Review: ‘Wild Hogs’ a fun ride

Posted by Dennis Sellers Mar 13, 2007 at 2:51am

It won’t win any Academy Awards, but Wild Hogs is a fun romp, a silly road trip comedy with four talented actors obviously enjoying each other’s company. Since all are comedy naturals, there are lots of chuckles, and even some belly laughs, on this road trip.

Directed with gleeful goofiness by Walt Becker from a demented screenplay by Brad (My Name is Earl, Arrested Development) Copeland, it’s the tale of four middle-aged men (Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy) who decide to take a road trip from Cincinnati to the Pacific in order to get away from their humdrum lives and recapture the spirit of their younger days. These “Wild Hogs” toss their cell phones, hit the road on their motorcycles and eventually stop in New Mexico for a drink, not knowing that the bar belongs to the “Del Fuegos,” a mean biker gang. When the Del Fuegos steal a bike that belongs to the Wild Hogs, the four men form a plan to steal their bike back, but end up blowing up the bar instead. They try to hide out in a little town called Madrid, but end up having to confront the hacked-off Del Fuegos.

Lawrence tweaks his usual on-screen bravado effectively as Bobby, a henpecked plumber working on a self-help book. Allen exudes a hangdog charm as Doug, a dentist dissed as lame by his own son. Travolta shows he hasn’t forgotten his comedic timing (remember Welcome Back, Kotter?) in some hilarious scenes as Woody, the investor with the swimsuit model wife who doesn’t want his pals to know his “perfect” life is falling part. But it’s Macy as Dudley, the good-natured, sometimes naive computer programmer who is the film’ heart and soul. He has the best lines and the best pratfalls. And his romantic encounter with a beautiful waitress (Marisa Tomea) has a genuine sweetness about it.

In a cameo role, John C. McGinley steals his two scenes as a gay motorcycle cop who mistakes the “friendship” of the four buddies as something else. Ray Liotta chews the scenery with glee as the hot-headed leader of the Del Fuegos and Kevin Durand is a blast as his dimwitted second-in-command. There’s also a tongue-in-cheek cameo by an actor iconic for a certain motorcycle film of years past. And you’ll certainly want to stick around for the scene that pops up as the credits roll.

Wild Hogs does misfire, occasionally, especially a running “gag” in which an effete male singer performs, among other tunes, a Pussycat Dolls song. It’s not funny and does nothing to advance the plot.

Still, for the most part, you’ll enjoy Wild Hogs. It’s an easy ride indeed.

Wild Hogs is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and some violence. Running time: 99 minutes. Macsimum rating: 7 out of 10. You can check out the films’ trailers on the QuickTime movie trailer site.

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