I saw this movie at a sneak preview with the local radio station. I was expecting it to be funny, just based on the trailers that I'd seen, and I wasn't disappointed. This movie struck me as being a grown up version of the goonies, with 3 childhood friends going on a treasure hunt that they never did while they were kids. There were a few slow moments, but through most of it, I laughed out loud!
Look, I walked into this movie expecting a complete bomb, and I was being more than generous at the time. Having never heard of it before, this "action-comedy starring that guy from Scooby-Doo and Dr. Evil's son" seemed less than appealing to me. But once the film started rolling, I was amazed at how hilarious it was. It is a story about four childhood friends who are now in their late 20's. One of them dies and the other three set out on a childhood journey to find the treasure of DB, a man who was lost during a parachute-jump and never returned. On their journey they encounter many obstacles, including a bear, two pot-farmers, tree-hugging hippies and many other hilarities. Although the acting is not top-notch, the comedy is worth the ticket, it is so saturated with jokes that I'm sure that I missed a good third of them.
Buy Without a Paddle (2004) Now
Okay. You probably won't take my advice, but I'll give it to you anyway; BUY THIS MOVIE. It is absolutely, 100 % mindless entertainment, but it's worth it! I saw it a couple of days after it came out, and fell in love. I went back to see it three more times, and bought it as soon as it came out on DVD. I even bought the poster, which I've never done for any other movie or television series. That's all there is to it!
Read Best Reviews of Without a Paddle (2004) Here
OK for kids over 10
This was fun. Not deep, kinda silly, but I laughed out loud several times, and that is good enough for me.
3 best friends go on a treasure hunt out in the beautiful North West, meeting up with a bear, a couple motley pot growers(Abe Benrubi from ER, and Ethan Suplee, from The Butterfly Effect) and a real mountain man, Burt Reynolds.
The money is what they're after, but they find more. Friendship, life, and true values, amongst other things.
My sweetheart, Norman and I snuggled on the sofa and watched this while eating leftover salmon. Was nice to relax, no swearing or nudity so it's OK for the kidlets. Probably not wee kids, but, over 10 or 12.
Good fun. Not terribly serious, but, isn't that nice once in a while? I think so!!
Want Without a Paddle (2004) Discount?
I went to see this movie thinking it was going to be funny. I was right! This movie had me laughing all the way through, from the bear attack to the weed farm to the Earth-child tree house, this movie lived up to my expectations and then some.
When their friend Billy dies on one of his many adventures, Jerry, Tom, and Dan go back to Oregon and encounter their old tree house with all their childhood memorabilia. They find a box with relics they put in that was not supposed to be removed until they found DB Cooper's treasure. Supposedly he parachuted into the woods with a bunch of stolen cash but was never seen since. Billy had even marked out the trip on a map and had wanted to go with the guys on a camping trip the previous summer, but none of them could make it. Tom was detained in Mexico. So, to honor their friend, and despite Dan's "I'm Dr. Mott now!" objection, the three decide to follow Billy's map and finally search for DB's treasure.
The trip starts out with a pit stop in a very run-down town. Using Dan's satellite cell phone, Jerry runs into some trouble with his girlfriend, who is tired of waiting for him to settle down. Once they barely escape from a shariff with no teeth, it's off into the woods to christen a red canoe, much to a Native American's dismay. "Thanks for breaking glass where my kids play." Smoothe, Jerry, whose response was, "...oh."
When they finally land for the night, things go fine until Tom decides he wants to fish by "flashing them". Dan bets $1000 and his left, well, anyway, he bets he can't do it. The first fish Jerry and Dan forget to catch out of stupidity, but the second was out of fear of the bear that Tom doesn't notice until Jerry starts taking off his shoes.
"You can't outrun that bear."
"I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you." Dan trips while running and Tom suggests the fetile position. The bear then takes him for a cub and carries him off. "ABORT THE FETILE POSITION!" Hey, how many chances do you have to try freshly caught...what was it? A raccoon? Well, that night was spent in a tree and Dan's brand new cell phone becomes a tasty snack.
The next day the bear is scared off by explosion sounds and the trio sees a boat with two ugly rednecks in it throwing grenades into the water. Dan wants to cut through the woods and start out on the other side. When they do, they miss the fork and end up on the wrong side of it. Although Tom made himself out to be a Class-45 river rafter, they don't have much luck and end up sailing over a 100-foot waterfall. Now they don't have a canoe or a map, which the bear had clawed through anyway.
