WILD HOGS
DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS: 100 minutes, audio commentary, alternate ending, deleted scenes, outtakes, two featurettes
VIDEO: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)
AUDIO: English, French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
STUDIO: Touchstone Pictures
RELEASE DATE: 8-14-2007

WILD HOGS is your basic cookie cutter comedy designed to play it safe and give into the general whims of the audience. I had very low expectations, but I don't think I will watch it a second time. It revolves around four middle aged men (Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, John Travolta, William H. Macy) who formed their own motorcycle gang called the Wild Hogs. They decide to take a road trip (don their leather and fire up their hogs the sleeve text says) and come cross a tough motorcycle gang called the Del Fuegos lead by a mean biker (Ray Liotta who had better roles than this). The script is cliched (cardboard chracters, stereotypes, and audience pandering about) and I wonder if they should have let the actors improv as much as they did. Couldn't they have come up with something better? They go on a trip and have various misadventures including crossing paths with a gay motorcycle cop (John McGinnley). In the end, the film comes across as a C rated comedy that takes no chances and sets up everything enough to propel the story along without being too deep for characterization. A few comedic moments do show up, but WILD HOGS is one hig I don't want to fire up in the DVD player again.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Director Walt Backer and writer Brad Copeland chat it up on teh feature audio commentary while optional audio commentary is also provided for the alternate ending and three deleted scenes (nothing to miss, move along). The Making of WILD HOGS featurette (Bikes, Brawls, and Burning Bars) is OK to watch and features interviews with cast and crew (and some outtakes not in the outtakes reel on this DVD). How To Get Your Wife To Let You Buy A motorcycle is basically the stunt co-ordinator talking about the motorcyle lifestyle- skip it.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Rent WILD HOGS and forget about it after. If you want something better from the actors involved, seek out the other movies they have done.

this DVD Review is (c)8-14-2007 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com