Slacker room-mates Jesse (Kutcher) and Chester (Scott) wake from night of hedonism unable to remember anything about the last 24 hours.They decide to retrace their steps to find out where they parked Jesse's treasured dude-mobile and what crazy things they did to whom.
Finding they trashed their girlfriends' apartment and accepted stolen money from a transsexual stripper is bad enough. But then they learn they have misplaced a device called a continuum transfunctioner which could destroy the universe.
Over the next 24 demented hours, the Dudes cross paths with alien babes, rampaging ostriches and a character called Nelson (Herman) who talks like Yoda. While Jesse and Chester are goofy knuckleheads one step removed from the Neanderthal, they're also generous souls whose hearts are in the right place.
Kutcher and Scott are a sparkling double-act - their comedy and physical timing is perfect. You feel compelled to laugh at almost everything the Dudes do while rooting for them every step of the way.
Supporting performances are equally memorable, especially Jennifer Garner and Marla Sokoloff as the Dude's feisty girlfriends. Screenwriter Philip Stark loads the script with plenty of running gags and one-liners. Most hit the mark, but some duds slip through.
Director Danny Leiner complements the verbal fireworks with dynamic camerawork, but most of the hard work has been done for him by Stark. You'll still be laughing when the credits roll.
