Comedy adventure about four middle-aged bikers trying to regain their youth. Woody (John Travolta), convinces his three buddies to take a road trip from Cincinatti to Mexico to escape their mundane existence. Finally arriving in New Mexico, they stop off at a bar, not realising that it belongs to the 'Del Fuegos', a local biker gang.
When Dudley (William H. Macy) has his bike stolen by the leader of the rival gang, Woody decides to get it back, accidentally blowing up the bar in the process. With the 'Del Fuegos' in hot pursuit, it's not long before the 'Wild Hogs' are cornered, and have to make a stand.A coming-of-age story starring a bunch of fiftysomething stars rather than teenage actors,
Wild Hogs is a well-intentioned comedy starring John Travolta (Woody), Tim Allen (Doug), Martin Lawrence (Bobby), and William H. Macy (Dudley) as a group of Midwestern Americans facing their own versions of mid-life crises. They decide to escape their frazzled personal lives and rejuvenate themselves by taking a road trip on their slick hogs. But their journey is less than it is (plus one). As individual actors, each lead is a formidable star. But throw them all together into one crammed screenplay full of scatological humour and uncomfortable homosexual gags and it doesn't quite work. The actors spend so much time trying to outdo each other on screen that they aren't believable as friends, much less comrades.
Walt Becker () offers minimal direction on a film that could've used some reining in, especially during scenes between Macy and Marisa Tomei (as a diner owner who inexplicably falls for him). There are promises of some interesting vignettes when Ray Liotta shows up as Jack, the leader of a real motorcycle gang. When Jack threatens to break Dudley's legs, Dudley counters, "I'm a computer programmer! I don't need my legs". Without missing a beat, Jack says, "Fine, we'll break his hands". It's not that the lines are so funny, but they way Liotta delivers them that adds some life to this flailing comedy. Unfortunately, his scenes with the rest of the cast are all too few. --Jae-Ha Kim