May 27, 2007 -- I went to see “Wild Hogs” the other night because of several unsolicited recommendations from people to see it. I wondered, after seeing it, why so many people seem to think this is such a wonderful movie that they would suggest other people pay real money to see this thing. It's an O.K. time-waster, and it has a few comic moments, but this movie isn't worth real money. A dollar DVD rental would be about right. It is not just that a few people told me this was a very funny movie. This movie is very popular. It made a lot of money at the box office, about $170 million in the U.S. alone, making it one of the most successful motorcycle movies ever made. It seems to have hit a number of funny bones, somehow, with what, I can't really tell.

“Wild Hogs” is a movie about four middle-aged men who are either bored with their lives or are desperate for a change. They decide to ride across the country on motorcycles, even though one of them, Dudley Frank (played flawlessly as usual by William H. Macy of “The Cooler”) is such an incompetent rider he should be banned from the road. In an early scene, his head smashes into a mailbox for laughs. Even better known actors along for this road trip include John Travolta, playing Woody Stevens, a successful guy gone broke. Martin Lawrence (“Big Momma's House”) plays henpecked husband Bobby Davis, and Disney regular Tim Allen (“The Santa Clause”) plays Doug Madsen, a dentist suffering from mid-life crisis. Of course, this comedic “Easy Rider” take-off would not be complete without an appearance by Peter Fonda. His “Easy Rider” buddies Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper are not along for the ride, however. Also in the film are some other talented actors, including Stephen Tobolowsky (“Groundhog Day”) and Marisa Tomei as Maggie the waitress.

As the Wild Hogs set off in search of America, they accidentally cross swords with a tough biker guy named Jack (well-played by a perfectly cast Ray Liotta of “Smokin' Aces”) and his gang of toughs called the Del Fuegos. A confrontation puts the Wild Hogs on the run with the Del Fuegos in hot pursuit, even though only Woody knows they are being pursued. Why he keeps this a secret when his very life depends on him telling the truth is just one of the many head-scratching plot holes. The Hogs run out of fuel near a small town and are forced to spend the night. They become local heroes by standing up to a couple of toughs from the Del Fuego biker gang, but a day of reckoning is dawning when the rest of the gang shows up for some payback. The big showdown fizzles out, however as the situation is defused in a manner that defies belief or description. A running gag in the film is a series of gay jokes, focused on a bizarre gay highway patrolman played by John C. McGinley of the “Scrubs” TV show.

The attempt to mix drama, comedy, romance, action and some sort of strange biker code into a cohesive whole doesn't really work all that well. The characters are not consistent and behave crazily in order to advance what little plot there is. The clumsy humor is confined mainly to below-the-belt areas. It is mostly safe humor that won't offend any group of people with any real political power. The movie has what some people charitably call “broad” comedy with a minimum of sharpness, cleverness or insight into human nature. Probably the reason I did not like this film more was that I should have had a few bottles of beer, about six, before I went to see it. Maybe that might have put me in the right frame of mind. Funny thing was, the rest of the audience wasn't laughing that much either, and we only paid $3 apiece to see it. Imagine our disappointment if we'd spent $10 per ticket. The success of this movie, unfortunately, means there will probably be a sequel. This film rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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