SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: THE WASH

"THE WASH"
(2001) (Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Extreme	Mild	Extreme	Minor	Heavy

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Heavy	None	Minor	Extreme	Extreme

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Extreme	*Minor	None	Moderate	Heavy

QUICK TAKE:: Comedy: Two roommates find their friendship tested when one become the other's boss at the local car wash.

PLOT:

Things couldn't be going worse for Sean (DR. DRE). Not only is he recently unemployed, but his landlord has also given him just three days to pay the rent before he's kicked out and his car has been booted. His laidback, pot-smoking roommate, Dee Loc (SNOOP DOGG), thus suggests that Sean apply for a manager's position at the local car wash where he works.

After meeting sassy cashier Antoinette (ANGELL CONWELL), Sean manages to impress the gun-toting owner, Mr. Washington (GEORGE WALLACE), enough to get the job that became vacant after Washington fired his last manager, Chris (EMINEM).

Sean then meets the various other employees of the car wash, including Bear (TOMMY "TINY" LISTER JR.), C-Money (LAMONT BENTLEY), Ronald (RASHAAN NALL), Lil' Dee (ARIF S. KINCHEN) and Jimmy (ALEX THOMAS, as well as DeWayne (BRUCE BRUCE), the portly security guard who occasionally shows up.

Although things seem to be going well as Sean jumps into the position with vigor, his overzealousness doesn't jive with the workers, particularly Dee Loc who decides to become a constant irritant in his side both at work and at home.

Even so, the two eventually decide they have bigger problems to face when two dimwitted criminals, Face (SHAWN FONTENO) and Slim (DJ POOH), kidnap Mr. Washington who's also constantly being harassed by Chris over the phone. From that point on, Sean and Dee Loc do what they must to save both their boss and their friendship.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of anyone in the cast, they might, but this film seems to have a very targeted and limited audience among kids.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For pervasive language, drug use, some sexuality and violence.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: DR. DRE plays an unemployed man who gets a job as a manager at the car wash where Dee Lock works. As he gets into the job, he quickly alienates his friend and the other workers. He uses strong profanity and briefly smokes pot.
SNOOP DOGG plays his friend and roommate, a bad worker who's always doing deals on the side while on the job (where he also has sex with a woman in the bathroom). He uses strong profanity, smokes pot, and develops a bad attitude toward Sean.
GEORGE WALLACE plays their gun-toting, hyper-talking boss who also uses profanity.
ANGELL CONWELL plays the sassy cashier at the car wash.
EMINEM plays a hostile and recently fired employee who constantly harasses and threatens his former boss over the phone and eventually shows up with a machine gun to take care of business. He also uses strong profanity.
SHAWN FONTENO and DJ POOH play two dimwitted local thugs who kidnap Washington and hold him for ransom. They use strong profanity.
TOMMY "TINY" LISTER JR. plays a towering, former convict who works at the car wash.
BRUCE BRUCE plays an overweight security guard.
ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.; SNOOP DOGG plays his friend and roommate, a bad worker who's always doing deals on the side while on the job (where he also has sex with a woman in the bathroom). He uses strong profanity, smokes pot, and develops a bad attitude toward Sean.
GEORGE WALLACE plays their gun-toting, hyper-talking boss who also uses profanity.
ANGELL CONWELL plays the sassy cashier at the car wash.
EMINEM plays a hostile and recently fired employee who constantly harasses and threatens his former boss over the phone and eventually shows up with a machine gun to take care of business. He also uses strong profanity.
SHAWN FONTENO and DJ POOH play two dimwitted local thugs who kidnap Washington and hold him for ransom. They use strong profanity.
TOMMY "TINY" LISTER JR. plays a towering, former convict who works at the car wash.
BRUCE BRUCE plays an overweight security guard.
ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.; GEORGE WALLACE plays their gun-toting, hyper-talking boss who also uses profanity.
ANGELL CONWELL plays the sassy cashier at the car wash.
EMINEM plays a hostile and recently fired employee who constantly harasses and threatens his former boss over the phone and eventually shows up with a machine gun to take care of business. He also uses strong profanity.
SHAWN FONTENO and DJ POOH play two dimwitted local thugs who kidnap Washington and hold him for ransom. They use strong profanity.
TOMMY "TINY" LISTER JR. plays a towering, former convict who works at the car wash.
BRUCE BRUCE plays an overweight security guard.
ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.; ANGELL CONWELL plays the sassy cashier at the car wash.
EMINEM plays a hostile and recently fired employee who constantly harasses and threatens his former boss over the phone and eventually shows up with a machine gun to take care of business. He also uses strong profanity.
SHAWN FONTENO and DJ POOH play two dimwitted local thugs who kidnap Washington and hold him for ransom. They use strong profanity.
TOMMY "TINY" LISTER JR. plays a towering, former convict who works at the car wash.
BRUCE BRUCE plays an overweight security guard.
ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.; EMINEM plays a hostile and recently fired employee who constantly harasses and threatens his former boss over the phone and eventually shows up with a machine gun to take care of business. He also uses strong profanity.
SHAWN FONTENO and DJ POOH play two dimwitted local thugs who kidnap Washington and hold him for ransom. They use strong profanity.
TOMMY "TINY" LISTER JR. plays a towering, former convict who works at the car wash.
BRUCE BRUCE plays an overweight security guard.
ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.; SHAWN FONTENO and DJ POOH play two dimwitted local thugs who kidnap Washington and hold him for ransom. They use strong profanity.
TOMMY "TINY" LISTER JR. plays a towering, former convict who works at the car wash.
BRUCE BRUCE plays an overweight security guard.
ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.; TOMMY "TINY" LISTER JR. plays a towering, former convict who works at the car wash.
BRUCE BRUCE plays an overweight security guard.
ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.; BRUCE BRUCE plays an overweight security guard.
ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.; ALEX THOMAS and LAMONT BENTLEY play other bad employees at the car wash.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated comedy. Profanity is listed as extreme due to the use of at least 143 "f" words, while many other expletives and colorful phrases are heard in both the dialogue and various songs on the soundtrack.

