DVD Review: Wild Hogs

I remember when I was a lot younger I would try to write stories but it was in a time where things like character struggle was never an issue I cared to explore. So every time a problem would arise, the characters would give the quick solution to what was happening and avoid any and all possible confrontation. It made sense at the time, but was obviously a very, very boring story. Wild Hogs reminds me a lot of that poorly written fiction... from when I was eight. For someone who has worked on both Arrested Development and My Name is Earl, what's Brad Copeland's excuse?

The plot of the movie is about four middle aged guys who ride their motorcycles together on the weekend and enjoy a nice cold beer at the local tavern after a long day of riding the open suburban road. Then the inevitable happens... one of them mentions how they've all settled down and that life is either passing them by or stepping all over them. So they plan a cross-country biking trip to sit back, feel the wind against their face, and go where ever the road takes them. Sounds like a good (and I stess the word good, not great or original) idea for a movie doesn't it? No. The movie is so focused on telling silly jokes that it loses sight of anything resembling a plot and doesn't even attempt at character arcs other than simply writing a scene where everything magically gets resolved at the end.

The premise of the film was an interesting one, and that's probably why I sat through it all the way to the end. A story that has a couple guys who live for the weekend when they can enjoy some time with their best friends is a nice start and to then go off on a cross country road trip should have proven to be a very involving study of their lives. Instead we get a lot of jokes about people being hit with things in sensitive areas. And gay jokes, lots and lots of gay jokes. But the worst part of the story is that it's suppose to be about a group of old men but it's clearly been written as if it was originally for a couple of 20-somethings.

The script seemed to be written by either the smartest student in a fifth grade english class or the most timid screenwriter on the planet. Every time a hurdle is put in front of our main characters a quick resolution is just moments away. There is never a time in the film where anything these characters do are given levity or treated seriously. It simply goes from one problem to the next with simple solutions that require no confrontation or anything of the sort on their part. Which is sad, because it raises a lot of interesting problems for men in their position at this juncture of their life but it breezes right past them in fear of having to actually explore their inadequacies. Which is ironic seeing as the reason they took the trip was to find their inner manhood again.

Admittedly, somewhere along the lines of watching Wild Hogs, I enjoyed the idea of what the story was trying to explore. And then about a minute later I would be reminded why I wasn't enjoying the movie: it was too focused on slapstick and not enough about emotion. It favored sight gags over character development; simple jokes over telling a story. This isn't a movie about men trying to rediscover a sense of meaning, it's a series of gags that have been cut from previous cross country road films because of how unfunny they were that have been cobbled together together to form a Frankenstein-like comedy from hell. And the worst part is, a LOT of people paid to go see it.

The simple fact of the matter is that were it not for the film being pack with so many top name actors it wouldn't have even been considered for production in the first place. Does the film contain some laughs? Sure, but for all inappropriate reasons. Most will find themselves chuckling mainly trying to figure out how someone could a.) possibly have written such a thing b.) gotten others to agree that it was funny c.) convince financiers to pay for it to be filmed and d.) just how completely absurd all of it is. That is the only kind of laugh people who appreciate real comedy will find in this movie.

The DVD


Video:
(Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
As a big studio film with even bigger names, it's a given that the movie looks wonderful on home video. Of course, how good it looks technically will never make up for whatever it is that director Walter Becker calls blocking, or what he thinks is good cinematography.


Audio:
(English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)
The movie boasts a surprisingly rich audio mix. From the music selection making their way through all five speakers to the vibrations coming from the subwoofer when a motorcycle revs its engine. Not bad considering most comedies usually get away with subpar audio by claiming that they aren't key to the movie, Wild Hogs proves them wrong here.


Extras:

The best thing about the new blog format is that I can breeze through extras if I feel like it.

Audio Commentary by director Walter Becker and writer Brad Copeland
Bikes, Brawls, and Burning Bars: The Making of Wild Hogs (16:19)
How to Get Your Wife to Let You Buy a Motorcycle (2:49)
Alternate Ending/Deleted Scenes (2:49)
Outtakes (2:34)

I'll probably a write-up on the extras tomorrow, but I wanted to get this posted by tonight.

Final Thoughts:
I can't think of a better example of the term "Vanity Project" than Wild Hogs. The film is an insult to movie making and relies on jokes that will only appeal to the lowest common denominators of the world. This is the reason why I've stopped going to the theaters all together and have lost respect for three of the four men involved with the film (don't worry William, you've still got me as a fan). The DVD has a decent assortment of extras but, considering what a dreadful film they're attached to, what's the point?

.::. MOVIE: .::. DVD: .::.