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It’s strange that 2001’s “The Wash” landed with almost no fanfare. The movie stars Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, with cameos from Eminem, Xzibit, and Ludacris—all of whom were ruling the rap charts at the time. You’d think a film packed with hip-hop heavyweights would’ve made a bigger splash. Yet, it came and went, fading into obscurity over the years. There is an obvious reason for that: it just isn’t a good movie.
In the “The Wash”, Sean (Dre) and Dee Loc (Snoop) work at a car wash in Los Angeles, managed by the uptight Mr. Washington (George Wallace). Sean, recently hired after losing his apartment, tries to balance his responsibilities while clashing with the laid-back Dee Loc, who barely takes his job seriously. When Mr. Washington is kidnapped by angry loan sharks, the duo must put aside their differences and step up to save their boss and the car wash.
It’s hard to pin down exactly what “The Wash” is trying to be. It aims to be a comedy, but most of the runtime is spent on Dre and Snoop Dogg butting heads after Dre is suddenly promoted to Snoop’s boss. While this setup has plenty of potential for funny pranks or lighthearted hijinks, it instead leads to overly serious, almost joyless confrontations. Both Dre and Snoop seem unable—or unwilling—to shed their gangsta personas, creating an underlying tension that makes every argument feel like it’s one wrong move away from turning into a shootout.
“The Wash” does sprinkle in a few characters clearly intended as comic relief, but they fall flat more often than not. The car wash owner, Mr. Washington, is a loudmouth character reminiscent of a typical Bernie Mac role, but without the same charm or wit. Then there’s Slim, one of the kidnappers, played by writer-director DJ Pooh. His entire gimmick is being the dumbest guy in the room, yet his performance struggles to muster even a faint chuckle. And then there’s Eminem, whose uncredited role as Chris, a disgruntled ex-employee, is equal parts bizarre and unsettling. Throughout the movie, he delivers menacing phone calls to Mr. Washington, culminating in a scene where he storms in with a semi-automatic weapon. While this unhinged behavior might align with Eminem’s Slim Shady persona at the time, it’s completely out of place in what’s supposed to be a comedy.
If “The Wash” has one redeeming quality, it’s the soundtrack. Packed with banging hip-hop tracks dripping with early 2000s flavor, the music brings a much-needed energy to the film. Some of the standout tracks are by Dre and Snoop themselves, but this creates odd moments where you hear Dre rapping while his character is onscreen, creating a strange disconnect between the audio and visuals. Adding to the weirdness, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, the musicians, are frequently referenced in the film—whether through radio shoutouts or even a copy of “The Source” magazine featuring Snoop on the cover. It’s a bizarre choice that makes it hard to separate the fictional characters from their larger-than-life real-world personas.
Ultimately, “The Wash” is a disappointing film and a textbook example that success in one field doesn’t guarantee expertise in another. There’s a reason Dr. Dre is best known for his behind-the-scenes brilliance—his one and only starring role proves he’s hopelessly out of his depth. Snoop Dogg fares slightly better, but let’s face it, he was never destined to be a thespian. After penning “Friday”, DJ Pooh might have hoped to capture that same magic here, but he falls short in every department—writing, directing, and acting. And honestly, with a name sounding like “Poo”, it feels almost fitting that he’s responsible for such a stinker.
