to his mom and gets angry when her boyfriend leaves her. He skates alone to deal with the pain and anger generated by the situation. When he leaves Zephyr, he says it's because he needs to help his mom pay the rent.
Jay is also close to Stacy, even though he steals his girlfriend. He is the first to let Stacy know he didn't make the team, and when Stacy is finally selected and becomes "one of us," Jay points out that he has "always been one of us." He also sticks up for Stacy when his gang friends want to beat him up.
Another underdog friend of Jay's is Sid, a kid with balance problems who is bullied by some of the other Z-Boys. When one guy makes Sid wipe out, Jay returns the favor and chastises the other guy for picking on Sid. When Sid gets sick, Jay is the first one to drop everything and go to see him.
The line that best summarizes Jay's character is, "We get to do whatever we want." This isn't like Tony, tough, who wants it all and wants it right now. Jay can skate when he wants, hang out with Sid when he wants, be with his gang when he wants, etc. Twice in the movie, Jay turns down money and glory just so he is not tied down by the obligations that come with it.
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