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Wild Hogs

About a year ago, when CNN Money ran an article on their website stating that the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Corporation was suing Walt Disney, I can't say I wasn't intrigued. How badly could the film be portraying the infamous motorcycle crew?

After watching Wild Hogs, and seeing the "Del Fuegos," the new name of the rival biker gang lead by Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), it all just seems silly.

One can always count on Disney to deliver a lighthearted, family comedy, with comical villains, and zany antics; and although some may argue the fact that the formula is overplayed and that these kinds of films ride on their A-list stars, sometimes a girl just wants to laugh at William H. Macy jumping naked into a pond. With so many heavy, serious dramatic films out at the moment, Wild Hogs definitely scratches that "senseless comedy" itch.

Doug Madsen (Tim Allen), Woody Stevens (John Travolta), Bobby Davis (Martin Lawrence), and Dudley Frank (William H. Macy) are four middle-aged friends who are jaded with their suburban lifestyles and feel that their lives have become stagnant and boring. Each with their own set of troubles, they hop on their brand-spanking-new Harleys once a week and ride to a neighborhood restaurant where they like to talk, kill time and get away, if even for a moment, from their everyday lives.

Doug feels tired of being thought of as a boring dentist by his pre-teen son; Dudley has given up the hope of ever being able to even hold a conversation with a member of the opposite sex; and Bobby is sick of being nagged and bossed around by his very aggressive wife (who he's slightly afraid of). Woody, John Travolta's character, has bigger problems than all of them combined: His swimsuit model wife has left him, he's discovered that he's bankrupt, and he's so emotionally unavailable that he cannot bring himself to tell all this to his three best friends, who so dearly look up to him. Instead, he does the next best thing and coaxes them into going on a motorcycle trip across the country so that they may regain their edge.

Although the formula up to this point is good, the film very soon becomes a slapstick 'things are on fire, and we're naked in a pond' kind of film, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Eventually the group come across a real biker bar, where they meet Jack (Ray Liotta), the quick-tempered leader of the Del Fuego gang and

his cronies. Macy and Travolta's characters manage to get the group at real odds with this gang, and the four friends are forced to go into hiding in a nearby town. There, Dudley finally meets Maggie (Marisa Tomei), who plays his love interest for the rest of the film.

The relationships between the characters are extremely superficial, as we only know that they're friends because they're telling us so. Yet the chemistry between the four actors coupled with the overflow of talented performers on the screen turn a mediocre script with one too many gay and naked jokes, into a movie that you'll enjoy, although that's a fact you'll never admit.

The most comfortable on-screen was Tim Allen, as he's probably most familiar with this genre. Travolta and Lawrence were believable, but maybe that's because we already like them anyway. One would think William H. Macy would be a fish out of water in a film like this, but he's actually the funniest of them all. Marisa Tomei's talents seem really underused in this film, as do Ray Liotta's, and there's a cameo by Peter Fonda at the end that was slightly amusing.

All in all, depending on how liberal your family is, this film would make a good Saturday night outing. It's nothing ground breaking and it's not hilarious, but it's surprisingly entertaining.

Movie Grade: B

Synopsis:

Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy hit the road in this rollicking comedy-adventure about a group of middle-aged friends who decide to rev up their routine suburban lives with a freewheeling motorcycle trip. Taking a long dreamed-of breather from their stressful jobs and family responsibilities, they can’t wait to feel the freedom of the open road.

When this mis-matched foursome, who have grown far more used to the couch than the saddle, set out for this once-in-a-lifetime experience – they encounter a world that holds far more than they ever bargained for. The trip begins to challenge their wits and their luck, especially during a chance run-in with the Del Fuegos, a real-life biker gang who are less than amused with their novice approach.

As they go looking for adventure, they soon find that they’ve embarked on a journey they will never forget.