Wild Hogs is a feel good film that combines the motorcycle road trip plain-sailing from Easy Rider with the mid-life crisis comedy from City Slickers. It’s a winner with some big name stars including: John Travolta, Tim Allen, William H. Macy, Martin Lawrence, Ray Liotta, Stephen Tobolowsky and Marisa Tomei. All the characters get into their roles, and produce some great comedy in the process. You can see the actors had a great time making the film, and I can’t remember laughing out loud so many times in a cinema before. It truly is hilarious, and is a real crowd-pleaser. Four guys in their “prime”, are part of a motorcycle club with jackets to prove it. It’s just the four of them in the Wild Hogs, and they rev their engines and take a ride once a week. It’s an odd combination, but it works! Woody (Travolta), Bobby (Lawrence), Doug (Allen) and Dudley (Macy) think they’re the balls, but at the heart of it all, they’re just trying to reclaim themselves. The men take a journey that helps them realise that they aren’t just posers or wimps - they’re real men.
They decide to throw caution to the wind (with their wives permission), and take to the open road without any interferences. It’s just the boys, the bikes and their egos. The adventure is peppered with great comic moments shared between the guys. The script by Brian Copeland (Arrested Development, My Name is Earl) is generous with laughs, and the Wild Hogs share the glory. The tone of the film is really important, and Walt Becker sustains the upbeat, light-hearted, good-natured, fun-loving romp with the Wild Hogs. Becker is the director that brought you Van Wilder and Buying the Cow. His films are funny, but he’s has been criticised for giving the guys too much screen time. Having said this, Wild Hogs is mainly about the guy’s adventures, but just like City Slickers, the film just works better for it.
I’d recommend this film to anyone. But I imagine it would best be suited to guys who tend to deny that they’re middle-aged, are bored by their jobs and just want to take an adventure. Wild Hogs will do as your escape. It’s 100 minutes of pure fun and laughter. If you don’t feel the breeze with the boys on the open road, then at least you’ll leave the cinema with some welcome belly aches.
Much of the footage was taken in New Mexico, USA, and gives the film an authentic feel. The soundtrack is fantastic and boasts some biker classics from the likes of AC/DC. Originally, the script was going to include the Hell’s Angels, until Disney was sued, forcing the studio to resort to calling the big bad bikers the Del Fuegos. Look out for Ray Liotta as the mean bad ass biker leader, and Stephen Tobolowsky as Madrid’s local Sheriff.
The film was lambasted by reviewers the world over, but let’s keep it real here. The film has a great cast, superb soundtrack, upbeat tempo, big laughs, on-the-buzzer writing and characteristic but funny performances. It’s the sort of film that reminds us what going to the cinema is all about!
The bottom line: Funny.
