0
0
Most of the time, they’re just four normal middle-aged guys. Doug Madsen (Tim Allen) is a mild-mannered dentist who’s trying to lower his cholesterol. Bobby Davis (Martin Lawrence) has an unpleasant blue-collar job and a ball-busting wife. Dudley Frank (William H. Macy) is a clumsy computer programmer who’s terrified of speaking to women. And Woody Stevens (John Travolta) seems to have it all—a great job, lots of money, and a supermodel wife (who actually left him three months ago, taking everything he had). But once a week, the four normal guys from suburban Cincinnati are the Wild Hogs. They dress in leather and ride over to the local bar, where they have a few beers before returning to their uneventful lives.
One night at the bar, Woody announces that it’s time they went on a road trip—take a week or so off, hop on the bikes, drive across the country, and just be…free. He talks the others into going—and, together, they set out on their adventure. Aside from a few little problems (like the accidental tent fire), everything goes well—until, in New Mexico, they meet the Del Fuegos. Led by a tough guy named Jack (Ray Liotta), the Del Fuegos are real bikers—who don’t appreciate “posers” like the Wild Hogs—and they decide to teach the guys a lesson. When Woody tries to fight back, he accidentally blows up the Del Feugos’ biker bar—causing the Del Fuegos to ride off in search of revenge.
Let’s just get this part over with right away: Wild Hogs is a cliché comedy. A group of underdogs go on an adventure. Along the way, they meet up with some bad guys who threaten to destroy all the fun. Can you guess what happens in the end? But just because the story isn’t totally new and original, it doesn’t mean that it won’t make you laugh anyway.
Though Allen and Lawrence give decent performances as mediocre characters—and they’re occasionally good for a laugh or two—Travolta is perfectly cast as the leader of the suburban pack. And though Macy does sometimes border on annoying, he still makes a loveable underdog—and he gets some of the best lines in the movie.
Sure, sometimes it’s a little corny, and sometimes the laughs are cheap, but Wild Hogs is actually genuinely funny most of the time (which is more than I can say for some other comedies that are currently in theaters). In fact, I missed several lines of the dialogue—because I couldn’t hear over the audience’s laughter.
If you’re a middle-aged guy, you’ll love Wild Hogs. If you’re not, you’ll still kinda like it. Just be sure to stay for the credits. If you skip out early, you’ll miss what could possibly be the funniest part of the whole movie.
DVD Review:
Not long after Wild Hogs hit theaters, my uncle got on the phone to tell me how much he loved it. Obviously, he wasn’t the only one. Wild Hogs is, without a doubt, the middle-aged guy movie of the year. And I may be neither middle-aged nor a guy, but I liked it, too.
DVD extras include an alternate ending and a couple of deleted scenes, as well as an outtakes reel that basically involves a bunch of middle-aged guys giggling on camera. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) There’s also a making-of feature, which spends fifteen minutes or so going behind the scenes, discussing the training, preparation, filming, and the battle between the four main actors—to see who could be the funniest.
And, finally, there’s a short feature, entitled How to Get Your Wife to Let You Buy a Motorcycle, hosted by director and motorcycle lover Walt Becker. But don’t expect his advice to help you with your wife—because he can’t seem to come up with any good arguments, either. He can, however, tell you what’s so great about riding a motorcycle.
Overall, the features don’t add a ton of great material to the DVD, though the outtakes are amusing—and if you loved the movie, you’ll be interested in the making-of feature. But the best part of the DVD is still the movie itself.
