Last night, two party-hearty Dudes had an unbelievably sweet time. Too bad, they can't remember a thing, including where they parked their car.

All they know is there's a year's supply of chocolate pudding in the fridge, and their girlfriends are furious with them for trashing their house and forgetting their anniversaries.

In order to make up with the girls and receive their "special treats", the Dudes have to find the anniversary gifts they bought for the occasion. But it won't be easy - the goodies are in their car.

So, the guys embark on a mission: retrace their steps to find out what they did last night (and whom they did it to), hoping it will lead them to the missing car. Little do they know, they're in for the ride of their lives.

This is a light-hearted mix of Road Trip and Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure, with a peculiar assortment of characters, including a "gender challenged" lap dancer and a quintet of "really hot chicks" from outer space.

Add a couple of leather-clad Nordic weirdoes and Christie Boner, the local honey - and you have all the ingredients necessary for some low-brow entertainment.

Part of the film's success can be traced to the leads, as their sweet portrayal of the dumb and dumber dudes can't help but endear the audience to their plight.

Scott and Kutcher even manage to display some very real emotion in a film that includes such unlikely creatures as a pot-smoking dog and a band of fierce-looking ostriches.

All in all, this really isn't as bad as some of the critics made out...

Dominic Bloch