In recent years, it seems like the most successful comedies have been so-called "dumb" or perhaps even "stoner" comedies, such as "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" for example.
"Strange Wilderness" is the latest in that line of movies to hit the theaters and it's done fairly well for itself thus far at the box office despite the fact that critics universally despise it. Make no mistake about, "Strange Wilderness" is the epitome of a dumb comedy. And while it lacks many of the smart qualities that made movies like "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" so funny, it still manages to squeeze out almost as many overall laughs at those two, as long as you go see it with the right people.
This is probably not the kind of movie you want to go see with a date, or someone more mature like your parents for example, assuming you are in the movie's targeted high school through 20-something demographic. But once the audience gets in the mood and laughs at one of the jokes, a chain reaction is likely to occur and the laughs start coming like clockwork.
The movie centers around Steve Zahn's character Peter Gaulke's quest to save his late father's nature show. To do that he must stave off a rival show but the only way he can do it is by tracking down the legendary Bigfoot and filming his quest. He needs to scrape together enough money to buy a map that will lead him to the mythological creature but the map falls into the wrong hands and Gaulke and his friends set out to find it.
While the overall script is average at best, the sheer variety of funny actors in this film ensure that you'll have a good time if you're in the right frame of mind. Jonah Hill plays a character by the name of "Cooker" whose constant pranks and tendency to crack up at any moment make him one of the film's better characters. The rotund Hill isn't at his best in this movie but even 75% of his comedic talents makes for a pretty fun character.
Justin Long from the movie "Accepted" also has a funny role in this film as a stoner named "Junior" who tags along with the cast.
Adam Sandler's pal Peter Dante also plays the hilarious Danny Gutierrez in the movie and draws plenty of laughs, especially when he dresses up as a seal and jumps into shark infested waters early on in the movie.
The funniest parts of the film by far are the clips from the show narrated by Gaulke as the slow-witted star of "Strange Wilderness" delivers hilarious, bizarre commentary on footage of animals in their natural habitats.
Towards the end, the filming crew led by Gaulke treks into South America in search of Bigfoot and the rival crew. The film goes out with a bang as the crew stumbles upon Bigfoot's supposed hiding place in a cave and a wild, unexpected twist happens that I won't spoil here.
Overall, the film is a little light on plot and especially development of the secondary characters, who are mostly just throw-ins delivering one-liners and little else. There's also a lot of unnecessary nudity in this film including one disgusting part that the vast majority of audiences will end up wishing they had never seen thrown in, but these flaws are easy to dismiss if you're a fan of a good dumb comedy and just want to laugh for a couple hours and forget about that long day at work.
If you're a fan of second-tier "dumb" comedies like "Grandma's Boy" and "Billy Madison" for example, you're probably going to like this movie. Don't expect too much and you probably won't be disappointed, unless you happen to be a movie critic in which case you're almost certain to hate this movie.
