User reviews

Without a Paddle was a good movie if you're looking for nothing more than a laugh. Going to see this movie will pretty much guarantee a night well spent and a good time out. Although, this movie is pretty cheesy. The plot is cheesy. The laughs are cheesy. But, luckily it has some genuinely funny moments too to bring the movie through to its end. The acting is mediocre at best, but great acting isn't necessarily needed for a movie of this kind.

Nobody expected it to be an Oscar winner. Also, this movie doesn't need to get its laughs from raunchy moments and attempts at teenager humour like some other "road trip" movies. Overall, this movie is pretty good for its kind and would be a good date film or a good movie to see with friends.

The film talks about a trio friends(Seth Green,Dax Shepard,Matthew Lillard),later the death a childhood's friend ,they propose the making a hick by canoe into woods of Oregon territory.Their aim is the looking for of D.B Cooper bounty for carrying out the promise they made when were little boys .Cooper was a mythic high-jacker(nowadays famous by character played by Muse Watson in ¨Prison Break¨)who jumped from the airplane(1971) and parachuted,disappearing posteriorly,although his bounty was partially found.The misfit group fulfill a canoeing along the Columbia river where find numerous risks,rapid streams,waterfalls and get worse, besides in the surface encounters dangerous animals like a bear and a drug-cultivating rednecks.But also they know a beautiful girls(Rachel Blanchard and Christina Moore) living on a tree and an older mountain man(Burt Reynolds).

The picture mingles comedy,adventures,action,cynical sense of humor and is pretty bemusing.It's a crossover among ¨Deliverance¨even with the presence of Burt Reynolds and ¨City slickers¨as a Philadelphia young people who are going to countryside excursion.The movie displays several ingredients for the entertaining as glimmer outdoors,stirring canoeing,sexy-girls and thrilling pursuits.The humor is intelligent and bold though sometimes is gross-out.Most of the laughters and sight gags galore work acceptably,especially the jokes between the three friends,as when they flee of the dangerous rednecks and dropped underwater or when the damp trio sleep gather together.Wonderful landscapes are splendidly reflected by the cameraman Jonathan Brown and appropriate musical score by Christophe Beck.The motion picture is professionally directed by Steven Brill. Rating : Passable and amusing.

The whole rating system is kind of skewed. Some people rated this film low because it wasn't Larwrence of Arabia but then it wasn't meant to be. It's like comparing actors when they play different roles. You can only really compare them playing the same role.

Anyway I went to the film expecting a goofy stoner type of mindless entertainment. Just a laugh. But I was pleasantly surprised that not only was it funny but some deeper thought had gone into it. The plot was more substantial than I expected, there were bits of philosophy sprinkled throughout which accentuated the positive side of life, and the cast was pretty good too. I'm not sure what inspired Burt Reynolds to play his character but he did it well as did all of the players.

But mainly the movie was funnier than hell. I almost embarrassed myself I laughed so hard during the first bear sequence. The image of Mott saying 'help' as he looked back while being carried off had me laughing way too high way too long but it and some other scenes were hilarious and I couldn't help it then either.

All in all a good film for the genre. And surprisingly while I think it appeals to the stoner crowd it's cool in that it incorporates it without promoting it though it doesn't avoid it either. In fact I was struck by the fact that the bad guys were red neck smokers and the good guys were dopey beer drinkers but apparently nothing more.

Lastly the film cleverly pays homage to other films throughout. Deliverance, The Matrix, and others are covered and probably a few I missed.

Okay folks, now, I am not the type of guy that enjoys toilet humour in films, but this one I am a sucker for. This is just a hilarious movie! I guess it just reminds me a lot of the times that friends and I used to go camping.

The story is about 3 childhood friends, who are brought together after the untimely death of another childhood friend. Going back to the treehouse that they used to hang out at, they find a treasure map from their dead friend, and decide to go on the trip to find the money. Along the way, they encounter everything from a bear, tree-hugging hotties, and a couple of pot growing rednecks.

This film has some of the funniest scenes that I have seen in a long time. Again, a lot of it is toilet humour, and people looking for a serious comedy, may not get the humour and walk away in disgust. The scene with the paper bags had me rolling on the floor. One of the funniest scenes in a long time. Plus, there are a lot of Star Wars references in this film, and that is always a plus from me! Check out this film, you will be pleasantly surprised! I guess I have not lost all hope in newer comedies as previously thought.

