All through childhood, Jerry (Matthew Lillard), Tom (Dax Sheppard), Dan (Seth Green) and Billy were inseparable, always off on some crazy adventure or another. When Billy is tragically killed in a parasailing accident, the three friends, who have since gone their separate ways, are reunited. They soon discover that Billy has continued pursuing their childhood fantasy of tracking down the legendary D. B. Cooper's money, having mapped out and recreated the likely spot of his landing back in 1971. As homage to Billy, the three decide to reconnect with their youth and take the trip that Billy had so carefully planned for them. The first day goes without incident, however, when a bear destroys their campsite and eats Dan's cell phone, things quickly get out of hand. After losing their canoe over a waterfall and stumbling across some trigger-happy pot farmers, the three find themselves in a race for their lives across some hazardous wilderness terrain. Along the way, they encounter some tree-loving hippies and a crazy old mountain man and ultimately discover what is important in life.
Without A Paddle is a fairly predictable campy comedy. Though it offers no real surprises, the chemistry between the characters show as they play off one another, the scripting is well done and the pacing of the movie does not ever seem to lag once it really gets going. The supporting cast is well chosen, especially in Ethan Suplee and Abraham Benrubi, who turn in entertaining roles as backwoods pot farmers that, after discovering the trio of adventurers in their barn, pursue them through the wilderness. Perhaps as a cheeky homage to Deliverance, Burt Reynolds stars as a crazy old man who saves the boys and helps them on their way to safety.
Originally released in 2004, this is another in the growing trend of movie re-releases on the Blu-ray format. The upgrade to high definition was beneficial in that the outdoor scenery was beautiful and lavish and the sound was superb. Besides the upgrade visually and aurally, there are also a number of bonus features included in this offering. There is the obligatory commentary track by the director, along with a video commentary by the cast and director. Also included is MTV's "Making the Movie," a 20 minute behind-the-scenes television spot that originally aired on MTV. There are 13 additional scenes with optional director's commentary. Some of these are fairly entertaining and offer a glimpse at how some of the scenes were originally envisioned. In addition to the original theatrical trailer, there are also six trailers created for and aired only on MTV. These were amusing, as several of them included scenes that were not actually part of the movie.
All in all, Without A Paddle is about what one would expect of this kind of movie. The humor is funny, but crude and often a bit over the top. Still, with those stipulations in mind, I found the movie quite enjoyable. If you already own the film as a standard definition DVD, I am not sure that the upgrade to high definition and the bonus features are enough to justify purchasing a Blu-ray copy as well. For those whose library does not yet include the movie, I will not go so far as to say it is a "must-have" for your comedic section, but you could do far worse for your money.