They set off into the woods and come across civilization and Creed wafting through the air. However, when they get close enough, they find the same two rednecks they were trying to avoid earlier talking to beheaded fish. They hide in their shed which is stuffed with packages of grade-A marijuana. One wrong move and dogs Lynyrd and Skynyrd are on their tail. So after setting off the flares that light up the entire marijuana field, which ultimately sets the field on FIRE, Tom, Jerry, and Dano take off. Half-way through, everyone is completely stoned. They manage to escape, though. So...onward into the woods.
Earth-child. No, not just any old hippie. A tree. The soaked guys, after swearing they aren't from the logging company, "If you're from the logging company you'll have to speak to our lawyers!", are allowed to come up and meet Flower and Butterfly. Slug (Jerry) and Condor (Dano) are immediately embraced (what was Tom called again?) and they discover just how "natural" the two girls really are. They try to radio for help, but the signal is intercepted by the rednecks who are after them. When they try to cut down Earth-child, Tom, Dano, and Jerry make a run for it in nothing but their underwear. (Butterfly and Flower were drying their clothes off, in case you were wondering.) Even though flying bags of, well, (what would you use the "little tree's room" for?) are thrown on their heads, the rednecks don't give up on Earth-child until Tom rides off with one of their wheelies and ends up driving it off a cliff. Surviving the drop, Tom, Jerry, and Dano escape into the woods again, and this time, Dano finally gets a kiss farewell. (Flower is the hairy woman of his dreams!)
Now it's dark and cold. Dano is tired and they're in front of a cave. Once you hear the lyrics, "My mind's telling me no, but my body...my body's tellin me yes", you know it's going to go a little crazy. Hey, it's cold! And as Tom said, "This never leaves the cave." After Jabba leaves his hut because Jerry can't keep his exotic thoughts in his head (poor Dano, it's not his fault), the scary mountain man Del Knox shows up and leads them back to his cabin.
He doesn't kill them, but he does tell them that he was DB Cooper's best friend. He spent 30 years up in those mountains. He couldn't leave. The next morning comes along. Dano wakes up.
Dano: Mmm...bacon.
Del: Squirrel.
Dano: Mmm...squirrel.
The rednecks can't read for anything, but they can track, and sure enough, after Jerry finds the eaten cell phone (does a bear -poopin the woods?), they catch up to them. Del takes care of them temporarily so Tom, Jerry, and Dano can escape.
The compass isn't working. The iron in the mines is throwing it off. Revelation! If it's throwing their compass off, it must've thrown DB Cooper's compass off! Next thing they know, they've fallen through a mine shaft. And...da da da DA...there they come face-to-face with none other than DB Cooper himself...well, what's left of him. After burning his treasure to stay alive for a few more hours, he froze to death. Their mission complete, they get their relics back (a C3PO collectible, a rookie card, and a rubber -good going Tom-) and decide to place it with DB Cooper and his treasure. Then the rednecks show up...again. Dano slipped through a hole in the shaft to freedom with the help of singing a "Culture Club" song. He then knocks the two trouble-makers into the hole with Jerry and Tom. A fight ensues. Dano picks up a grenade that was dropped. The same sheriff from town shows up. Problem solved, right? WRONG!
The rednecks work for the sheriff and all guns are pointed at Jerry, Tom, and Dano. Once Jerry is given possession of the grenade, he gives the three thugs a choice:
Jerry: I've decided my life's worth living. And if you decide that your lives are worth living (actual dialogue may vary), you'll put your guns down.
Sheriff: And if we don't?
Jerry: (pulls grenade) Bye-bye, boys.
The grenade hits a tree and the three thugs are caught under it. Back in town (not the run-down town but Jerry, Tom, and Dano's hometown) the thugs are arrested and Del gives the guys a little surprise: DB's parachute. He has DB's bones in his backpack and plans to see the world.
Del: Maybe even Washington.
Jerry:...wow...one state.
Inside the parachute is Del's share of the treasure: $100,000 I think it was. Jerry doesn't want it. Dano doesn't want it. (Hell, he's "Dr. Mott" now!) so Tom, who isn't the Harley salesman he claimed to be, uses it to pay off his debts.
In the end:
Jerry asks his girlfriend to marry him and she says yes.
Dano and Flower share an intimate moment in Earth-child.
Tom confuses a bunch of boyscouts at a camp fire.
The movie ends leaving you with only one burning question:
"What's a 'downstairs'?"
Enough said.
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Agent 8 3/4 I'm psyched about this comedy/thriller from 1964 finally being released on DVD. Dirk Bogarde plays an unemployed writer who inadvertantly gets caught up in international espionage. Released in Britain as HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE, this delightful adventure has rarely played on TV ( I only saw it once on a PBS station back in the '70's) and I've been looking for it ever since. Hopefully we'll get a good widescreen transfer on the upcoming release!