"Where are we?", Seth Green asks, clueless, as the guys are standing in a street in a nondescript little Oregon village. "Corner of Bumfuck and You Got a Purty Mouth", Matthew Lillard snarls in way of answer.

Now, you need to know and appreciate John Boorman's thriller classic 'Deliverance' in order to get the full implications of this scene and countless others in 'Without a Paddle'. The film can be enjoyed by all & sundry, but those in the know will be rolling with laughter more often.

'Without a Paddle' establishes itself in a niche of its own among goofy modern comedies. It is really well written, not just the one-liners, but also the situations as such and the exposition and development of material. The actors all shine, especially young Dax Shepard as the loser type of the three buddies in their late 20s that go camping and looking for a buried treasure in a canoe up Spirit River. There they meet up with wild man Burt Reynolds, who was acclaimed for his performance in the original 'Deliverance', actually the character that Shepard inherited in this 'remake'.

There are no actual thrills in 'Without a Paddle' (unlike 'Deliverance'!!!), it sets its sight on glorious comedy. The huge surprise is that the gags are relatively 'tasteful', for want of a better word. It is not ALL about tits, dicks and feces.

Recommended. Absolutely.

This PG 13 comedy has been greatly maligned by some big time critics, the New York Times and other's. I think the main irritation is the homosexual eroticism, a joke if you will about Deliverance style banjo boys and close quarter survival in the nude. Some may be offended, sensitive gay's, little old Grandmothers, and redneck tobacco sputters. I assure you; however, this is a funny movie. City Slickers 1 and 2 covered this ground once before, but frankly, I liked Without a Paddle more. It's sentimental for all the right reasons. The boys truly love each other and when they become twenty something's, they retain some of their boyish quirks, each with a flaw, the short, picked-on boy grows up to be the short picked on doctor. You get the idea.

The Cascade Mountains both real and simulated is a beautiful green backdrop to the slapstick antics of angry bears and pot growing dummies. The tree girls are a breakdown and laugh idea. Their defense of a tree is brown bag humor, but gee, that hits a visceral laugh note in even the stuffiest fool.

I thought this movie would have been better. The humor was geared more for 14 year olds, so I didn't think it was that funny. I don't find 3 guys being chased by a bear or 2 rednecks in a cannabis field that funny. This film was basically your average adventure movie where the characters are in search of money. They go on a Deliverence type of canoe trip and encounter two rednecks. They also come across a wilderness man played by Burt Reynolds. This movie was so forgettable, I can't even remember what Reynolds even did besides clothe the 3 guys who were walking in the woods in their underwear.

FINAL VERDICT: Nothing really stood out in this movie for me. It was just bland and no great scenes.

Tom, Jerry (!), Billy and Dan are four young kids who fantasise about going on a treasure hunting adventure in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. A legendary rascal called D B Cooper has botched a million dollar heist and left the money in the mountains. The kids make a pact that some day, somehow, they will find that money. Years later, Billy is killed in an accident and the rest reunite for his funeral.

Tom (Dax Shepard) is now a sleaze, who cannot hold a steady job to save himself. Jerry (Matthew Lillard) is bored to death in a dull office and by a nagging girlfriend and Dan (Seth Green) has become a very wimpy doctor. Their childhood sense of curiosity and adventure has been extinguished. That is until they happen upon D B Cooper's treasure map in their old tree house gang hut.

Desperate for one last act of stupidity before acknowledging their thirties, the trio sets off on a rafting/camping trip, with D B's treasure as their ultimate goal. Of course, many obstacles and disasters prevent them from getting there so easily. Sounds like a grown-up Goonies? It is. And it's loads of fun.

Without A Paddle is funny and exciting, with non-stop action and set pieces. Great widescreen photography, pretty scenery and a particularly gentle score make for perfect escapism. There is not one second of boredom. Shepard, Green and Lillard (as always) are brilliant together. Chemistry is difficult to conjure up with three main characters, but they pull it off perfectly.

As an Indiana Jones-lite coming-of-age comedy, with the tiniest bit of character drama, Without A Paddle succeeds in every area. But not really a film you would want to watch again.

