Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
A coming-of-age story starring a bunch of fiftysomething stars rather than teenage actors, Wild Hogs is a well-intentioned comedy starring John Travolta (Woody), Tim Allen (Doug), Martin Lawrence (Bobby), and William H. Macy (Dudley) as a group of Midwesterners facing their own versions of mid-life crises. They decide to escape their frazzled personal lives and rejuvenate themselves by taking a road trip on their slick hogs. But their journey is less Easy Rider than it is Three Amigos (plus one). As individual actors, each lead is a formidable star. But throw them all together into one crammed screenplay full of scatological humour and uncomfortable homosexual gags and it doesn't quite work. The actors spend so much time trying to outdo each other on screen that they aren't believable as friends, much less comrades. Walt Becker (National Lampoon's Van Wilder) offers minimal direction on a film that could've used some reining in, especially during scenes between Macy and Marisa Tomei (as a diner owner who inexplicably falls for him). There are promises of some interesting vignettes when Ray Liotta shows up as Jack, the leader of a real motorcycle gang. When Jack threatens to break Dudley's legs, Dudley counters, "I'm a computer programmer! I don't need my legs." Without missing a beat, Jack says, "Fine, we'll break his hands." It's not that the lines are so funny, but they way Liotta delivers them that adds some life to this flailing comedy. Unfortunately, his scenes with the rest of the cast are all too few. --Jae-Ha Kim
Synopsis
Walter Becker (NATIONAL LAMPOONS VAN WILDER) directs this tale of four friends who hit the open road. Woody (John Travolta), Doug (Tim Allen), Bobby (Martin Lawrence), and Dudley (William H. Macy) are middle-aged suburbanite buddies stuck in a rut. Doug, a dentist, yearns for respect from his pre-teen son and everyone else in his life. Bobby is a henpecked husband and unhappy plumber. Computer programmer Dudley is a flop with the ladies. And Woody, who seemed to have it all, has just lost everything. Each weekend the foursome takes to the streets of Cincinnati on their motorcycles as the 'Wild Hogs'. With his world secretly falling apart, Woody hits on an idea: a 'Wild Hogs' road trip to the Pacific Coast. Soon, the four are embarking on the adventure of their lives. But when they stumble upon a roadside dive in New Mexico filled with 'real' bikers and raise the ire of Jack (Ray Liotta), who is the leader of the Del Fuegos, the Wild Hogs discover that they are in for a greater adventure than they expected, including a showdown in the sleepy New Mexico town of Madrid. Travolta, Allen, Lawrence, and Macy have fun here, from the verbal barbs to the physical comedy, and Liotta works surprisingly well as a 'real' biker who is disgusted and insulted by these weekenders. The perpetually effervescent Marisa Tomei appears as a Madrid local who catches Dudleys eye, and John C. McGinley is an overly enthusiastic highway patrolman repeatedly encountered by the foursome. Watch for an all too brief appearance from EASY RIDER star Peter Fonda, and an amusing segment from Ty Pennington of EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER. Despite the star power in this film, which was shot on location in New Mexico, its the custom bikes and open road that really shine.