WILD HOGS
No WKRP, but laughs aplenty in Cincinnati for Suburban Slickers Turned
Uneasy Riders
PopcornReel.com Movie Review: "Wild
Hogs"
By Omar P.L. Moore/March 9, 2007
On the road again: The Wild Hogs, from left to right:
William H. Macy, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and John Travolta. (Photo:
Lorey Sebastian/Touchstone Pictures)
Inane, insane, no pain, no gain -- but if
laughs are what you seek then "Wild Hogs" delivers in abundance, even in the
most unexpected ways.
Walt Becker's film is very much like a cartoon -- it has threadbare, weak dialogue, over-hyped segments where Ray Liotta shouts and bullies his way through the scenery, and one too many jabs directed at gay people, a diverse community who may or may not find the jokes in good taste. "Wild Hogs" seems preoccupied with targeting homosexuals to deliver laughs, and it starts right at the top with the unfortunately named "Woody" character played by John Travolta, a character who is homophobic to the utmost. (Mr. Travolta will next be seen in drag playing Edna Turnblad in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Hairspray", alongside Queen Latifah this summer on the big screen in the U.S.)
Woody has just been divorced by his swimsuit model wife for reasons that aren't necessarily clear and to get away from it all he encourages his three long-time suburban Cincinnati friends Doug (Tim Allen), Bobby (Martin Lawrence) and the lovelorn Dudley (William H. Macy, the funniest of the four) to embark upon a road trip on their motorbikes across Americana as the Wild Hogs, a fun-loving, but initially non-thrill-seeking quartet of bikers, in search of wherever the road literally takes them, which in this film is to various disaster zones and predicaments from which laughter is likely to spring.
While Mr. Liotta plays a biker with shark's teeth -- a leader of the real-life Del Fuegos biker gang, Stephen Tobolowsky, the you-know-him-when-you-see-him character actor who has been in just about every film imaginable including "Basic Instinct", plays the sheriff of the New Mexico town of Madrid (pronounced Mad-rid), a sheriff whose power as a police official is overwhelmed by the fear of the intimidating, marauding Del Fuegos, whom he, his deputies and the townsfolk have repeatedly capitulated to over the years.
So are the Wild Hogs here (in Madrid) to save the day? Or are they just going along for the ride?
With Marisa Tomei in a wasted role as Maggie, the owner of a namesake saloon that the Del Fuegos make themselves at home in free-of-charge, "Wild Hogs" isn't self-conscious or pretentious -- just a funny, brainless and weirdly entertaining comedy "[that's] for people of all ages" (the words of Mr. Travolta at one press interview last month) that even one without a sense of humor will laugh at, even if for very different reasons than some other audience members. The film parodies "Easy Rider" and nods with affection at "Deliverance", even if it laughs uneasily.
"Wild Hogs" couldn't drag this reviewer away -- even though a 4.2 earthquake rumbled through the theater with 35 minutes to go during the film.
Note: A bit of irony -- Brian Robbins, who directed "Norbit", a movie which for many film critics including this one, has become a dirty word, co-produced "Wild Hogs". How could Mr. Robbins go right with "Hogs" and be so wrong with "Norbit"? Others may beg to differ with the question just posed.
"Wild Hogs" opened last week on March 2 in North America, to the tune of $38 million to top the box office. The film is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and some violence. It also stars Jill Hennessy of American television's "Crossing Jordan", as Kelly, the wife of Tim Allen's character Doug.
Related stories: Wild Hogs in San Francisco for the Chinese New Year Photo Gallery of "Wild Hogs" event
Walt Becker's film is very much like a cartoon -- it has threadbare, weak dialogue, over-hyped segments where Ray Liotta shouts and bullies his way through the scenery, and one too many jabs directed at gay people, a diverse community who may or may not find the jokes in good taste. "Wild Hogs" seems preoccupied with targeting homosexuals to deliver laughs, and it starts right at the top with the unfortunately named "Woody" character played by John Travolta, a character who is homophobic to the utmost. (Mr. Travolta will next be seen in drag playing Edna Turnblad in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Hairspray", alongside Queen Latifah this summer on the big screen in the U.S.)
Woody has just been divorced by his swimsuit model wife for reasons that aren't necessarily clear and to get away from it all he encourages his three long-time suburban Cincinnati friends Doug (Tim Allen), Bobby (Martin Lawrence) and the lovelorn Dudley (William H. Macy, the funniest of the four) to embark upon a road trip on their motorbikes across Americana as the Wild Hogs, a fun-loving, but initially non-thrill-seeking quartet of bikers, in search of wherever the road literally takes them, which in this film is to various disaster zones and predicaments from which laughter is likely to spring.
While Mr. Liotta plays a biker with shark's teeth -- a leader of the real-life Del Fuegos biker gang, Stephen Tobolowsky, the you-know-him-when-you-see-him character actor who has been in just about every film imaginable including "Basic Instinct", plays the sheriff of the New Mexico town of Madrid (pronounced Mad-rid), a sheriff whose power as a police official is overwhelmed by the fear of the intimidating, marauding Del Fuegos, whom he, his deputies and the townsfolk have repeatedly capitulated to over the years.
So are the Wild Hogs here (in Madrid) to save the day? Or are they just going along for the ride?
With Marisa Tomei in a wasted role as Maggie, the owner of a namesake saloon that the Del Fuegos make themselves at home in free-of-charge, "Wild Hogs" isn't self-conscious or pretentious -- just a funny, brainless and weirdly entertaining comedy "[that's] for people of all ages" (the words of Mr. Travolta at one press interview last month) that even one without a sense of humor will laugh at, even if for very different reasons than some other audience members. The film parodies "Easy Rider" and nods with affection at "Deliverance", even if it laughs uneasily.
"Wild Hogs" couldn't drag this reviewer away -- even though a 4.2 earthquake rumbled through the theater with 35 minutes to go during the film.
Note: A bit of irony -- Brian Robbins, who directed "Norbit", a movie which for many film critics including this one, has become a dirty word, co-produced "Wild Hogs". How could Mr. Robbins go right with "Hogs" and be so wrong with "Norbit"? Others may beg to differ with the question just posed.
"Wild Hogs" opened last week on March 2 in North America, to the tune of $38 million to top the box office. The film is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and some violence. It also stars Jill Hennessy of American television's "Crossing Jordan", as Kelly, the wife of Tim Allen's character Doug.
Related stories: Wild Hogs in San Francisco for the Chinese New Year Photo Gallery of "Wild Hogs" event
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