Seth Green as Dan Mott
Matthew Lillard as Jerry Conlaine
Dax Shepard as Tom Marshall
Matthew Price as Young Tom
Andrew Hampton as Young Jerry
Jarred Rumbold as Young Dan
Carl Snell as Young Billy
Anthony Starr as Billy Newwood
Nadine Bernecker as Angie
Danielle Cormack as Tony
David Stott as Dick Stark
Bonnie Somerville as Denise
Scott Adsit as Greasy Man
Morgan Reese Fairhead as Sandi
Liddy Holloway as Bonnie Newwood
Burt Reynolds as Del Knox
Critique:
Childhood friendships are strong and can last a lifetime. When Billy, the daredevil of a group of four boys, dies at 30 the rest of the group decide to live Billy’s last great adventure by rafting down a river in search of DB Cooper’s stolen money.
Without a Paddle is comedy and there is no mistaking it, but it does have a few sentimental moments as well as the obligatory Deliverance references of any movie that takes place on a river in the middle of nowhere.
Matthew Lillard, Seth Green, and Dax Shepard star as the three remaining friends who drop everything to live their boyhood dream. The acting is not going to win any awards, but they deliver where it counts. Burt Reynolds makes a brief appearance and has fun with it.
Technically, the movie has some flaws. The special effects are dated in some places. Since it was shot entirely in New Zealand, the scenery is great.
Who should see this movie? Anyone looking for a fun comedy. There are a couple gross-out gags, but they are not too extreme. Most of the comedy is of the fish out of water variety and it hits more often than it misses. A silly romantic sub plot is not enough for people looking for a romance and there is no higher order brain function needed to see the movie. There is a bit of action but it is mostly comedic and not enough to please an adrenaline junkie. Overall the movie is fun and funny – worth seeing if that is what you are looking for.
