Review of Dude (2018) by Kevin P — 29 Sep 2018

Strengths: It's usually best to have the best stuff in a movie happen in the back half. This movie does just that. It struggles early on, but if you stick around through that, you'll find some stronger stuff later on. Lucy Hale (Lily) gives a solid performance as the lead, playing the most grounded character in the entire film. She comes across as realistic and rather grounded. Lily gets an arc that shows growth from start to finish, which is critical in a film. We need to be taken on a journey and this movie succeeds there. Kathryn Prescott (Chloe Daniels) is right next to Hale in terms of strong performances.

Weaknesses: As mentioned, the first portion of the movie struggles. They try way too hard to establish these girls as overly raunchy. Nearly every line in the first half hour or so is just these girls saying sexual things or talking about drugs. It doesn't feel natural the way it did when, like, Bridesmaids, had their characters be dirty. This feels super forced and none of the jokes land. It just makes you cringe and feel awkward. Alexandra Shipp (Amelia) seems uncomfortable when delivering her lines and has none of the charisma she showed in other movies. The same goes for Awkwafina (Rebecca). They're both wasted in a big way and let down by poor writing. Also, some comedic situations went nowhere. There's a scene where a dog eats weed brownies and it just ends. Nothing comes of it, so it doesn't even get to be funny.

Overall: It's tough to get through this movie. The first 45 or so minutes are just a barrage of bad jokes, awkward lines, and nothing funny. If you get to it, the back half saves this a bit and packs the emotional punch it needed to for Lily's character.