WILD HOGS

 

"You need to work on the bike riding thing"

As Doug (Allen), Bobby (Lawrence) and Dudley (Macy) settle into their forties, Woody (Travolta) thinks they need one last escape from their mundane lives. He suggests a road trip from their home in Cincinnati to the Pacific Ocean coast but as the boys mount their bikes and don their 'Wild Hogs' embroidered jackets, they think that this is their chance to become really bikers. Little do they know.

Bringing together an impressive ensemble cast and coming up with a premise that should promise laugher is all well and good but it doesn't always make for classic comedy.

When you have actors of the calibre of John Travolta, William H. Macy, Ray Liotta and Marisa Tomei come together to make a movie you are bound to take notice but it is a comedy with Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence then the alarm bells should have been ringing. Famed for more their dramatic roles, the impressive ensemble have mixed results when they venture into to comedy.

We all know that Tim Allen is an accomplished comedic actor and that Martin Lawrence supposed to be one as well (which is still a question of much debate) but the jury is well and truly out on whether the rest of the cast can cope with comedy. William H. Macy is the one who excels, as you'd expect from one of the best actors of his generation. As Dudley Frank, the Wild Hog who really can't ride his bike, he shows that he has a real gift for comedy and can turn his talents to any genre. Marisa Tomei returns to comedy but doesn't really get the chance to show the skill that won her the Oscar for 'My Cousin Vinnie'. She still looks beautiful however. It is John Travolta and Ray Liotta who have the real problem however.

John Travolta is awful and really can't cope with an all-out comedy. In the past he has tried with the 'Look Who's Talking' series and the Chilli Palmer movies 'Get Shorty' and 'Be Cool', but this is a pure comedy movie and he is terrible. He is obviously trying far too hard to impress but he creates a character that you end up really not liking. Ray Liotta might be American but on this evidence he has a career in pantomime to look forward to. He is completely over the top as the villain of the piece Del Fuegos leader Jack but it strangely suits the character.

'Wild Hogs' is supposed to be a road movie about rediscovering life in your forties but instead we have an extremely average adventure that should make you feel very happy with what you have got. With Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence on autopilot, John Travolta and Ray Liotta been completely awful and only William H. Macy showing any real enthusiasm for the project, this is a movie that should have been an enjoyable ride but ends up been a none starter.

Bikes, Brawls and Burning Bars: The Making of Wild Hogs
How To Get Your Wife To Let You Buy A Harley
Alternate Ending - With optional Commentary
Outtakes
Feature Commentary With Director Walt Becker and Writer Brad Copeland

The Banger Sisters

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2007