Animal enthusiast Peter Gaulke (Steve Zahn) and his sidekick Fred Wolf (Allen Covert) host an ailing wildlife TV show "Strange Wilderness," which is in a steep ratings decline. Desperate to save the show, Peter hatches a Hail Mary scheme to find the one animal that could truly turn the show around and change the nature-show landscape forever - Bigfoot.
As lunkhead comedies go, Strange Wilderness never creates the necessary frisson to keep a viewer engaged by the film's endless parade of marijuana jokes, gross-out sight gags, and celebrations of rank stupidity. Which is too bad, because the cast would be ideal for a smarter version of a stupid movie, but they come off as largely wasted here. Steve Zahn (That Thing You Do) plays Peter Gaulke, heir to a wild animal television program called "Strange Wilderness," but too out of it to keep up his late father's congenial yet focused legacy. With the show's ratings plummeting (even at a 3 a.m. broadcast time), Peter attempts to rescue the series by traveling to Ecuador in search of Bigfoot. Accompanied by a crew of idiots (Allen Covert, Jonah Hill, Justin Long) and one comely lass (Ashley Scott of TV's Jericho), Peter heads into one obstacle after another: sharks, piranha, pygmies, Mexican border guards, a crazy tracker (Robert Patrick), and a nitrous high. After awhile, the lowbrow hijinks all run together and one feels a bit trapped, desperately awaiting final credits. But there are a couple of recurring comic ideas that salvage the movie somewhat, especially the use of stock footage of animals accompanied by Peter's absurd voiceovers. ("The shark can be found only in two places: the northern and southern hemispheres.") --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 2.5 / 5.0
I would have rather I imagined what it could have been as opposed to what it was.:
Wow... So Happy Madison, hot of the heels of the sleeper hit Grandma's Boy, puts out a new movie with most of the familiar faces from other Happy Madison productions (such as Allen Covert and Peter Dante) as well as Judd Apatow's go-to-guys Jonah Hill, Broken Lizard's Kevin Heffernan, and Justin Long who seems to be everywhere nowadays. The lead went to Steve Zahn, who's a decent actor, but was he the best choice for an R-rated comedy romp? I dunno... The story centers around a group of guys who... more info
If you liked GRANDMA'S BOY, You'll LOVE this movie!!!:
Laugh out loud FUNNY! Go for the ride into the WILDERNESS, you will have a blast!!! It sure beats the news on TV!
BEARS DERIVE THEIR NAME FROM A FOOTBALL TEAM IN CHICAGO:
I DONT WATCH MOVIES TO POINT OUT THEIR FAULTS, I WATCH MOVIES TO BE ENTERTAINED. THIS MOVIE WAS HALARIOUS. BEARS DERIVE THIER NAME FROM A FOOTBALL TEAM IN CHICAGO, MORE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN WORLD WAR 1 AND 2 COMBINED THAN HAVE BEEN KILLED BY BEARS. COMON THIS IS HALARIOUS. STEVE ZAHN IS A GREAT ACTOR AND THROWING IN THE REST OF ADAM SANDLERS BUDDIES, MADE IT EVEN BETTER. THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT WONT THINK THIS IS FUNNY ARE IN THERE 30'S AND ABOVE. I REALLY LOVED THE SHARK SCENE WHERE THEY ADDED A STUPID... more info
Ouch:
Don't waste your time with this movie. Rented it and it was horrible. I think watching my little brother's soccer game is more entertaining. I expected a lot more from the crew and cast. A sad disappointment.
