Movie Review

Without a Paddle
Directed by Steven Brill

Three childhood friends are reunited after they discover they’ve lost one of their group. Now, a doctor with a thriving practice, a business-man bored with his life, and a wandering adventurer decide to live out a pact they made as kids. They make plans to go on a treasure hunt, following the directions their deceased friend left for them. What promises to be the adventure of their lives, quickly turns sour after they realize that nature isn’t as easy to conquer as they expected.

The movie lacks any real direction and tends to blunder through a choppy script, hoping to end up with a good conclusion. The three lead comedians Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, and Dax Shepard offer a distraction from the flaws of the plot, but aren’t able to really save it. In my opinion, this is Seth Green’s funniest role since Kenny in Can’t Hardly Wait, and Dax Shepard was wonderfully entertaining in his first leading role. If you’re a fan of any of the three of them, you’ll enjoy the movie simply because they were wonderful. If you’re looking for a movie full of simple humor, Without a Paddle is rather amusing. However, if you’re looking for the genius comedy of the summer, this isn’t it; go see Harold and Kumar go to White Castle instead.

By Caitlin Hylinski