Lords of Dogtown is a 2005 biographical film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, written by Stacy Peralta. The film is based on the story of "The Z-Boys", an influential group of skateboarders who revolutionized the sport. The movie is dedicated to the memory of comedian Mitch Hedberg, who appears in the movie but died before the film was released. This was also the first film to be released by both TriStar Pictures and Columbia Pictures which are both trademark by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film ranked 417 on Empire Magazine's 2008 list of the 500 Greatest films of all Time.

Plot

In 1970s Venice Beach, surfers Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk), Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch) enjoy the life of skating and surfing the pier with board designer Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger) and the other locals. One day, Skip orders polyurethane wheels for the skateboards in his shop, Zephyr Skate Shop. Teenager Sid (Michael Angarano), a friend of the boys who works in the same shop, invites Tony, Jay, Stacy and the other locals to test the new wheels. After witnessing what the boys could now do with the wheels, Skip decides to put together a skate team, the Z-Boys. The team proves to be a success; winning many contests, Stacy, Jay, and Tony gain popularity from locals across Venice.

A period of hot weather reduces the surf at the pier and the official declaration of a drought means swimming pools have to be emptied of water. Taking advantage of this the Z-Boys start to use dried up backyard pools to skate in. After winning many major contests, Stacy, Jay, and Tony start getting noticed by major skating companies looking to take the boys from Skip. The Z-Boys become famous, appearing in various magazines. One night, Skip throws a party at his shop to celebrate the success of the team. A company owner, Topper Burks (Johnny Knoxville), enters the party and convinces Tony that Skip is holding him back, and that it's time to make him famous world wide. Tony accepts his offer and leaves the team. Jay leaves the team as well, looking to make more money so his mom could pay the rent on their apartment. Stacy is the last to leave, as he begins getting offers to skate as well as to appear in T.V. Sad and angry, Skip decides to shut down the Zephyr Skate Team.