Some of the dialogue is sexually explicit, while a man has sex with a woman in the bathroom at work and that includes movement, sounds and another man briefly fondling himself (clothed) while listening to the encounter. Other fooling around occurs or is implied, while various scantily clad women (one who's topless) are seen, some of them plying their sexual wiles.

Various characters smoke pot (one throughout the film), while some drink and/or smoke. Some crude, scatological-based humor is present, as are several instances of imitative behavior. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, including those who kidnap a man and others who threaten people with guns (one wildly firing a machine gun at others and wounding one person). Other violence includes various characters striking others.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who might want to see it, we suggest that you more closely examine our detailed listings for more specific information about the film's content.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Sean and Dee Loc buy liquor at a liquor store and we later see them carrying some of it in brown paper bags.
Dee Loc smokes what's presumably pot in many scenes (based on how others react to what it is).
Sean smokes what's presumably pot while brushing his teeth.
A man shows up with a bong and a bag of pot for Dee Loc (who buys both), stating that the pot is free if he buys the bong (thus believing that he can't be arrested for selling drugs). That man then states that he smoked some of what he's trying to sell a few days ago and is still affected by it.
Dee Loc drinks.
Dee Loc and another man smoke a joint in a car.
Some cops place dope with Dee Loc so that they can arrest him (we see a small bag), but that all turns out to be a dream.
Sean opens some champagne for himself and a date who later says that it's made her feel good. Later, another woman drinks straight from the bottle.
Ronald smokes pot.

