The premise: three buddies (Green, Lillard, and Dax Shepard) get together after the death of one of their best childhood friends and decide to take the road trip their deceased friend had mapped out for the group before kicking the bucket. The target – find the lost treasure of D. B. Cooper. Huh? Well, the good thing is the plot isn’t all that important. The whole idea of searching for a lost treasure is just an excuse for the film to place its three stars in dangerous situations. These poor guys go on one of the wildest canoe rides in a comedy, dodge bullets, meet up with some scary locals, and endure the worst nature can throw at them, all for the sake of some wickedly funny physical comedy segments (and a good measure of not-so-funny jokes that just lay there).
Let’s pause briefly to share the gospel of camping and exploring the wilderness as told in “Without a Paddle:” Bears don’t necessarily back away when you’re in the fetal position, if you run into mountain men with a field of pot run like hell without first sampling their product, and exploring the wild is like taking a trip to Las Vegas - what happens when you’re freezing cold and lost in the wilderness, stays in the wilderness.
The first thing you notice about “Without a Paddle” is just how short Seth Green really is. Seriously, the guy looks like a little kid next to Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard. Green’s size is then naturally the butt of many jokes (including his bonding act with a bear scene). Because this is a buddy comedy, the chemistry between the three is what has to sell the film. Lillard and Green have worked together before, and adding Shepard into the mix seems pretty natural. They come off believably as guys who grew up around each other and then followed different paths after high school. There’s an easy-flowing banter between the three, and we know these guys can handle physical comedy so that’s never an issue.
As far as the comedy goes, unfortunately, most of the best stuff is in the trailer. Director Steven Brill honed his comedy skills directing Adam Sandler movies (“Little Nicky” and “Mr. Deeds”) and that Sandler movie tone is pervasive in “Without a Paddle.” When the jokes work, “Without a Paddle” is hysterical, but when they don’t, it’s a real drag. And like most Sandler films, the comedy is tempered with heart, life lessons, some drama, and a bit of romance.
“Without a Paddle” is a goofball comedy that strives to one-up itself scene after scene by creating ever more improbable circumstances as the film goes on. It doesn’t make much sense, but it’s not really a film you’re supposed to analyze so the fact these guys are where they are, doing what they’re doing, doesn’t matter all that much. We’ve seen this kind of humor done before, and in most cases, done better. But if you’re into teenaged boy-type humor, then “Without a Paddle” will work for you. If not, then you’ll be…sorry, it’s just too easy but I can’t keep myself from doing it…up a creek ”Without a Paddle.”
GRADE: C+
"Without a Paddle" was directed by Steven Brill and is rated PG-13 for drug content, sexual material, language, crude humor and some violence.
