Today Wild Hogs is released on DVD. Go get it. Seriously, you can come back here and read this later. Because no matter what I have to say about the movie will never be as funny as the movie itself.
With a star-studded cast of men that I adore, I knew it would be a hit. Hilarious men equals hilarious movie. (At least in this case.) Starring John Travolta (Woody- the man whose life is crumbling as he remains in denial), Tim Allen (Doug- the stuck in a rut dentist), Martin Lawrence (Bobby- the author wanna-be with an over-bearing wife), and William H. Macy (Dudley- the computer programmer who is all geek). Putting these men together in one movie was brilliant casting. It works. Logically, it may not make sense to see these four men as friends, but the way they play off of each other really does work for them. Think a semi-middle aged version of a National Lampoon's movie. You are going to go for some cheap laughs, but cheap or not, you do laugh.
The premise of the story involves four men who collectively are going through a mid-life crisis of some sort and decide to take to the open road from Cincinnati to the Pacific Ocean. Just the guys, their motorcycles and the open road. (Even had a funny no cell phones--smash them moment.)
They don their leathers, fire up their hogs and throw caution and their cell phones to the wind as they hit the open highway. A lot can happen on the road to nowhere, including a run-in with the bad-to-the-bone Del Fuegos, a real biker gang who don’t take kindly to the wannabes.
Ray Liotta is brilliantly cast as the "leader" of a real motorcycle gang, The Del Fuegos. A rough, tough, trouble making gang that can only lead to disaster when they encounter The Wild Hogs. (John Travolta's best scenes are when it involves the Del Fuegos. From looks he gives, to body language to the lines he delivers.)
Now, being from Cow-Tipping country, I loved the Slap the Bull scene. No, really. They slap the bull. On the butt. But what happens when you slap a bull on the butt the second time? Watch it for yourself. (This will open a window that has the clip.) For more clips, go here and see a few more.
I really enjoyed this movie and know that I will watch it more than once. There is just no way to catch all of the lines in this movie the first time around. To me, that is a bonus. The desire to watch a movie again and again.
The disc is packed full of bonus features as well.
Bonus Features
• Bikes, Brawls and Burning Bars: The Making of Wild Hogs
Director Walt Becker leads viewers through the process of putting together the A-list cast and describes
the difficulty of shooting a road movie involving over 100 motorcycles! Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin
Lawrence and William H. Macy talk about working together to form the least-threatening biker gang in
history. Also, see interviews with the stunt and special effects crews.
• Alternate Ending
The Highway Patrolman (John C. McGinley) has one last run-in with the guys in the original ending to
the film.
• Deleted Scenes
“Molar Abscess” features John Travolta’s sister, and “Chili Pepper,” a feature which shows a hilarious
run-in with the Del Fuegos at the Chili Cook-off.
• Audio Commentary
Feature-length commentary by director Walt Becker and writer Brad Copeland.
• How to Get Your Wife to Let You Buy a Motorcycle *
A funny featurette about the virtues of motorcycle ownership.
• Outtakes
• Easter Egg
This is one of those movies you want your friends to see so that you can throw out those great one-liners that only people who have seen the movie will understand. Or maybe that is just how I love to react to movies. In either case, you will want to share this one with your friends!
For more information, go to the Wild Hogs official website. There are a lot of great gems to enjoy there.
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