Posted: 08/23/2004

Without a Paddle

(2004)

by Clint Fletcher

Clint continues to try to watch every comedy aimed at the 18-35 demo that comes out this summer.

Well guys, the time has come… and gone. The Summer Movie Season is officially over. Now, all we have left to look forward to until Christmas is some recycled story-lines with a splice of new talent (did I say talent? I meant models trying to act). And what not a better way to kick off the fall movie season than a Seth Green movie.

Surprisingly enough, Without A Paddle wasn’t near as bad as one would expect it to be.

For those of you that have been living in a cave and haven’t had the trailer crammed down your throat, here’s the low-down on the plot: Green, Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard play childhood friends who are reunited at their best friend’s funeral. A long time ago (when they were kids) they all made a pact to search for some buried treasure hidden deep within the woods of a mountain, but they never got around to taking the trip. Honoring the death of their friend, these three dudes decide to take a few days off from their adult lives to make the journey. As one would expect from the previews, there is absolutely nothing that will surprise you in Without A Paddle. And yes, it certainly is one of those films where the trailer uses any true moments of comedy to suck you in. There’s nothing swimming under the surface here folks, trust me.

Even the film’s flaws are predictable. Any movie made after 1990 that involves anyone traveling into the woods must have three requirements. 1) The protagonists must be chased by psychotic rednecks (ala Deliverance). 2) At least one of the protagonists must face a dangerous encounter with a bear. And 3) Eventually the main characters must cross paths with a scary, kooky old man that has been living in the woods for many years. I also regret to inform you that there is nothing new added to these elements to make them more funny or entertaining. Among these clichés mentioned above, there are many other stale story-lines that the writers precede to, such as the traditional “going over a waterfall” scenario, or the “we lost all of our gear, what are we going to do?” scenario. I think I speak for all of us when I say… yaaaaaaawn. Sorry, now where was I?

Despite everything mentioned thus far, I actually enjoyed this film for the most part. Why did I enjoy it? Without A Paddle is completely watch-able because of its three leads. These three actors can be compared to a tripod: if they fly solo, they’d crash and burn. But if they all stick together for one movie, then it could be pretty damned entertaining. Lillard does what he does best, with his bizarre facial expressions at the most inappropriate times of the story… and Green does what he does best by playing a nerd. But the brightest star of them all is improvisation master Dax Shepard. Never heard of him? That wouldn’t be surprising, unless you’ve ever caught an episode of MTV’s Punk’d. He’s one of Ashton’s prankster actors. But the guy has charisma pouring out of him and with a perfect sense of comedic timing, he truly makes this film come alive. And kudos go out to all three of these guys for the level of chemistry they created among each other. I really got the sense that these dudes were childhood friends.

Without A Paddle definitely has some quirks in it, but if you’re a fan of these three leads, or if you are in dire need of some great male camaraderie (think Stand by Me), then check out Without A Paddle… from your local video store when its released.

Clint Fletcher is a filmmaker in Chicago who will stay away from the campgrounds this season.

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