BLOOD/GORE: Sean lets out a loud belch (and others react to the smell). Later, we hear various intestinal and then diarrhea like sounds as he sits on the toilet (as Dee Loc asks if he has "the bubblies" from another room). He then realizes the water has been cut off and thus the toilet won't flush, and Dee Loc then reacts to the smell.
We briefly see a bloody bullet hole wound in a man's shirt as he's shot.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Most of the following is not meant to be taken seriously as the film is intended as a comedy.
Most of the workers at the car wash have bad attitudes (stealing from cars, leaving work, having sex in the bathroom, etc.).
Dee Loc is disrespectful to both his next-door neighbor (by playing his music very loud at night) and to the cops who show up to tell him to turn it down. He also develops a bad attitude toward Sean as the story progresses.
The film makes fun of obese people, first by having a large woman sit down next to Sean on the bus (with him reacting negatively to that), and then by various shots of DeWayne trying to get out of his squad car and barely making it (due to his large size).
Chris constantly harasses and threatens Mr. Washington, his former boss, over the phone, and eventually shows up with a machine gun to take care of business.
We see that some mafia men have another man in the trunk of their car.
Dee Loc steals company supplies from a cabinet.
A customer has a bad attitude toward Sean who eventually has one back toward him.
Embarrassed about where he works, Sean lies to a woman about his profession.
The guys who kidnap Mr. Washington obviously have both types of attitudes.
Some cops place dope with Dee Loc so that they can arrest him (we see a small bag), but that all turns out to be a dream.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers, but most are played for comedy of one sort or another and not traditional tension/suspense.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Handguns/Machine gun: Carried and/or used to threaten or fire at others.
Virtual gun: Seen being fired by a character as Mr. Washington plays a first-player shooter video game.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "F*ck it," "That's f*cked up," "(That's some) F*cked up sh*t," "Who the f*ck /is he/are you (talking to)/does he think he is?" "I'm going to f*cking kill you," "F*ck you," "You've got to be motherf*cking joking," "Get the f*ck out of my face," "Shut the f*ck up," "F*ck that," "What the f*ck /are you doing/is wrong with you/is going on/is ya'll doing/just happened?" "You punk motherf*cker," "Don't give a f*ck," "Use your f*cking brain," "Stupid motherf*ckers," "I f*cked up," "Get the f*ck off me," "Check this sh*t out," "Turn that sh*t down," "Bullsh*t," "I've got to get my sh*t together," "No sh*t," "Sh*t ain't working," "Oh, sh*t," "Ya'll gotta take that sh*t off the lot," "Bitch ass," "Nigger" (said many times), "Bitch" (said many times), "Homey," "Piss," "Get your ass up," "Screwed up," "My ass," "Damn sure," "Boo boo" (defecate), "Get your ass back to work," "Balls" (testicles), "Ain't that a bitch?" "Dawg" (what the men call each other), "What the hell?" "Punk ass," "Hell, yeah," "I wouldn't give a damn," "Shut up," "Measly ass," "Broke ass" and "Kick your ass."
In a still photo, we see Sean giving his boss "the finger."
Dee Loc holds his clothed crotch in defiance to a neighbor knocking on the wall.
Sean lets out a loud belch.
A man shows up with a bong and a bag of pot for Dee Loc (who buys both), stating that the pot is free if he buys the bong (thus believing that he can't be arrested for selling drugs).
We see that Chris has some tattoos on his arms.
An older worker gives another person the "f you" sign with his hand and arm.
Dee Loc makes the gesture for female oral sex (licking between spread fingers).
To get revenge for being fired, Chris constantly harasses and threatens his former boss on the phone and then shows up with a machine gun that he wildly fires at various people (striking one).

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A tiny bit of comically suspenseful music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): While we heard at least 12 "f" word, 9 "s" words, other milder expletives and terms such as "nigger" in the various songs on the soundtrack, many lyrics could not be understood, thus offering the possibility of further potentially objectionable material being in them.

