By: debbie lynn elias
Little boys and their toys. Be they young or old, there is nothing a boy likes better than his toys – his bikes, his trucks, his cars, his soldiers, etc., etc. And while the toys seem to only change in make, model and price, no matter how grown up those little boys ever become, they will always be kids at heart, yearning for the freedom of no responsibility, goofing off, playing the fool and doing double-dog-dare-you stunts until the day they die. . .just like the cast of clowns in WILD HOGS.
Wanting to be the “Easy Rider” Peter Fonda or Jack Nicholson of the 21st Century, Bobby, Doug, Dudley and Woody are self-perceived hard-livin’, hard ridin’ weekend warriors who cruise Cincinnati under their manly moniker of “Wild Hogs.” With their ruff and ready leather jackets, and cherry over-sized motorcycles, er, excuse me, “hogs” straddled beneath their aching middle-aged legs, these guys are more like Richie, Potsie and Ralph as opposed to any wild bunch.
Doug Madsen is a dysfunctional dentist with a teenage son who just can’t wrap his head around dad’s insanity. Local plumber Bobby Davis is always looking for the brass ring and seeks escape from his browbeating wife by writing a self-help book. Dudley Frank…well, being named Dudley kinda says it all – the dull duffus with a heart of gold. And then there’s the “leader”of the pack, Woody Stevens. Trophy wife, trophy toys, investments are his game, money gave him fame – that is until he finds out he’s bankrupt.
Thanks to his financial ruin and desire to keep it not only from the boys but from self-acceptance, Woody eggs the boy on, convincing them all that what they need is to escape the rut of everyday life, put some spring back in their collective steps, get their youth, vitality and daring-do “edge back”. And what’s the best way to recapture the grandeur (and ignorance of youth). . .why take a road trip, of course!
With a bit of flim flamming, the boys manage to come up with some plausible excuses for their missuses, but they seem to have forgotten something – a game plan. Heading off into the wild blue yonder, they have no clue of where they are going or what they are doing but for heading toward the Pacific Ocean. But crossing the country isn’t like cruising your neighborhood being a local buffoon and it’s not long before the Wild Hogs are missing the comforts of home cooking, cushions and Charmin.
Adding a little fuel to the fire, the real fun starts when the boys stumble into a real bunch of wild ones – the Del Fuegos. Under the command of Jack and his first lieutenant Red, this is the meanest, baddest bunch of hog ridin’ outlaws in the modern West. And wouldn’t you know the Hogs just had to stop at a bar in the Del Fuegos turf. Toss in a pretty little waitress named Maggie who has taken a shine to Dudley, a disgruntled Del Fuego named Jack and the middle-age macho of the Hogs and things soon turn into a slapstick fest – particularly when the Hogs accidently blow up the Del Fuego’s bar. Oops!
The cast is absolutely outstanding. John Travolta as Woody hasn’t been this funny since Vinnie Barbarino lauded over the Kotter classroom. And making Travolta even funnier is his interaction with Tim Allen’s, Doug Madsen. Allen is always Allen and brings so much of his Tim “The Toolman” Taylor to Doug (as he does with every character) that the situation is simply ripe for a testosterone fest with Travolta leading to some real comic hilarity. Always a joy is William H. Macy. As Dudley, he puts an over-sensitive and dare I say, even effeminate, spin into the mix and provides a balance to the welcome insanity of Allen and Travolta. The sweetness that his relationship with Marisa Tomei’s Maggie brings to the film is light and joyous and a perfect compliment to some of the film’s male vulgarity. Never one of my favorites, Martin Lawrence surprised me with his ensemble work and the chemistry he brings to the mix as Bobby. With his own patented excited visual expressiveness, many of his laughs come from the physical rather than verbal.
Written by Brad Copeland, known best for his work on “My Name is Earl” and “Arrested Development”, he makes his big screen debut with a premise that is a welcome respite amid both the darker, more dramatic films and totally irreverent non-sensical ridiculum that have graced the silver screen in recent months. Unfortunately, what starts out as a winning idea and what begins as a winning film, reaches a point where the story takes a backseat to not only the comic antics of the stars, but cheap stereotypical gags and jokes laced with homosexual and racial undertones. To see characters that are initially so well developed, real and connectable to the average person, giving way to innumerable potential scenarios only to have the story fall apart and the film “go for the crotch” so to speak is more than disappointing. As a side note, when Copeland originally wrote the screenplay the Del Fuegos were called Hell’s Angels. But after the real Hell’s Angels filed a lawsuit against Disney over use of the name, the gang Del Fuegos was born.A standout though is Ray Liotta as Del Fuego leader Jack. Reminiscent of his role as Ray Sinclair in 1986’s “Something Wild”, he is to put it bluntly, a real nutball. A perfect casting, Liotta is always ideal as the bad guy with a slightly tweaked mental edge. (And his recent run-in with the law, while unfortunate, solidifies the believability of his characters.) John C. McGinley is simply a scream as a CHP/State trooper who gets the wrong impression about the Hogs and their form of male bonding. Likewise, Stephen Tobolowsky as the local sheriff Charley is a perfect comic foil to the Hogs. Where McGinley is pure laughter, Tobolowsky plays to a tee, the typical hard-nosed by the book, don’t- cotton-to-no-outsiders small town sheriff.
Helmed by “Van Wilder” director Walt Becker, the film is tailor made for him. Ripe with laughter, gags, obvious ad-libbing and a free-wheeling sense of lensing that befits the open road ride of the Wild Hogs, Becker does another admirable job despite the film’s shortcomings. Had he and Copeland not resorted to the collegiate prank level of Van Wilder-type humor and flushed out the story a bit better by addressing and resolving the middle-aged macho male angst that started this ride, I think the end result would have been a higher caliber film with greater staying power and more appeal.
Not something that will draw out the gals (except to see some of the leading men in department store leather or plether or as a film “for guys” to get them out on a date with you), what I can’t fault, is that the film makes you laugh – non-stop. A big plus is also the work of cinematographer Robbie Greenberg who captures the scenic beauty of America with superb widescreen lensing.
Not one to reveal spoilers, let me just say this – do not leave before the credits roll!! Think motorcycles, the open road, legacies and icon for a classic surprise.
So, go hog wild this weekend! Feel the wind on your face. The air in your hair. Hit the open road and ride on over to your nearest theater for WILD HOGS.
Doug Madsen – Tim Allen
Woody Stevens – John Travolta
Bobby Davis – . Martin Lawrence
Dudley Frank – William H. Macy
Jack – Ray Liotta
Maggie – Marisa Tomei
Directed by Walt Becker. Written by Brad Copeland. A Buena Vista release. Rated PG-13 (99min)
