If you're a fan of Travolta, William H. Macy, Tim Allen or Martin Lawrence, you're in for a treat. Heck, even a bit of screen time by Ray Liotta and Marisa Tomei. Fortunately for me, I enjoy that Macy chap, so I underwent the 99 minute stab at comedy.
Four life-long pals own motorcycles and get together once a week or so and ride downtown for a beer. Yup, that's about all they do, until soon-to-be-divorced, newly-broke-guy Wood suggests a road trip. Dentist Doug is no longer the wild and crazy guy, so he's not so sure, until his wife says to go. Bobby's wife would not approve -- given he's not worked for a year to work on his 'how to' book -- so he lies and tells her he's going to a toilet convention (he's a plumber). And that Macy bloke is Dudley, a single computer programmer who's the sight-gag accident-prone guy with glasses that break-apart in the center.
They hit the open road, and most of the things you've sat through in previews are vented in the first 15 minutes. Having run from titles to credits of the film, the preview had many of the best moments. Written by the "My Name is Earl" TV show guy, I guess I had expected a bit more, but that could have been my bad.
The film relies not so much on witty writing as giving a good workout to the cliche biker stereotypes, the middle-aged guy jokes and trying to help the computer nerd get some lip-locking time in with Maggie (Marisa Tomei). The jokes aren't new, though may amuse those who don't frequently leave the house or have regular exposure to sunlight. And wonder of wonders, Maggie and Dudley smooch a bit.
The inevitable showdown between the four -- the Wild Hogs -- and the motorcycle gang has the predictable result of the Hogs getting the tar kicked out of them. Straying from the path of the underdogs finding super-human determination in winning, it takes someone's dad to pop by and tell the bikers to behave. Didn't see *that* coming, eh?
Which isn't to say I didn't like it; I enjoyed it, though I didn't set my expectations too high, and the level of disappointment was only marginal. The cameo of the 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' crew was amusing during credits, but mostly a nice touch that was a far cry from icing on the cake.
If you're looking for new and funny this weekend, your options are predominately limited to 'Hogs.' If you're keen on something with a bit more substance, I'd venture to put 'Zodiac' on the table -- if nothing else, for the same price of the ticket, you get nearly twice the run time of film, so you feel like you've gotten a far better deal.
Entertainment News International (ENI) is the popular culture network for fans all around the world. Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!
