Wild Hogs

Wild Hogs (John Travolta, Tim Allen, William H. Macy, Martin Lawrence, Marisa Tomei, Ray Liotta, Jill Hennessey, John C. McGinley, Peter Fonda) – An all-star cast conjured up a lot of fun as four middle-age guys take a road trip from Cincinnati to California.  They’re urban bikers, which really means they’re wannabes who like to dress in leather and hang with the guys.  All of their real lives are lacking, and the road trip is just the ticket to adventure and male bonding.   Bill Macy has the best part, and he plays it with his usual combination of cluelessness and bravado.  Tim Allen fits perfectly in another one of his made-for-the-whole-family films while John Travolta seems along just for the fun of working with some good guys.  Martin Lawrence is even tolerable as he goes mainstream here.  The bad guy is played by Ray Liotta, who leads a real pack of bikers known as the Del Fuegos.  They meet the would-be Hell’s Angels, who call themselves the Wild Hogs, and it becomes hate at first sight.   Somehow, the guys end up in a warm desert town in New Mexico ready to celebrate its annual chili fest and quickly become heroes.  The plot is merely there as a vehicle to show off the cast, which is supplemented by Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei (who falls for the Macy character), Crossing Jordan’s Jill Hennessey (as Allen’s wife), Scrubs’ hysterical John C. McGinley as a gay park ranger, and the man who defined bikers in the movies, Easy Rider’s Peter Fonda, in a great cameo.  Forget the story and enjoy the ride.