If you're looking for a film that requires little or no thought but delivers good laughs in a "Road Trip" wilderness-type setting, then this is for you. Three idiosyncratic guys (includes Seth Green from "The Italian Job" and Matthew Lillard from "Scooby Doo")decide to go on an expedition in search of a lost treasure. Armed with a map, meager supplies, and generally no clue, they embark on their journey. On the way, you get the typical self-discoveries that can obviously only be made out in the middle of nowhere. Good footage is given of mountain terrain and whitewater rafting. "Without A Paddle" is abundant with silly laughs that make for good no-brainer adolescent entertainment. 6/10

The best that I can say for this movie is that it is innocent and mindless. In other words - pretty light on the mind. There are a few good lines of humor, but that's about it.

The only interesting aspect to the plot is that the protagonists are, ultimately, searching for money of "D.B. Cooper". Outside of that, this "fish-out-water" plot of city guys trying to make it in the wild is pretty tired. What a movie like this needs is something strong to make it interesting - like a lot of good dialog, jokes or skits that work. Unfortunately, it's a miss on all three.

Not recommended unless you're looking for something light to relax and fall asleep with.

I got free tickets to see the movie, part of a local radio station's promotion. I didn't expect much, but hey, who can turn down free tickets? I was right about free tickets and wrong about the movie. I didn't expect much and was incredibly surprised. This is one of the funniest movies of the year.

Don't expect cerebral humor. You won't get it here. In fact some of the humor is just plain gross. It's physical and at times crude potty humor. And if you're a stuffy grown-up who just can't let go and enjoy yourself for an hour and a half, then don't bother going to see Without a Paddle. But it you want to cut loose and have fun and laugh 'til you hurt, then this is the movie for you.

Seth Green, as always, plays it straight and ends up being the funniest one of all. And in Without a Paddle he certainly shows that he is one of the most self-assured, well-adjusted people on the planet, or he wouldn't have been able to handle a script that was one big "Pick on Seth" Festival. Green's character, Dan, is phobic, funny, and feckless. Poor Dan can't catch a break throughout the whole movie, but he sure keeps on trying, and in the end he's still short but a mighty big man. We just gotta hope he buys a new cell phone, and once you see the movie, you'll know why.

Lillard still is reminiscent of Shaggy from both Scooby Doo movies, but man oh man, that dude sure can surf a canoe like no one else. More than just a surfer dude, though, Lillard's character, Jerry, turns out to be the deep one who proves a spiritual anchor for his two childhood buddies, both during the adventure and after. Well sort of...as spiritual as Without a Paddle gets. Not anything sappy. Just enough to give it that "Awwww..." factor.

Burt Reynolds has come a long way from his Cosmo centerfold days in his appearance in Without a Paddle, but his character still seems to be stuck in the glory days of the 70's in many ways. Delightful, charming, and crotchety all at the same time, Reynolds is a cute addition to the cast.

Hick farmers, stoned doggies, "natural" beauties, a nasty sheriff, and a third childhood buddy round out the main characters, along with some secondary folks. Stereotypes abound, anything even coming close to sentiment is closely followed by more laughs, and a message is thrown in seemingly only as a token. The only bad thing is that sex is thrown in as a token too. Way too much of it, and it seems like a distraction rather than an addition to the humor. The worst of it is that the sex makes it less of a film for family members to enjoy together. Too bad, otherwise it's a great film for non-uptight parents and their kids.

This is not going to be an Oscar nominee. It's probably not the highlight of anyone's movie career. But I'll bet it was a heck of a lot of fun to make. And it's one funny film to watch. I highly recommend it!

