4/10
Without a Paddle (2004)
24 July 2012
Comedic version of Deliverance where three childhood friends set out into the woodlands of America to search for a lost briefcase filled with money. The film is actually light on humour and high on sentiment. The themes are hammered into us, and are actually just spoken out loud. "Life, that IS the treasure". Despite this, when it is funny it gets some big laughs. All the scenes are episodic, with the trio meeting a threatening bear, some hillbillies, a mountain man, and some hippies in a tree. The film relies too much on the men being uncomfortable with homosexuality. Burt Reynolds shows up to pay homage to Deliverance, but doesn't completely embarrass himself or shame the film. Perhaps the wig and make-up helped. I'm always going to laugh at stoned animals so it had that going for it. The locations were often stunning, which helped in the long pauses between jokes. Quick and enjoyable, it never really angered me and it kept me interested.
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