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"Uhhh... John...
We're Not Moving Yet." |
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Directed by Walt Becker
- Written by Brad
Copeland
Starring Tim Allen, John
Travolta, Martin
Lawrence, William H.
Macy
Marisa Tomei, Jill
Hennessy, and Ray Liotta
Distributed by
Touchstone -
2007 - 99m - Rated PG13 |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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B- |
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I had no intention of seeing "Wild Hogs."
It's the sort of film that I usually wait for on video...that is
unless I find myself covering it for this site.
That's not even my excuse here. TC was assigned to "Wild
Hogs," while I had the pleasure of covering "Black Snake Moan" this
weekend.
The problem? The online movie schedule listed the time for "Black
Snake Moan" incorrectly and, unfortunately, I found myself at the
movie theatre hours before show time on a day when it was cold and
snowy.
What is a film critic to do? |
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Well, in all honesty,
the manager made the choice easy when he said "Just go into "Wild
Hogs." It'll end right before "Black Snake Moan." Who am I to turn
down a free film?
I can't say I had much desire to see this film...the concept is
tired and, with the exception of William H. Macy, we're talking
about a group of actors with many bad comedies between them. "Wild
Hogs" was destined to suck.
I can honestly say "Wild Hogs" doesn't suck. It's not a comedy
classic, but neither is it the disaster I expected it to be.
The storyline is simple. Four middle-aged men, played by four
middle-aged actors, hit a mid-life crisis and decide to take their
bikes on a cross-country roadtrip. They're all searching for
something to put the spark back in their lives...will they find it?
Well, you know the answer to that. This is, after all, a Disney
comedy.
Doug (Tim Allen), Bobby (Martin Lawrence), Tim (John Travolta), and
Dudley (William H. Macy) aren't really bikers. Sure, they do
actually own bikes...but, the reality is that these pseudo-yuppie,
biker wannabes are simply stuck between their very real grown-up
responsibilities and the not-so inner children they long to be.
There's absolutely nothing brilliant about "Wild Hogs," and yet it
may very well be the first entertaining family comedy of 2007. As
directed by Walt Becker (Van Wilder), "Wild Hogs" is a fairly lazy
comedy with fairly lazy comic situations scripted by Brad Copeland.
The saving grace of "Wild Hogs" is simple...a cast with a sense of
camaraderie and the sense to know they're making nothing more than a
Disney comedy. Quite simply, they aim low and hit their target most
of the time.
In many ways, "Wild Hogs" makes sense for its stars. I mean,
seriously...Tim Allen has to be grateful just to be in a film
without a Santa suit involved. Martin Lawrence? He has to be
thrilled to simply not be wearing a fat suit? John Travolta? He's
not a gangster, for once, but still manages to show up in a black
suit. Weird.
Then, there's Macy. Macy is, undoubtedly, the class act in this
bunch and, at first glance, his participation in such a juvenile
makes no sense.
Think again.
Remember Macy's remarkably funny performance in "Happy, Texas?" It
was an underrated comedy in which Macy gave a brilliantly authentic
performance as a gay sheriff.
While Scrubs' John C. McGinley handles the gay cop role here (Yes,
I'm serious!), Macy gives another brilliantly funny performance as a
socially awkward bachelor whose comfort with his feminine side is
almost a bit too comfortable for the men around him. Much like he
did with "Happy, Texas", Macy turns a skeleton-thin character into
the sort of character that makes you smile every time he shows up on
screen. Macy's performance alone elevates "Wild Hogs" above
mediocrity.
Both Allen and Lawrence offer tamed down versions of their usual
shtick. Allen, as a burned out dentist who has lost touch with his
family, and Lawrence as a pussy-whipped plumber (say that 10 times
real fast) desperate to get back control of his life, are fairly
one-note characters that, nonetheless, manage to work much of the
time on a fairly basic level. Brilliant performances? Far from it,
but frequently funny and quietly endearing. It is Allen's best
performance, by far, in recent years and Lawrence actually gives an
indication that he can do something beyond his usually outlandish
histrionics.
Travolta, on the other hand, is simply not geared towards comedy. It
seems as if Becker knew this from the beginning and gave Travolta's
character enough familiar touches that Travolta at least had
something to hold onto. It just wasn't enough. Even as the allegedly
"happy" one among the group, Travolta simply seems out of place and,
at times, he nearly ruins the flick's buddy vibe.
The film's supporting cast mostly seem to be having a good time,
though again it seems everyone's on the same page in realizing this
ain't Shakespeare. As the leader of a rival biker gang, Ray Liotta
almost seems to be making fun of his past menacing performances,
while Marisa Tomei shines as shy Macy's unexpected girlfriend.
Neither actor is called to do much of a stretch here, however,
neither do they phone in their performances. The aforementioned
McGinley and Stephen Tobolowsky also offer memorable supporting
performances.
"Wild Hogs" may very well qualify as 2007's first guilty pleasure
film. It is neither completely memorable nor completely forgettable.
The film features Allen's finest performance in years, and further
proof that Macy ought to branch out in comedy a little more often.
Watch the closing credits for a fine routine and, yes, an unexpected
cameo from legendary Easy Rider Peter Fonda.
"Wild Hogs" is destined for strong box-office followed by a long
shelf-life at the local video store. Sometimes, a movie's not about
being brilliant...just entertaining. "Wild Hogs" is far from
brilliant, but it sure is entertaining. |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
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TC Candler's Comment
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