When I first saw the television ads for this movie, I thought it looked like another of the countless dumb comedies Hollywood seems to crank out these days. I certainly had no intention of paying to see it in the theater, and really had no inclination to even rent the DVD when it came out. So it wasn't until it showed up on HBO, and there was absolutely nothing else on, that I half-heartedly decided to give it a look. Imagine my surprise when I found out how genuinely funny it really is! Not only funny, but a comedy with a real heart, some incredible scenery, and a good storyline to boot. Just about everyone in it was perfectly cast, and you could really believe that the three main characters had been friends since childhood. I found the idea of three boyhood friends searching for the treasure of D.B. Cooper as adults quite intriguing, and well played out in the film. And Burt Reynolds was a hoot as the enigmatic "mountain man". I have since watched "Without A Paddle" several times, and even bought the DVD. The DVD cast commentary is quite funny, and you can tell they had a great time making the movie. All in all, a very funny movie - probably one of my favorite comedies of the past couple of years. Give it a look, if you haven't already. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Without a Paddle is a lot of fun to watch if your a teen and its certainly more enjoyable then City Slickers. The plot is about four guys who were friends when they were younger but all grown up no longer speak to each other. When one of them die the remaining three (Green, Lillard, Shepard) all meet again. In honor of Billy they plan a trip to the woods of Oregon because Billy always wanted to go there and Billy believes that there is a treasure there. They make the trip but of course the experience starts going bad and they start wishing they had stayed home. The plot is very silly but if you don't take it seriously then you will probably enjoy it. The acting is average with the best being Seth Green and after a string of hits I am surprised that he was in this movie. Matthew Lillard is good and he has the funniest lines in the movie but he tends to play the same character in every movie. I didn't even know Dax Shepard was a real actor but after seeing his performance in this movie he most likely won't branch out from comedy. The dialog has a lot of funny lines and some of the scenes are really funny but there aren't enough of those to sustain its running time. The film only has a running time of 95 minutes so this will probably make a nice rental. This movie is like a combination of The Three Stooges, Deliverance and City Slickers for teens. The direction is okay and Steven Brill does manage to improve this film over Mr. Deeds. Rating 6/10 now that this movie is out on video its worth a look but if your not part of the target audience you should approach with caution.

What sounds like your average, everyday sort of male bonding roadtrip film is essentially...well, just that, in fact. Three childhood friends (Seth Green, Matthew Lilard, Dax Sheppard) reunite at a friend's funeral, and go off on a camping trip downstream to try and find the lost treasure they always dreamed of finding in their youth in his honour. They promptly and predictably fall into all sorts of mishaps in the wild and really give a bad reputation to man's survival ethic.

This kind of comedy is always somewhat stifled when a life lesson is included: in the case of Without a paddle the message is 'Appreciate the life you have...you never know how long it will last'. Unfortunately, we go to a film like this to be entertained, not for morals, and its inclusion merely deters from the fun.

The three leads are what make the film decently funny: Seth Green is excellent as he begrudgingly reveals his various phobias from everything from the dark to ceran wrap. ('I'm afraid it might get stuck over my head, it's very sticky) Matthew Lilard puts his wide range of comic facial expressions to good use, and Dax Shepard is always a source of laughs as the tough-guy slacker of the group.

The comedic material is mostly original stuff, but there's nothing outstanding to be seen, apart from a few memorable moments. (one finds Dax Shepard riding his motorcycle into the graveyard at the burial of his friend, and bellowing out to the funeral attendees 'Where did you guys park?') The inclusion of Burt Reynolds' crazy mountain man is a comedic plus, but the nature loving hippy-girls and uncouth drug traffickers which pop up periodically aren't as funny as they should be. In fact, such can be said for the entire movie.

The odd laugh will definitely turn up, but there are many better comedies around, so unless you're simply up for an evening of mostly forgettable fun, you might want to leave Without a Paddle wallowing in the shallows.

6.5/10

Without a Paddle (2004, Dir. Steven Brill)

Three friends, whose lives have been drifting apart, reunite for the funeral of a fourth childhood friend. When looking through their childhood belonging, they discover a trunk which contained details on a quest their friend was attempting. It revealed that he was hot on the trail of the $200,000 that went missing with airplane hijacker D.B. Cooper in 1971. They decide to continue his journey, but do not understand the dangers they will soon encounter.

Although the cast listing of 'Without a Paddle' is small, it's still got three great comedy stars leading it. But, this still doesn't give it top marks for best film. The story has a lot of heart, and you really feel as if all four friends have known each other for years. Placing them into the forest, also have some great comedy settings, but the script isn't full of many laugh out loud moments. There are some highlights which are a pleasure, but most of the time, it seems as if a joke is missing. Still, it is not very long and will still make a good movie to watch on a wet day.

"Help me." - Dan Mott (Seth Green)

'Without a Paddle' is a Very Entertaining film, that's hilarious & largely engaging. Its a fun-loving tale about friendship & adventure!

'Without a Paddle' Synopsis: After their friend dies, three men decide to fulfill their childhood promise by going on a camping expedition for the lost D.B. Cooper bounty, with calamitous results.

'Without a Paddle' works wonders as an entertainer. No, its not a masterpiece, but while watching it, I wasn't bored for a single minute. The protagonists journey & the adventure they embark on, is full of humorous & over-the-top moments. Luckily, most of it works.

Jay Leggett & Mitch Rouse's Screenplay is first-class, in terms of humor & wit. Steven Brill's Direction is competent. Cinematography captures the wilderness, accurately. Editing is pretty good.

