I am in the middle of a visit to Michigan. My parents live here and I grew up here and I like a good Jewish son I try to visit at least three times a year. The food is fine, the company relaxed and the cable TV attached to the massive flat screen TV provides hours upon days of viewing pleasure. Given the movie viewing resources, my parents and I always go to the movies. They go for the senior discount, the popcorn, the diet coke. I go for the $8 tickets, the cheaper popcorn, the comfortable seats and the respite from watching movies and playing with the dog: Franky is old and visibly arthritic but she carries a desperate look that is highly relatable (having grown up in this house myself, I know from where she comes). Today, my parents suggested we go see Wild Hogs and seeing as I've promised a few films to other friends -- and they had already seen Zodiac -- off we went.
Wild Hogs is the story of four middle-aged suburban men from Cincinnati who, fed up with their lives and humdrum existence, set off on a week long road trip in search of adventure, themselves and the Pacific Ocean, pretty much in that order. These men are: Doug (Tim Allen), a dentist with a hot wife and a hip but disinterested child who would rather play basketball with his friend's cool dad than his own old man; Bobby (Martin Lawrence), a plumber whose is constantly disrespected by his wife, daughter and mother-in-law (i.e. whipped); Woody (Played with scary intensity by John Travolta) a seemingly successful businessman who is haunted by the model wife who has left him and the fortune which he has squandered; and Dudley (William H. Macy) and computer programmer constantly at war with gravity, his surroundings and his own sense of honesty.
I didn't expect much from this movie: my father had told me the critics didn't like it (not a solid reason but still), the story seemed like a rather stale version of City Slickers, the sight of Tim Allen sporting a leather jacket gives me the willies and ever since Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta has scared the bejeesus out of me. (I could appreciate the attitude and smarts he brought to Pulp Fiction but, probably owing to his Scientology background, John Travolta's performances are never truly of this world. I thought that was put to appropriate effect in Grease but I have difficulty watching his performances without imagining the mothership transmitting interpretations of humanity through a chip implanted in his brain.) What surprised me though was how smart Wild Hogs is. Not smart in its treatment of such heady themes as aging, self-respect and identity: the film really doesn't treat these themes in a realistic or thoughtful manner. There are no existential decisions, no crises of faith and no incredible realizations. The characters just find parts of themselves left dormant and through a series of events, these parts reawaken and they realize they have always been there.
What struck me as smart was the way in which the film-makers dealt with the material they were given and ran with it. Wild Hogs is, above everything, a star showcase and the stars do not disappoint. Tim Allen is funny and everyman-ish; Martin Lawrence is funny and subversive, William H. Macy is funny and bumbling and John Travolta is a receptacle of human emotions as transmitted from the mothership somewhere in a distant galaxy. They keep the film buoyant and energized, making me feel safe in the knowledge that if someone dropped the ball, there would always be someone else there to pick it up. These guys work surprising well together: I would never have thought Martin Lawrence and John Travolta belonged at a Dairy Queen together much less a major studio film but there they are, co-existing nicely. They are having the time of their lives and they invite us along for the ride.
But what is even smarter (or maybe clever) is the way in which the film-makers do everything they can to match the performances. At some point, the film-makers must have realized the flimsiness of the story; but rather than fight it, they just went with it, they just threw everything they could at the energy to see what would happen. Wild Hogs is essetially a road movie but when that slows down the director and writer (Walt Becker and Brad Copeland) throw in some slapstick; and when that gets old they spice it up with some romance, then go back to the road movie then throw in some gross out humor for good measure. By the time the film reaches its climax in a Seven Samurai meets Blazing Saddles type confrontation, we have been treated to elements of countless film genres cunningly put together to keep us in our seats and thoroughly entertained.
Aside from William H. Macy and Martin Lawrence (both of whom bring surprising warmth and humanity t0 their roles), the proceedings are slight. The gags are set up well though and usually pay off. Marisa Tomei plays every geek's wet dream, Ray Liotta plays a biker with some serious attachment issues and John Travolta plays a humanoid in a du-rag. If you're in the mood for something more challenging, this may not be your cup of coffee. But if you want to spend an hour or so in intelligently mindless company, you could do worse than Wild Hogs.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch Bachelor Party for the 37th time.
