Without a Paddle is two movies -- one good and one bad -- merged together into a cinematic hodgepodge of hilarity, originality, banality and absurdity.
Without A Paddle (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:121
Fresh:18
Rotten:103
Average Rating:4/10
Consensus: Without a Paddle has a few laughs, but not enough to sustain its running time.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for drug content, sexual material, language, crude humor and some violence
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Aug 20, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $58,156,435
Synopsis: In Steven Brill's WITHOUT A PADDLE, three friends embark on a hilariously dangerous adventure through the woods of the Pacific Northwest. When their childhood friend Billy dies, 30-year-old buddies... In Steven Brill's WITHOUT A PADDLE, three friends embark on a hilariously dangerous adventure through the woods of the Pacific Northwest. When their childhood friend Billy dies, 30-year-old buddies Dan (Seth Green), Tom (Dax Shepard), and Jerry (Matthew Lillard) return home to pay their respects. While there, they unearth a map that Billy left behind, which may or may not lead to a hidden treasure. Dan is a germ-phobic doctor who would rather spend his time anywhere but in the wilderness, but the recently dumped Jerry and down-on-his-luck Tom are intent on fulfilling their friend's lifelong dream; and so begins the trio's journey. It isn't long before things begin to spiral out of control. Starting with a gigantic bear that mistakes Dan for one of its own, the guys are also on the run from two pot-growing maniacs (Ethan Suplee, Abraham Benrubi) who are looking for revenge after their marijuana farm is burned to a crisp. Of course, what would a wilderness expedition be without raging rapids, a towering waterfall, beautiful (but hairy) hippy chicks, and an encounter with a menacing mountain man (Burt Reynolds). Brill's madcap adventure gleefully references DELIVERANCE and 1980s pop culture, and features spot-on performances from Green, Lillard, and Shepard. [More]
Starring: Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, Dax Shepard, Burt Reynolds
Starring: Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, Dax Shepard, Burt Reynolds, Ethan Suplee, Rachel Blanchard, Abraham Benrubi
Director: Steven Brill
Director: Steven Brill
Screenwriter: Harris Goldberg, Mitch Rouse, Jay Leggett
Story: Fred Wolf, Tom Nursall
Producer: Donald De Line
Composer: Christophe Beck
Studio: Paramount Pictures
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Reviews for Without A Paddle
Looks like yet another gross-out farce, but it's actually a genuinely engaging comic adventure.
Imagine Deliverance re-delivered as a Gen-X comedy, co-starring a hungry bear, two dope-growing rednecks and a mad mountain man (Burt Reynolds).
The inconsistency in tone leaves Without a Paddle up a certain unnamed creek.
... this isn’t much of a stretch for the creator of the "Mighty Ducks" but at least it’s a step in the right direction.
Without has all the freshness of moldering Playboys stashed under a mattress, but it evokes what few boys-will-be-boys larks can: chumminess.
The actors, particularly Green, are all up to a challenge—even playing some of their stupid moments with subtlety -- but sadly cannot break free of this gassed-out running-gag of a movie.
How do you siphon the laffs from a surefire gut-busting premise like city slickers stuck in the sticks? ... you assemble a cut-rate Three Stooges, inject tired '80s nostalgia and some moralistic goo about carpe-ing the diem.
Without a Paddle plays like a movie the studio greenlit 25 years ago and only now got around to making.
I'm not saying Without a Paddle shouldn't be a comedy, but it didn't have to be a stupid comedy.
...made me long for the inspired idiocy of `Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.'
Latest News for Without A Paddle
August 20, 2008:
Paramount Preps Direct-to-DVD Sequel Onslaught ![]()
Tired of watching all the other studios have fun with direct-to-DVD sequels, Paramount is rolling out its Famous Productions brand, which will release home-market sequels to... More...
February 10, 2006:
Dane Cook Comedy Hires a Few New Employees
Coming soon is the Dane Cook / Jessica Simpson comedy "Employee of the Month," and it seems that three new applicants have joined the mix: Dax Shepard ("Without a... More...
October 04, 2005:
Dax & "Job" Sell Their Own Starring Vehicle to Paramount
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that actors Will Arnett (TV's "Arrested Development") and Dax Shepard ("Without a Paddle") have sold a comedy pitch to... More...
July 01, 2005:
Colorful Cast Announced for Uwe Boll's Next Opus
After putting the finishing touches on his upcoming "BloodRayne," controversial German director Uwe Boll ("House of the Dead," "Alone in the Dark")... More...
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