PROFANITY: At least 143 "f" words (47 used with "mother" and 3 used sexually), 104 "s" words, 1 slang term using male genitals ("d*ck"), 54 asses (7 used with "hole"), 26 damns, 6 hells, 2 S.O.B.s, 16 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use of "Jesus Christ" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: It sounds like someone mentions something about a condom.
We see Dee Loc in bed with a woman who's asleep, thus suggesting they fooled around (with Sean commenting that it looks like they had more fun than he did). Meanwhile, Sean then tries to wake up a girl sleeping on the floor and she keeps saying (while still asleep), "I told you no."
We see some photos of scantily clad women in Dee Loc's locker.
Various women show cleavage.
A woman arrives at the car wash wanting to have sex right there and then with Dee Loc (she says she wants "some" and he tells her she had "some" last night, but she reminds him that it's now). Other male workers spot the two heading for the bathroom and comment on it, with one saying the other will be "jacking off" on his "balls."
A person makes a comment, "I didn't mean to f*ck her."
We then see Dee Loc and this woman in the bathroom, with him putting some tissue over the sink for her to lean against/sit on. She then undoes her pants and pulls them down (but the camera goes with them so we don't see any nudity). We then hear sexual moaning from her as Sean approaches and then also hears them. We see that Dee Loc's pants are around his ankles (his shirttail covers his butt) as he stands between her legs having sex with movement and more sounds. As Sean continues listening to this, he then begins to feel his own clothed crotch.
We see several buxom women in small bikinis washing cars and greeting customers. Dee Loc then fantasizes what it would be like if he were running the place and we immediately see a woman's rear end (in a thong bottom) shaking directly in front of the camera. We then see more scantily clad women (some of them dancing around suggestively), as well as a topless one vacuuming the inside of a car (we see several views of her bare breasts hanging down). During this, Dee Loc pats one on her mostly bare behind, while other girls playfully spray each other with water from a hose.
A comment is made about "f*cking in the bathroom."
We see more bikini-clad women somewhat sensuously washing cars.
Dee Loc makes the gesture for female oral sex (licking between spread fingers) in reference to Sean and his date. Later, we see Sean nuzzling her neck and she then climbs on top of him on the sofa (both are clothed) and begins working on his pants. Two other women, however, interrupt them before anything else happens.
One man sarcastically asks another if he's "f*cking" a third man (he's not).
A woman suggestively bends over a car's engine compartment as if the car is broken down to lure a man outside by the sight of her rear end sticking up in the air in tight/short clothing.

SMOKING: Slim smokes once, as do some miscellaneous characters (Dee Loc smokes several times, but appears to be smoking pot - based on other's reactions - rather than tobacco).

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: People who don't take their jobs seriously.
How Sean and Dee Loc's boss/subordinate business situation puts a strain on their friendship.
Drug use.

VIOLENCE: Most of the following is not meant to be taken seriously as the film is intended as a comedy.
A thug pulls a gun on Sean when the latter comes looking for the thug's sister, and aims the gun at his chest and then his head.
Bear grabs Jimmy and pushes his head against a windshield after Jimmy makes a disparaging remark concerning him.
We see surveillance footage of Sean kicking (or kicking at) someone.
Dee Loc kicks a few things in anger.
A large man (Shaquille O'Neal) gets out of a car (with a woman who was ripped off earlier at the car wash), grabs the offending worker by the neck and lifts him from the ground. He then punches him backwards across the lot.
Sean goes to work and finds the glass in one of the doors broken (from a brick thrown through it).
We see that Slim and Face have Mr. Washington bound and gagged in a chair. One of them then punches Washington in the face, and moments later the other does as well.
We see surveillance footage of someone running up, grabbing Mr. Washington, and throwing a brick through the front door glass.
Dee Loc hits a kidnapper on the back of the head with a gun, knocking him unconscious and causing the gun to fire while doing so.
Chris runs up with a machine gun and aims it at DeWayne and others. He then opens fire with the gun, sending bullets flying everywhere (riddling lots of property and a vehicle) and hitting a man in the shoulder. He then nearly shoots Sean, but Dee Loc stands in his way and DeWayne then holds his handgun to Chris' face and the shooting ends there.

Reviewed November 14, 2001 / Posted November 15, 2001

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