What would happen if the world's biggest group of idiots tried to produce a wilderness show? I'll tell you: Voiceovers would become bad jokes, facts would certainly become inaccurate, and their idea of the best show ever would be to get a shot of Bigfoot on film. Sound stupid? Well, maybe... but - love it or leave it - that's pretty much the extent of the plot of Strange Wilderness. Written by and starring Steve Zahn and Allen Covert, Strange Wilderness tells the tale of Peter Gaulke (Zahn) who attempts to save his faltering wilderness show by tracking down Bigfoot.
Truth be told, Strange Wilderness is a tough movie to review - because I think, to be fair, it must be judged on a stoner scale, as in: a person's enjoyment of the film will likely rise or fall exponentially depending on how high they are at the time, as well as how much pot they've smoked in their lifetime. Strange Wilderness is most definitely a stoner film, with laughs coming not only from literal bong hits, but also from several "duuuuude" moments throughout. But even fans of standard slapstick comedy will likely find a laugh or two throughout.
Not sure how you might rank on the stoner scale? Then consider this:
If you've ever pondered how silly some animals look in the wild, and enjoy watching wilderness shows just so you can do your own voiceovers from your armchair, then you'll probablylove this movie.
If you've ever gotten so high before a camping trip that you forgot all of your camping gear - and then really didn't care anyway - then you'll love this movie.
If your idea of a hilarious joke is to shock another guy in the crotch with a stun gun, then you will most definitely love this movie.
Me? I actually quite enjoyed this movie, finding it to be one of the funnier stoner-styled movies I've seen. My husband, on the other hand, thought it was the biggest piece of crap ever - and wondered aloud how it was even made. (See how the scale can tilt?!) We're both fans of flicks like Tommy Boy and Happy Gilmore - and yet, whereas my husband thought that Strange Wilderness was lame, I actually thought that it had more laugh out loud moments than I was expecting. Steve Zahn, for one, was hilarious as the dumbass host of the show, as was Justin Long (from the Apple Mac commercials) as stoner boy Junior. And the ensemble cast as a whole was pretty entertaining. If I had any complaints with the performances it would be with Peter Dante as Danny (dude, that guy should really lay off the tanning beds) and Ashley Scott as Sheryl (her character was too serious and really didn't seem to jive with the rest of the crew).
All in all, Strange Wilderness is lame and stupid and slapstick - but it also has a few laughs sprinkled in. On a regular movie rating scale, I'd probably give it a 1, but for the stoner crowd, it's a solid 3; split the difference and it's got a solid rating of :
Strange Wilderness starring Steve Zahn and Allen Covert Level I Entertainment, Rated R. Available online at Amazon.com.
Carly Hope Finseth spends much of her time pondering what she wants to be when she grows up. She alternates between days filled with cozy socks, hot tea, and meditative reflection - and others, which are loaded with caffeine fixes, grueling commutes, and one fire to put out after another. When she’s not sifting through e-mails, dropping her cell phone, or sticking another reminder Post-It on her desk, Carly also somehow finds the time to write and reflect on important (and the occasional not-so-important) feminist issues.
My main focus in art is color, design and composition. I have a true passion for color as the art subject itself - how colors fit together, how they communicate with each other within the design, how certain colors combined with one another evoke a certain feeling - this is paramount in my work. I am a social worker, artist and poet living in Austin, TX. Read More...
Carly Hope Finseth spends much of her time pondering what she wants to be when she grows up. She alternates between days filled with cozy socks, hot tea, and meditative reflection - and others, which are loaded with caffeine fixes, grueling commutes, and one fire to put out after another. When she’s not sifting through e-mails, dropping her cell phone, or sticking another reminder Post-It on her desk, Carly also somehow finds the time to write and reflect on important (and the occasional not-so-important) feminist issues.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
