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Review #414 of 365
Movie Review of Wild Hogs (2007) [PG-13] 99 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $6.50
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 3 March 2007
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Walt Becker (Van Wilder)
Written by: Brad Copeland ("Arrested Development")
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Tim Allen (The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause) • John Travolta (Be Cool) • Martin Lawrence (Open Season) • William H. Macy (Bobby) • Ray Liotta (Smokin' Aces) • Marisa Tomei (Factotum) • Kevin Durand (Smokin' Aces) • M.C. Gainey (Beerfest) • Jill Hennessy ("Crossing Jordan") • Tichina Arnold ("Everybody Hates Chris") • Kyle Gass (Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny) • Peter Fonda (Ghost Rider) • Ty Pennington ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" ) • Drew Pinsky ("Loveline")
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Goodness gracious where to begin with Touchstone Pictures' newest 'yikes' film, Wild Hogs. Aw, a mid-life crisis film featuring actors who might be the 'right' age for a mid-life crisis: William H. Macy (about to turn 57 this month), Tim Allen (he'll turn 54 later this year), John Travolta (just turned 53), and the baby of the group, Martin Lawrence (about to turn 42), who cave into teenage male peer pressure of the highest degree doled out by Travolta's character, the ultra cool husband of a swim suit model, Woody Stevens, into taking their mini-motorcycle gang called, of course, the Wild Hogs on a cross country freedom ride from Ohio to the Pacific Coast, really might have seemed like a great idea to somebody at some point. Unfortunately, the comedy under the direction of Van Wilder's Walt Becker and the writing of "Arrested Development"'s Brad Copeland took these characters on Route Dumb and Dumber instead. Occasionally, well, perhaps more often than occasionally, I feel compelled to shake things up a bit with some commentary on racism, genderism, etc. in USA-made films. Usually, my diatribes focus on poor roles for women, the lack of female directors, etc. Well, for my gender, let me speak out now. Men are no more immune to archetypal stereotyping in films than women are. If this film had been made by women to prove a point, maybe it would have proven that point. Nope, this was just Hollywood doing its darndest to perpetuate the very same pigeon holes for men and supposedly justifiable juvenile behavior due to reaching middle-age that it's been doing for decades. Worse, the bulk of the humor in the film surrounds an incessant nagging homophobia which most of the men, with the exception of the is he or isn't he, still isn't married, computer programming, nerd character played by Mr. Macy who seems to enjoy the smell of Woody's leather jacket and spooning with him when he burns their camping tend to the ground mistaking the camp fire fuel jug for the water jug, are so tied up in their masculinity they just might burst. Oh, it's hilarious alright. Worst of all, though, and not liking to give away endings in a non-spoiler review, but this cannot go unmentioned, the culmination of the film ends up with a knock down fist fight between a 'real' motorcycle gang and the Wild Hogs. Not that I wasn't taught by my own brawny father that the best way to stop a bully is to stand up to him, but it's a disappointing, unsurprising, way for this film to turn out. I'm not asking for a big circle and "Kumbaya", but…
"…most people won't even remember this film two weeks from now."
As it also happens, the actors play middle age versions of their favorite characters, so there was not a lot of effort required on their parts. The film is more in line for Mr. Allen and Mr. Lawrence than Mr. Travolta and Mr. Macy. It's unclear what drew the latter two to this low-brow comedy in the first place. Perhaps the assembly of the marquee names led each to believe they were in for a good time. Worst of all were the bad guy roles played by Ray Liotta and the mysterious lone rider Damien Blade played in cameo by, of course, Peter Fonda, who seems to be making an art form out of the cameo lately with a similar appearance in Ghost Rider. Yikes, there have to be better roles for Ray Liotta and better people to play awful characters like this. Oh, and if that weren't bad enough how about an odd cameo by Kyle Gass whose career, evidently, was not completely ruined by Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny as hoped, playing a country western song bird at the Madrid, NM Annual Chile Festival, or Dr. Drew Pinsky showing up as the Doctor who diagnoses Doug (Tim Allen) Madsen's anxiety attack; or, last but not least, Ty Pennington showing up in the closing credits to do an Extreme Makeover of the bar that the Wild Hogs destroyed. Yeah, I don't know what was up with any of these. Hard to tell if someone owed somebody something or what. As much as I love the producing company's parent company, I have to say the "Extreme Home Makeover" idea was a pretty shameless form of product placement on a massive scale. It's at a point like this that usually I'd re-read, realize I've not said a single nice thing about the movie, and go back and re-write. Instead I'll ask why Jill Hennessy agreed to be in this film given her lack luster role that was nearly as awful, stale, and pointless as Tim Allen's co-star in last spring's remake of the Shaggy Dog, one Kristen Davis. I'll ask who thought it was a good idea to have Bobby Davis (Martin Lawrence) lie to his wife about being at a plumbing convention rather than just being honest about going on the road with his buddies? Is this the example we want all the men with true and irreparable Peter Pan Syndrome to follow? Can somebody please, please, please write Marisa Tomei a worthy role and an on-screen partner with whom she might actually have some chemistry? Her kiss with W. H. Macy was not quite a off-kilter, mildly phrased, as Jack Black and Kate Winslet in The Holiday, but pretty darn close—at least Macy's character had no penchant for shoo-be-doo-be-doobying famous soundtracks. Finally, to all of the people out there with scripts about four guys on motorcycles hitting the free road to find themselves in the freedom, don't worry, this one has not ruined the chances of your film being made. Luckily, most people won't even remember this film two weeks from now.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Wild Hogs (2007)
Cast Members
Tim Allen
• John Travolta • Martin LawrenceWilliam H. Macy
• Ray Liotta • Marisa TomeiKevin Durand
• M.C. Gainey • Jill HennessyTichina Arnold
• Kyle Gass • Peter FondaTy Pennington
• Drew PinskyDirector
Walt Becker
Writer
Brad Copeland
| DVD | VHS | |
Wild Hogs (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Touchstone Pictures' newest film, Wild Hogs features the cross country escapades of four men during their collective mid-life crises: William H. Macy, Tim Allen, John Travolta, and Martin Lawrence who cave into teenage male peer pressure of the highest degree doled out by Travolta's character, the ultra cool husband of a swim suit model, Woody Stevens. What must have seemed like a brilliant idea to somebody, unfortunately, under the direction of Van Wilder's Walt Becker and "Arrested Development"'s Brad Copeland's writing, turned out a Route to dumb and dumber instead. The bulk of the humor surrounds an incessant nagging homophobia which most of the men, with the exception of Macy's computer nerd character, wear on their sleeves. A highly disappointing climax to the stale plot involves nothing more than brutal fighting scenes of hand-to-hand combat. This film will be out of sight and mind in fewer than two weeks
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