Family comedy is a 'wild' ride

By Cynthia Hager
Poca High School

Have you ever wanted to know what would happen if you put four well-known comedians/actors together in one movie? Well, the new family-friendly comedy "Wild Hogs" -- starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy -- does just that.

In the movie, each of these guys is having his own problems. Doug Madsen (Allen) is a dentist who ends up in the hospital due to stress. Woody Stevens (Travolta) is the guy who everybody thinks has it all but is actually bankrupt and in the middle of a divorce. Bobby Davis (Lawrence) is a plumber who hates his job and gets pushed around by his wife. Dudley Frank (Macy) is the geek of the group who has no luck with women.

These guys desperately need a break in their lives. Woody comes up with the idea to go on a motorcycle journey to nowhere in particular. His plan is to have no plans and just go where the wind blows them.

This is where the movie gets good. From hilarious camping trips to skinny-dipping in a family lake, they experience it all. They even meet a gang of real bikers called the Del Fuegos.

The Del Fuegos are led by Jack (Ray Liotta). When the Wild Hogs invade his bar, he is less than pleased. Then Woody ends up burning down the bar. Not telling the guys what he's done, Woody encourages them to leave town so they can continue to live.

After that, the gang stops in a friendly little town that happens to be the home of Maggie (Marisa Tomei), Dudley's first love. There, the guys hide (though only Woody knows from what) and experience everything from a chili festival to why it's a bad idea to smack a bull.

Finally, the Del Fuegos show up looking for them, and Woody has to spill his guts to his friends. Even though they're mad at Woody, they still help him, as does Maggie.

"Wild Hogs" is a great comedy that all families can enjoy. It is rated PG-13, though, (for profanity), so be careful taking younger children to see it. And if you do go, which I strongly recommend, get there a little early so you can grab good seats.