Twenty-five years on, people remember “Dude, Where’s My Car?” as a mildly funny, albeit dumb as rocks stoner comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott.
From the drive-thru “and then….” scene to the increasingly angry back tattoo gag, it was retro, silly and stupid as hell even back then – leading to an understandable major panning from critics.
Yet the film also achieved a kind of cult status with some audience members who liked the comic performances, the sweet nature at its heart, and the gags that flew thick and fast.
Phil Stark is the movie’s credited writer. In fact, it’s his sole credit and now looking back at the movie 25 years later, he tells THR his feelings towards the film have changed following a recent rewatch, which made him cringe at how dated the humor had become:
“Upon a recent ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’ rewatch, I was struck by just how much I cringed at the humor. What made me cringe is how, 25 years later, some of the comedy feels so dated, even offensive. Sure, the tone is light and silly and the humor comes largely from the charming and stone-y performances of Ashton and Seann. But there is plenty of humor that plays at the expense of transgender people, ethnic minorities, women, gay men, religious cults, and Fabio. Did it feel this cringey 25 years ago? I don’t think so. The humor seemed appropriate at the time. But then again, so did Matchbox Twenty.”
Despite the bad reviews, Stark says the film made its production costs back the first weekend and ended up being solidly profitable – “Not exactly a smash hit, but certainly a success.” Stark himself has gone on to become a therapist, even wrote a self help book called “Dude, Where’s My Car-tharsis?”.
