When you see them first, you’re reminded of your fathers and uncles — they have receding hairlines, emerging beer bellies and complete resentment of their humdrum lives. Then they get onto their Harley Davidsons and Wild Hogs takes a full U-turn. There’s fun, adventure, a sense of freedom and lots of action; at least as much as the old guys can take.
It can only be called the most adorable geriatric adventure. Woody (Travolta), Doug (Allen), Dudley (Macy) and Bobby (Lawrence) are fed up with their boring routines, overbearing wives and a lack of excitement. They decide to rev up their old bikes and take a roadtrip across America. On the way, they manage to rub a ruthless biker gang — the Del Fuegos — the wrong way. The Wild Hogs, as the foursome call themselves, must set things right before the Del Fuegos destroy everything in their path while chasing them.
The overall storyline by Brad Copeland is quite flimsy, but the absolutely unexpected comedy saves it from drowning. It is purely slapstick — dialogues do nothing to support the humour in Wild Hogs. But the perfect sense of comic timing and camera angles that are just right — not too tight and not too wide either — are icing on the cake. Director Becker has also remained true to the biker tradition, never making his characters too shiny or glamourous. Watch out for some surprises from American Chopper. Plus, with a brilliant star cast such as this, one cannot go wrong. Travolta plays all his emotions with his characteristic flair; he switches from being slick, cool, nervous, and scared with absolute ease.
Tim Allen is so-so, Martin Lawrence is over-the-top most of the time. But William H Macy and Ray Liotta steal the show. One plays a bumbling geek who can’t even ride a bike straight, the other’s a mean biker whose head nearly explodes with anger when scorned.
In all, Wild Hogs is a good weekend treat to go with friends. Keep kids away — they might be scarred by the explicit content.