Strange Wilderness

"Strange Wilderness" is a good-natured, frequently hilarious takeoff on all those nature documentaries that play on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, and whose pedigree stretches all the way back to the granddaddy of them all, "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom." Peter and Fred are the producers of a wildlife series entitled "Strange Wilderness" that has been foundering in the ratings ever since Peter's father, a Steve Irwin-type naturist and the original host of the show, passed away, leaving his less-than-stellar son to carry on his legacy. The sheer scientific illiteracy of much of the commentary that Peter provides for his footage probably hasn't helped matters much in this regard. Now faced with the prospect of series cancellation, Peter and his crew of incompetent dweebs head off to the wilds of South America to file an exclusive report on the famed Bigfoot who has recently been spotted there.

Though adolescent in the extreme, "Strange Wilderness" turns out to be a zany, endearingly random and unflaggingly energetic little comedy whose likable cast is obviously dialed into what the movie makers are trying to do here. Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Covert, Ernest Borgnine, Jeff Garlin, Kevin Heffernan, Justin Long and Harry Hamlin seem to be having the time of their lives here and their enjoyment rubs off on us as well.

Is it dumb? Of course it is. Is it lowbrow, inane and hopelessly juvenile? You betcha'. But unlike so many other films that fall into those categories, "Strange Wilderness" has a shrewd mind for parody and a liveliness of spirit that actually make the movie funny. Credit scenarist Peter Gaulke and co-author/director Fred Wolf (who first developed this concept as sketches on "Saturday Night Live") for some excellent joke-writing and pacing and for their willingness to pull out all the stops in their effort to get the laugh. In fact, the crew's ill-fated encounter with Bigfoot is alone worth the price of admission.

This movie extremely disappointed me! I remember watching the trailer months prior to its release, so I was pretty excited for it. I really enjoy most of the Happy Madison films, but this one was a complete bummer! I love Jonah Hill and Steve Zahn is just as good. Not to mention the cast of characters that usually appear in these films, specifically Allen Covert of Grandma's Boy. I really loved that movie, so I then put faith that this one would be somewhat comparable, but quite the contrary. I mean there was some funny and sometimes hilarious parts, but it was just a stretch. They tried way too hard for laughs and some of the time they did succeed, but fell short quite numerously! Jonah Hill's character got few lines, but when he did, they were fairly funny. I did enjoy Justin Long as he is coming into his own as an actor. Kevin Heffernan didn't get nearly enough funny lines or the proper camera time he deserved, I mean he's Farva for the love of god, the man is funny. With all this being said, wait for the DVD. Poor plot, great actors, but wrongly used their talents! Severely disappointed in this film.....I even went opening night I was so excited.....stupid film.....not even a stoner flick at best and trust me I love stoner flicks!

If you liked Talladega Nights, you will definitely like this one. Very funny stoner movie.

The ending isn't really my taste, a bit on the repulsive side, but overall this movie is hysterically funny. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The comedic timing is perfect, really nicely done production quality overall, and the musical score is fantastic. Nicely paced, didn't really have any draggy parts. The movie is a really good "dood" comedy. I have been recommending it to my friends already. I might not fit the demographic the film is aimed at, but I loved the movie. I love funny stuff and this film split my gut several times. It's a good time.

The movie starts out with outtakes of genuine wildlife show legend, Bill Burrid, getting picked on by an ostrich, and knocked down by goats. I loved watching his show when I was a kid, so right off the bat, I was in love with the movie, curious about the story, and wanted to see where it was going to go.

The humor and dialogue push the envelope of stupidity, but actually has an intelligent edge. That's why it reminds me of Talladega Nights in terms of comedic dialogue style. The movie is silly, but not stupid. This film puts the "Fun" back in "Funny".

The film crew is just a bunch of misfits that get along great. They go in search of Bigfoot, in an attempt to keep it on the air. Murphy's Law is in full swing, in a very funny way throughout the film.

Target market is teen & 20-something males.

"Strange Wilderness" has a very simplistic script, searching for "bigfoot" to save an "amazing animals" type television show from being canceled. There are some seriously funny bits strung together by a flimsy premise, but who cares? It's funny, and the ridiculous plot simply adds to the fun. If you enjoy movies like "Idiocracy" then "Strange Wilderness" is for you. What's not to like about a film that spoofs in a very clever way, every "Animal Kingdom" episode you can think of? If you go in expecting stupidity, simplemindedness, and some really funny parts, you will not be disappointed...... Recommended. - MERK

I have read a lot of negative reviews about this movie. I'd have to say that they are 100% correct. I have also read some reviews by people who absolutely loved it. They are also 100% correct. I tend to be more toward the second group, but I can definitely see both sides.

The plot makes no sense. The dialogue is at times very bad. However (a very big however), I think that this movie knows its audience and delivers to them a light-hearted "stoner" movie with some very funny moments (the shark voice-overs, for example). This is a Happy Madison movie. Yes, times have changed from Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore (two of the originals, no doubt). However, I think that many people go into these types of movies expecting something more "mainstream," such as Wedding Crashers or 40-Year-Old Virgin. The sure absurdity of the movie was enough for me. Much of the dialogue, albeit very goofy, has a certain improv feel to it, letting the actors play with the scenes.

To end this long "review," think of movies like Beerfest, Super Troopers, Grandma's Boy for a quick comparison. Does this movie win any awards? Absolutely not. Is it probably better on DVD? Perhaps. However, if these laugh-aloud "stoner" movies are your thing, then I think you'll enjoy this movie.