Four wannabe bikers find that the open road opens their lives to a grand adventure in "Wild Hogs."
There’s no question that four aging men discarding their cell phones, donning leather jackets, and placing their arthritic joints and sprawling backsides on Harleys has the makings of a good comedy. The real question is whether or not Wild Hogs lives up to its promise. With Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy as the sedentary foursome who take off on an ill-fated road trip across America, you’ve got a comedy that’s funny from the first roar of the engine to the final sputters of the exhaust pipe. In fact, these final sputters – told in an epilogue as the credits role – induce the same deep belly laughs as the rest of the film. It’s one long, comical ride through the lives of middle-aged men in motion – literally and figuratively,
The Road Trip
Overall stagnation precipitates the road trip. A dentist (Allen) gets no respect from his family; a henpecked husband and frustrated novelist (Lawrence) plumbs backed-up toilets to please his wife; a businessman (Travolta) married to a supermodel hides his wife’s abandonment and job loss from the others; and a nerdy computer programmer (Macy) remains shy and fearful of women despite his advanced age.
Deciding that it’s time to move on, move out, and move up, these self-proclaimed Wild Hogs leave their mundane suburban lives and troubles behind – only to find more troubles on the highway. In addition to an overly amorous policeman, an intrusive family who invades their privacy, a disastrous tent-burning incident, a bull-slapping contest, and a café owner (Marisa Tomei) with a penchant for shy and fearful men, they meet a gang of tough bikers (led by Ray Liotta) intent on teaching these posers the rules of the road.
Four Long-time Friends
The four actors convincingly portray long-time friends, with each generating laughs in different ways. Brad Copeland’s screenplay doesn’t venture down many unexplored side roads, but stays on the well-traveled comedic course set by countless other buddy films and road trip pictures. Allen exudes his usual easy-going charm, and Travolta gives some of his funniest moments while hiding a terrible truth from his friends. While Lawrence and Macy also generate some laughs, it’s insensitive humor deriding their timidity, lack of masculinity, or stereotypical behavior.
Although you won’t gain any insight into plot points or character development by watching the fun features on the DVD, they should enhance the whole Wild Hogs experience for you. The featurette “Bikes, Brawls and Burning Bars” is particularly entertaining with information about motorcycles and special effects used in the film. The movie and DVD package provide lots of laughs, some enjoyable music, and a great way to escape from suburbia for awhile.
- Wild Hogs
- Director: Walt Becker
- Movie Run time: 99 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- DVD Bonus Features: “Bikes, Brawls and Burning Bars: The Making of Wild Hogs,” “How to Get Your Wife to Let You Buy a Motorcycle,” alternate ending, deleted scenes, outtakes, and audio commentary with director Walt Becker and writer Brad Copeland.
To learn more about road trip movies, read Bonneville Production Highlights.
