Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a pair of test screening reviews for the mid-life crisis comedy WILD HOGS, starring Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy and John Travolta. I'll let the reviewers tell you a little more about it, but just keep in mind that these looks came from radically early screenings. Enjoy!
Noticed that nobody wrote in about Wild Hogs. I went to a screeening last night and saw the film as part of "the first audience ever." Whatever. Before going to the screening I tried to find out a little bit more about it and the only thing I could find was what was in the trades about it, middle-age suburban biker wannabes hit the road and get into trouble with a real biker gang. That pretty much describes it all right there. I'm not hating on it, but this movie needs some fixing to make it better than average if that is what they are after. I liked Galaxy Quest, the first Look Who's Talking, and Blue Streak, so I have no problem with the leads when they are doing decent comedies. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Blue Streak was a work of genius, but Martin Lawrence fit the role and I had no problem enjoying the movie for what the movie was. The plot has Tim Allen as a dentist who has become a shell of the risk taking, party animal that he used to be in his youth, John Travolta as the rich guy with a trophy wife who is now broke and she left him, William Macy (who steals the show) as the nerd who can't talk to women, and Martin Lawrence as well, Martin Lawrence with a domineering wife. You can't help but compare this movie to City Slickers, and for good reason, since Tim Allen is Billy Crystal, Travolta is Bruno Kirby, William Macy and Martin Lawrence share the Daniel Stern role. They ride their bikes on weekends and hang at a local bar where Paul Sr. from American Chopper hangs out so they can have a biker guy cameo in the movie. The guys lament their lives, Travolta has the idea to take a week and drive to the Pacific (from Ohio). After a quick scene of Tim Allen being cajoled into taking the trip by his wife (the hot Jill Hennessy), they are off to it. From this point on, just imagine how the movie might play out as a broad Hollywood comedy. Nothing against broad Hollywood comedies, they can be great, but if you don't deviate from the playbook or come up with something new, then you probably just watched the movie in your mind. They camp out the first night and burn up their things, John McGinley shows up as a biker cop wearing a uniform borrowed from the dude on Reno 911 and you get your gay cop running gag. I could be wrong, but flaming gay stereotypes just aren't as funny as they used to be. Then guys go to a biker bar and get into trouble with the leader of the Del Fuegos biker gang, which is led by Ray Liotta. They get chased away and Travolta goes back and secretly does something that gets them all riled up. So, now the guys head off to a small town named Madrid where William Macy, who really does steal the show with his nerd role, falls in love with Marisa Tomei. At some point the movie becomes the plot of Three Amigos. The Del Fuegos come after them, start tearing up the town, the good guys stand-up to them, get asses kicked, townspeople stand up to the bikers, and then finish it off with a cameo by Peter Fonda. The broad physical comedy in the movie made a lot of the audience laugh out loud. I laughed a few times and enjoyed some of the scenes where you felt you were getting a glimpse of some genuine interaction between the leads. The difference between this and City Slickers is that I don't think they have found the balance with the movie. Another problem is that a few unfunny gags keep coming back, while other scenes build the comedy but just when you think they are going to get to something very funny and possibly original, they cut to the next scene. For instance, during a scene where they are essentially taunting a bull, you get Tim Allen getting hit by the bull (weird since that happened in City Slickers, not too mention about two or three other movies this year alone) flipped up about ten feet in the air, next Martin Lawrence gets punted by the bull like a football he flies so far, but the next scene the guys are all sitting down and carrying on about how much fun they are having. So, not only do they start to commit to some big physical comedy, but then I'm watching Tim Allen fresh as spring sitting and drinking a beer on the front porch yapping it up about what a great time they just had with the bull. What? I know this is a movie, but for real, thanks for not going for a lot of hurt ass jokes, but I thought I was in a different theater. Overall, some of the funny works, some doesn't. They had an opportunity to make something that hit some real notes with a cast that could have ran with the ball. Now, imagine a different film, that was built on the relationships of these middle-aged guys and how they redefine their lives outside of the lives they have made for themselves. I'm sure that was part of the intention of this movie, but they missed a great opportunity to I know, so now that I have dogged the film to the nth degree, what is good? Ray Liotta acting crazy, William Macy being the pretty clueless nerd, Marisa Tomei looking older but hot, Stephen Tobolowsky doing his thing, the vistas and landscapes of the New Mexico setting, some of the dialogue, some of the jokes. Feel free to cut this thing up, its way way too long. Later. Call me whatever you like.
Thanks, "Whatever You Like." Appreciate the heads up. Now for a review that is a little more... simple... short and sweet as they say in midget bathhouses. Enjoy!
In case you all care... Just got back from the first ever screening of Wild Hogs. It was shown at Pacific Paseo Stadium 14 here in Pasadena. In short, it's City Slickers on Harley Davidsons (hogs). You've seen it all before, no new territory is covered here. And it's filled with so many tired cliches that you're bound to think you're experiencing deja vu - but its bearable. It ain't academy award material, very far from it, but it isn't bad either. It's pure Hollywood schlock definitely aimed at your average joe (male) movie goer. It's clear the studio is after money ($$$) and not trying to make "art" or a statement - but I guess that's obvious once you consider the cast and crew... I predict it will do fairly well at the box office. The audience generally liked it based on all of the laughs I heard, but I find that's the case at these types of screenings for some reason...? Two things of note - Tim Allen has had his eyes done and the constant surprised look on his now plastic mask of a face is distracting. And second, the theater had special "reserved" register at the snack counter complete with a mini red carpet for the director and other crew. That made me laugh...
