BUSHWHACKED
US, 1995, 90 minutes, Colour.
Daniel Stern, John Polit, Brad Sullivan, Ann Dowd, Anthony Heald, Corey Carrier.
Directed by Greg Beeman.
Bushwhacked offers a lot of raucous shenanigans for a young audience. With star Daniel Stern, also acting as executive producer, the film is in the vein of his character seen in the first two Home Alone films.
He is Max, a gawky and awkward character, bulging eyes, chewing gum, seemingly oblivious of everyone, walking down the street to the Bee Gee’s song, Stayin Alive. He is a delivery truck driver and goes to a mansion, finds a room on fire, is attacked by an FBI agent (Jon Polito) and finds that he has delivered a boxful of cash. He is accused of robbery and is pursued by the FBI agent. He realises that he has one more delivery in a special contract that is to a mountainous address, Devil’s Peak.
Despite his ineptitude, his makes his way towards Devil’s Peak, but not before encountering a rugged Ranger (Brad Sullivan). He gets a sticker on his car, that he is in in inconsiderate person, but he gets superglue and presses the Ranger’s hands on the steering wheel and his chin as well.
Meanwhile, we see a group of young scouts, gathering for a bush adventure, under the supervision of one of the mothers (Ann Dowd). Needless to say, when the fleeing Max arrives on the scene he is mistaken for the scoutmaster.
A lot of physical comedy ensues, plenty of pratfalls as Max tries to get to his destination, does respond to a lot of the scout’s questions, sometimes, offhand, and, sometimes genuinely, getting them to walk, getting them to run, getting them to climb mountains, and his getting entangled with bees and a beehive. The FBI agent and the Ranger who has been freed are in pursuit – and the agent has the indignity of the carefree group urinating, and it all raining on him.
The arch criminal is revealed at his mansion on the mountain top, Anthony Heald, and it is no surprise to find the FBI agent is no agent but is an associate. Meanwhile the supervisor has driven to the house and is tied up. Max and the scouts, all boys plus one girl, have even more adventures, Max trying to put up his tent, the boys trying to catch him, getting across a suspension bridge and then cutting it to prevent pursuit, eventually climbing the mountain side, Max swinging to find a safe ledge, the boys throwing stones to incapacitate the villains, one of the boys charging and going over the cliff, with Max having to rescue him as he hangs onto a limb, a literal cliffhanger.
As if we wouldn’t know, the Ranger is proud of the boys, they get the highest accolades – as does Max who then finds that is thronged by scouts and that is next assignment is in Yosemite.
