Without A Paddle (DVD, 2005, Widescreen Collection)

Ever wanted to know what "downstairs" means?

Your enjoyment of Without A Paddle is going to depend upon whether or not you like Seth Green and Matthew Lillard. Personally, I've always thought Green was funny and thought Lillard was a slightly less obnoxious version of David Arquette. However, the previews appealed to the baser side of my humor - so I put it in my Netflix queue.

Four lifelong friends have grown up, taking distinctly different paths in life. When one of them dies in a para-sailing accident, the remaining three (Green, Lillard, and surprisingly funny newcomer Dax Shepard) decide to take one last adventure to find some hidden treasure they were obsessed with as children that seems to be hidden in the woods somewhere. Just go with it. Think of it as Deliverance meets The Gooneys.

So, of course hi-jinks and mishaps ensue involving a bear, some rapids, a couple of hillbilly pot growers, some hot, hairy, female eco terrorists living in a tree, and Burt Reynolds. Yep, Burt Reynolds...and I thought Boogie Nights was supposed to boost his career out of stuff like this.

Then, of course, there is the "message" of the film. That being: Love what your life has become and quit living in the past once you've hit thirty. It's sort of like the great bit of wisdom given by Kevin Spacey in the phenomenal film Swimming With Sharks, "If you're not a rebel when your twenty, you've got no balls. But if you haven't turned establishment by the time you hit thirty, you've got no brain." And yeah, mentioning that movie in a review for this one makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

And that message is NOT delivered to you in a subtle way. No, you are literally beaten upside the head with it, because I can only assume that the writers felt most of the young audience this film appeals to would be too stupid to get it. This might not have been too off the mark, given the jokes in this movie.

Generally with movies like this, you need to be in a certain mood to really get any kind of enjoyment out of it. And there is a place for the goofball comedy in this world of ours. And there are some genuinely funny moments and lines that you'll get a kick out of. The chemistry of the lead actors does sometimes overcome the ho-hum script. So there's something to look forward to.

The DVD isn't bad at all, considering that you get the standard commentary from the cast and director, the "making of" feature, the trailer, and thirteen additional scenes with optional director commentary. Not bad for a movie that wasn't so great.

It's Deliverance meets Road Trip!" You can almost see the pasty-faced movie execs chortling to themselves about the endless comic possibilities. Crazy rednecks! Bear attacks! Women who don't shave their legs! Surely even the most humourless sap couldn't refuse such comic gold?

Well, you've probably already made up your mind whether you're going to find Without a Paddle comic gold or not. For better or worse, it's exactly the film that you know it’s going to be. Following the death of one of their childhood friends, three pals from Philadelphia (Green, Lillard, Shepard) stumble across an old map that apparently pinpoints the whereabouts of loot hidden by infamous robber DB Cooper. As a "mark of respect" to their dearly departed friend, the trio embark on a camping trip to the scenic backwaters of Oregon in the hope of hunting down the fabled treasure. Low and behold it's not long before they're knee-deep in - you've guessed it - crazy rednecks, bear attacks and women who don't shave their legs.

There aren't many standout hilarious scenes in Without a Paddle (alright, there aren't any), but the film remains reasonably amiable and occasionally amusing. That's no substitute for a decent, well-written script of course, but you don't expect miracles here. The three leads are all engaging enough and make for convincing lifelong buddies, while the last third of the movie throws in a bizarre but welcome appearance from an almost-unrecognisable Burt Reynolds as an oddball hermit. It's also snappily edited and stuffed with picture-esque woodland scenery (with New Zealand standing in for Oregon naturally) and a fast succession of efficient chases and stunts. In fact, with Liar Liar director Steve Brill at the helm (or should that be at the paddle? Ho ho) Without a Paddle does suffer a little for being too slick for its own good. These kind of noisy, moronic comedies always seem better suited to the anarchic, rough-around-the-edges feel that made so many 80s comedies much more endearing, leaving Without A Paddle a little lacking in genuine fun or energy.

Even though it ends in trite declarations of growing up and facing responsibilities, it's probable that the Without A Paddle’s biggest fans will be those both firmly under 15 and weaned on a pure diet of fizzy pop and hotdogs. In terms of comparison it isn't as good as, say, Road Trip (itself hardly the greatest movie in the world), but it remains just about passable viewing to while away a brain-free Saturday afternoon.

This is a great movie. It will keep you laughing all the way through. Plus it has a really great soundtrack as well.

The movie is about 3 guys Dan, Jerry, and Tom (Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, and Dax Shepherd) who all take a treasure hunt trip that they always wanted to do when they were younger. The reason they finally decide to go on it is because their friend Billy died, and they wanted to take the trip for Billy. Well of course as soon as the trip starts unpredictable things start to happen which leads to hilarity.

Perfect for any comedy lover.

This movie I have watched over 12 times and my cd wore out so I am purchasing another! This movie is for my generation at age 40 and older, for those who can recall the true event of the bank robbery that happened and the unknown whereabouts of the real "DB Cooper" who supposedly jumped out of a plane somewhere around Idaho or Washington after a bank robbery.

This story is not true but is so hilarious you will laugh for hours as you never know, it could be what really happened to Db Cooper!! For those under my age, probably will not understand the story if in fact they do not know the event actually is a true story event that they made an excellent comedy about.

Features the best actors and I put this movie in at night if I am feeling anxious at night and fall asleep to it as well as it is comforting and so funny! I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND ARE AGE 40 AND UP! (NO VIOLENCE OR ANYTHING - JUST SIMPLY DUE TO YOUNGER AGES DO NOT UNDERSTAND PART OF THIS MOVIE ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE! THEY COME UP WITH A SILLY BUT FUNNY EnDING TO "IS DB COOPER" STILL ALIVE OR IS HE DEAD? SOMETHING TODAY THAT IS STILL UNKNOWN!
I RATE THIS A 5 STAR COMEDY

I agree with 213spud, this movie is awesome!! The funniest movie I have seen in a long time. It is a must see for any fan of Dax, Seth< Mathew, or Burt!! The cave scene got the most laughs in the movie theatre!! My wife didn't want to see it but a friend and I dragged her to it and she absolutly loved it! She never thought she would like it, so don't judge a movie by its cover or poster! In the awesome words of Burt and Seth... this movie is "DINE-OH-MITE!!".