WILD HOGS
US, 2007, 100 minutes, Colour.
Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy, Ray Liotta, Marisa Tomei, M.C. Gainey, Jill Hennessy, Stephen Tobolowsky.
Directed by Walt Becker.
In the early 1990s, Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby were three middle-aged men who wanted to get away from it all and replenish their better selves. They went west and joined a cattle drive. It did them, City Slickers all, and their wives the world of good.
Not so sure about the Wild Hogs.
John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy are the 21st century would-be temporary drop outs who want to get on their cycles – and ride. Travolta’s wife has left him and he is bankrupt (seems as good a reason to go as any!). Allen is a dentist stuck in a professional and home rut – his son would prefer to throw baskets with his friend’s father. Martin Lawrence is finishing a year off from his sanitation work to write a book, but he is henpecked and dominated by his wife – and her mother. William H. Macy is an accident-prone, obsessive computer programmer. He definitely needs to get away from it all. (Although it is his lines, deadpan reactions and accidents that are amusing.)
Off they go into the modern highway blue yonder, friends but bickering, wanting to be free but shackled by their personalities and habits. Then they meet the real bikies, led by Ray Liotta, who accuse them of being posers. Needless to say this has dire repercussions including the bikies’ dilapidated bar going up in flames.
Then they come to a nice town where everyone is pleasant (including Marisa Tomei as the owner of a nice diner) and Stephen Tobolowsky (as the meek sheriff). It’s New Mexico, so ultimately there is a showdown between bikies and Wild Hogs where the men find they are able to be men as they stand up to the bullies (after being punched and shoved down so many times) and save the town. Then, along comes Peter Fonda who tells the bikies to behave themselves and get back to the spirit of his easy riding days.
With this description, you will know whether you really want to take of with the Wild Hogs or not (but Americans did as the film earned over a hundred million dollars at the box office within a month.)
1.The popularity of the film with the American public? Box office? Worldwide? For men? For women?
2.Midlife crisis films, the middle-aged men, looking back on their lives, careers, relationships? Their bonding? The background of the motorbike era for them? The men’s talk, guys’ talk? Audiences identifying with these characters?
3.The city settings, for each of the characters? The open road, the highway, the diners, the desert, the outback bikie diners? The town of Madrid? Genial in the desert? The diner, the hotels? A cross-section of America? The musical score? The songs?
4.The title, the men, the club, their jackets? The contrast with the other clubs – and their being spurned? Considered as poseurs?
5.The introduction to each of the characters in their context: Doug, his wife, his son not looking up to him, preferring to throw baskets with his friend and his father? His work as a dentist, the comedy in discussing with the elderly patient? Wanting to be called a doctor? Feeling tense – and the need for some kind of change? Woody, his marriage, his wealth, bankrupt, divorce, his not listening to his advisers? Bobby: his wife bossing him around, his mother-in-law, relationship with his children, the year off to write, his going back to work, sanitation clean-up? Dudley, his being a computer nerd, anal retentive, buttoned up, accident-prone – riding the bike and hitting the notice? His pratfalls? His literal understanding of everything, explaining in detail reasons?
6.Their bonding, together, talking, Woody wanting to take the road, the others finally being persuaded? On the road, the freedom of the bikes, the decision for freedom – with nobody in charge? The bickering amongst them? The enjoyment – but the pratfalls?
7.Jack and his gang, the diner, their wanting to fill up with petrol, the confrontations, the comparisons? The accusation that they were poseurs? The fights, Woody and his getting the others away? The return? His cutting the fuel connections, the cigarette and the explosion? Their getting away?
8.Arriving in Madrid, into the diner, Maggie and her friendship with Dudley? The sheriff? The people afraid of the other gang? The fair, their enjoying it? The different responses – but Woody afraid for not having told the truth about the gang? Dudley and his learning to dance, dancing with Maggie? Bobby and the phone calls and fear of his wife? Doug and his phone calls?
9.The spies, the confrontation, the four beating up the spies – because they had been told not to do anything till the gang game? Their reputation in the town? The sheriff, the twins, the discussions? The men becoming heroes?
10.The arrival of the gang, the fight, the war of words, the punches – and the four not lying down? The townspeople rising up?
11.The arrival of Jack’s father, the joke about Peter Fonda and Easy Rider, his telling Jack to behave, to go back to the ideals?
12.Everybody happy – but the wives turning up? Doug and his being a hero to his son? Bobby and his defying his wife? Dudley and the happy ending?
13.The heroics, the happy ending – and the rebuilding of the diner for the other gang?
14.A guy film, middle-aged, action, slam-bang? Guy humour?