Performance-Wise: Seth Green, Matthew Lillard & Dax Shepard are in top-form, enacting the likable leading-men with terrific energy. Burt Reynolds is fabulous in a cameo. The actors who enact the villains, are very good.

On the whole, 'Without a Paddle' deserves a genuine Thumbs Up!

And guess what? Without a Paddle's got one! Don't worry, it's got still got plenty of limp comedy where that came from.

Let's count the clichés from the beginning eh? Three boys jump on a ramp, the last one (who happens to have asthma) FALLS DOWN! A timid doctor can't find the courage to ask a colleague out on a date! A well-meaning but negligent husband forget's his anniversary! Well if these aren't the signs of a promising movie.

However, I'll hand it to you. Comedy movies don't need to be original. No, the only thing a comedy has to to is make you laugh, and Without a Paddle fails. The preview gave me a chuckle, this movie gave me social awkwardness as the nine to twelve year olds giggled at the surprisingly tame (considering the territory) humor. I've seen plenty of gross-out and teen comedies which I liked that were universally abhored by critics, but this is one instance where I can agree with them.

I saw it for the first time in 2020 so it was enjoyable to see again some B movies actors with some kind of nostalgia. Fun.

Without A Paddle is a 2004 adventure comedy that follows three childhood friends who reunite and go on a trip in an attempt to search for the lost treasure of D. B. Cooper after the death of their friend.

This is a fantastic movie that is easy to watch anytime, and is always just as funny as the first. The story is great and takes you on a fun journey down the river with three characters that win you over instantly and keep the laughs coming nonstop the whole way through. It has a terrific cast that gives solid performances and a beautiful setting for the story to unfold in. Matthew Lillard, Dax Shepard, and Seth Green are wonderful to watch as they try to navigate their way through the great outdoors in search of D. B. Coopers treasure only to wind up in trouble with two local pot farmers along the way.

This is one of my favorite comedies, and if you haven't seen it before, I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Three remarkably unwatchable men being dislikable in the woods.

To be honest, I was expecting a bit of a disaster with this movie but it turned out to be far better than I thought. Sure! It's no classic, has its flaws but it just refuses to take itself seriously. The three leads are very strong - Seth Green just edging it cos hes just adorable in this! Some very, VERY funny moments in this, maybe a little too many moments where the films tries to over emphasise some messages but that will be clear when you've seen the film. Also a total "where have I seen you before" moment with the girl from Clueless! However, I fully recommend you give this film a try, you won't be disappointed! 8/10 for comedy with a heart!

If you are on a 9 hour plane flight from Poland and already watched 2 movies that you were looking forward to, this is an OK 3rd movie to watch if you can't sleep. 3 or 4 fun laughs.

Fernie.

Out of all the movies I've seen, you can count the movies I've completely hated on one hand. 'Without a Paddle' just made that list.

I have never been so tempted to walk out of a movie in my life. Within 30 minutes of 'Without a Paddle' I desperately wanted to get up and leave. But since I was with a group of friends, I had no choice but to squirm in my seat through the whole movie. It's one of those terrible movies where, instead of trying to be funny, it just tries to be gross, and it succeeds way too often. The main characters are a delinquent (Dax Shephard), a nerd (Seth Green), and a philosopher (Matthew Lilliard). Shephard's character is so degenerate and Green's character is so dorky that they are hard to like, while Lilliard's character is so less solid than the other two that it's hard to care.

The movie starts out with the three, along with their best friend Billy, as children. Then the three grow up, Billy dies, and the whole movie goes down hill from there. As kids, the boys had planned a treasure hunt to find an escaped burglar and the place where he'd stashed his loot. After Billy dies, the other three decide to actually attempt the treasure hunt. They get into a canoe, get lost, and encounter a pair of psychotic marijuana farmers that chase them through the woods with guns and knives the rest of the movie, which is all stoner jokes, poop jokes, pee jokes, gay jokes, lesbian jokes, erection jokes, and gross-out jokes that AREN'T funny.

'Without a Paddle' attempts to develop a heart at the end of the movie, throwing in a moral about friendship and living life to its fullest, but it's already too late by then.

'Without a Paddle' does have its funny parts, BUT THEY'RE ALL IN THE PREVIEW! (Pardon my shouting.) If you're looking for a laugh, save yourself the time and money and just watch the trailer instead.