Customer Reviews

Wild Hogs (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(157)
4 star:		(67)
3 star:		(36)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

I am not one to usually write reviews on movies, and I can't stand the people who try to analyze every little aspect of movies and write novels of their opinions instead of just enjoying them for what they are - entertainment!! That being said, I saw this with my mom, and I thought we would fall out of our chairs we were laughing so hard! I LOVE funny movies, and VERY rarely do I see one that makes me laugh this hard, so I just had to write this since the critics were so awful to this movie. Travolta, Allen, Lawrence and Macy are great together, and I didn't know that Ray Liotta (one of my faves!) was in the movie. This just made it even better! The entire movie was excellent - I can't wait to buy the DVD in August!

Wild Hogs is a typical midlife crisis movie. Four men, who have been friends for years and who suit up in leather and ride to the local bar and grill regularly to hang out, suddenly wonder what happened to their lives. They all realize, one by one, that they've hit middle age and fallen into a rut, and they decide to take a cross country trip on their bikes to get out of it.

This is one of the more entertaining movies I've seen in a while. What made it for me, however, was not the plot or even the comedic moments but rather the excellent performances by a great cast. John Travolta plays the cool-guy-in-a-midlife-crisis role perfectly, and Tim Allen pulls off his when-did-my-life-get-so-bland part flawlessly as well. Throw in great performances by Martin Lawrence, a man desperate to get out from under his overbearing wife's thumb, and William H. Macy, a geek who hopes he can FINALLY do something that will make him cool, and you've got a great group of main characters.

Macy's performance is probably the most surprisingly good of the bunch. He's downright hilarious in this movie as the 'rebel nerd.' And Ray Liotta is excellent as the villain, the antagonist who tries to refuse this group of "Wild Hogs" their right to ride on the grounds that they're not real bikers.

This is a very funny movie and is sure to keep you entertained. With a relatively unoriginal plot this may not have been a great film if not for the excellent cast, but these guys will have you cheering for the middle-aged suburbanite and longing for the open road yourself.

Instead of listening to the critics who have savaged this film, check it out yourself and you may actually enjoy it. It's a story that almost anyone 40 or older who has ever dreamed of riding a motorcycle can relate to. The central characters are four middle aged guys, Doug (Tim Allen), a dentist who hardly knows the meaning of fun anymore, Bobby (Martin Lawrence), a henpecked plumber, Woody (John Travolta), a lawyer who, with his supermodel wife and lucrative career, seems to have it all but has secretly fallen on hard times and Dudley (William H. Macy), an extremely naive, geeky computer programmer. The four decide, once and for all, to live a little and to take a cross country road trip on their Harleys. Along the way, they have a series of misadventures that really get interesting when they run into the Del Fuegos gang who's leader Jack (Ray Liotta) takes an immediate disliking to this bunch of yuppies pretending to be real bikers. The guys later find themselves in a situation where they have to truly rely on each other as men and as friends and where they have to really be open and honest with themselves and each other.

The only real fault I found with Wild Hogs was the interaction with the gay cop which could have been completely left out. However I found the film as a whole to be fun to watch and made me want to get myself a Hog and take a cross country trip myself. This movie doesn't take itself seriously (It's a comedy for Chrissake!) so the critics shouldn't either.

Hollywood needs to rediscover the lost art of movie comedy. "Wild Hogs" is "City Slickers on Harleys" minus the humor, inventiveness and overall good taste. The filmmakers take every conceivable wrong turn and waste a fine cast in the process. You may get a few chuckles from this inexplicable box-office smash, but you'll probably hate yourself in the morning.

This is a cute movie, kind of a First Wives Club for men. A movie where aging professional guys go on a week long motorcycle riding trip to reclaim some of their youthful exuberance.

The movie is a funny parallel to real life, as the actors in this movie are also aging professionals looking to inject a little excitement back into their careers.

There are a number of humorous moments along the way, many of them involving the shy William Macy.

But John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and Tim Allen turn in good performances as the other Hogs.

I also enjoyed the antagonist Del Fuego biker, played by Ray Liotta, and the charming cafe owner Marisa Tomei, who plays the potential love interest for Dudley (William Macy).

Watch this movie and take a break from the serious side of life. Let out your inner hog!

I bet this sounded absolutely hysterical on paper. Drinks were handed 'round, and people spluttered helplessly into them as each new plot point was introduced and evaluated. Knees were slapped in keen appreciation, and a lively debate was begun on how best to dispose of the boat loads of cash such a star studded vehicle was certain to generate. Someone called John Travolta and, carefully refraining from any mention of Battlefield Earth, enlisted his immediate agreement to participate; while somebody else, effusively gushing over Fargo, did the same with William H. Macy. Who would have predicted it would all end in compulsive yawns and glazed pleas for mercy?

Watching Wild Hogs is a lot like watching re-runs of Sanford and Son; while you can't exactly remember all the details you're certain you've seen this episode before. And when Grady, errr, excuse me, when Dudley bumbles earnestly around the set we smile politely and idly inspect our fingernails for ragged edges and dirt. The jokes run the gamut from stale to flat, with homosexual gags seemingly shoehorned in with little regard to their liklihood or probability. Like introducing a juggling Carrot Top into the final scene in Casablanca, they entertain primarily by inspiring confusion and a sense of dislocation.

Ray Liotta struggles manfully with what he's got to work with, while John Travolta seems to be channeling a Wild Sweathog of yesteryear, Vinnie Barbarino. And poor Marisa Tomei is given particularly short shrift, only being allowed to hang around (still) looking gorgeous and defying us to suspend disbelief far enough to buy her relationship with the aforementioned Dudley. Martin Lawrence is given the unenviable task of portraying a hapless, hen-pecked Hubby for the one millionth time since records have been kept, while Tim Allen gets off fairly lightly as the straight man throughout much of the movie. The editing was frequently inept, with camera pans that led nowhere and segued into nothing. It felt as though they were taking a running start towards a joke but lost direction enroute. It's obvious everyone involved tried very hard to entertain, but unfortunately the thing just wouldn't quite gel.Two stars for the effort, but these hogs should have been left to wallow in Obscurity.

So, granted, this film is pretty funny. The cast is great, the story is fun, the director did a good job, and the various skits and funny scenes are very funny. So, usually, this is a cut and dry four star for me, but I really need to dock a star from this film because of the constant language, gay innuendo, and sexual humor. I really wish this film had been done more tastefully, because it could have been awesome.

This was probably one of the worst movies I've watched in a while. This was supposed to be city slickers on Harleys, but what they ended up with was poor performances, mediocre comedy, the most basic of plots, and very little in the way of Hogs.

Boring sums this one up.

Wild Hogs was a hilarious film. I thought it was one of the funniest movies I've seen. I loved the cast. It was a perfect match. I can't wait till the DVD comes out. Also, I've heard that they're trying to make a sequel! I really recommend it for people looking for a good laugh.

I went for the laughs, but discovered "Wild Hogs" also had a good message about enjoying your life, sticking with your friends, and standing up for what you believe in. Wonderful cameo appearance by Peter Fonda--and the "Easter Egg" at the end of the film is laugh a minute. The music chosen for the film was also very good and definitely takes you back.