Wild Hogs

Is there anything funnier than middle-aged, middle-class men riding motorcycles? The answer, of course, is yes, but Wild Hogs takes this premise and siphons every last drop of funny from the gas tank. Doug (Tim Allen), Woody (John Travolta), Bobby (Martin Lawrence) and Dudley (William H. Macy) are the Wild Hogs, four middle-aged suburban motorcycle riders going through four mid-life crises. When Woody’s wife leaves him, taking everything he owns, he decides it’s time for he and his friends to escape their troubles, hit the open road to reclaim their youth and have an adventure. The four set out on their journey, finding trouble in the form of bad boy biker Jack (Ray Liota), love in the form of restaurant owner Maggie (Marisa Tomei) and discovering all else that is necessary to ease their troubled souls. Wild Hogs is a big, dumb road trip comedy that provides exactly what it promises: some slapstick gags, awkward situations and "heart-warming” scenes of friendship. There are no comedic boundaries pushed, or sidesplitting scenes of genius, just a bunch of predictable laughs solidly performed by the experienced cast. Liota’s intense performance as the tough guy leader of a biker gang, brief cameos by Peter Fonda and the guys from American Chopper are a few of the film’s highlights. The DVD features aren’t so special. The "How To Get Your Wife To Let You Buy A Motorcycle” feature doesn’t live up to its title. The alternate ending and deleted scenes are entirely forgettable. The commentary track features writer Brad Copeland and director Walt Becker, rather than the four stars, who may have been able to inject some comedy into the somewhat dull voiceover. Wild Hogs isn’t a great comedy by any means but it does have its moments. If you like motorcycles, are going through a mid-life crisis, or just need to veg out and laugh a bit, Wild Hogs might be worth a rent.