'Paddle' goes downstream

Three buddies reunite after the death of a childhood best friend to go on the camping trip/treasure hunt they dreamed of as children. At 30 they are each, in their own ways, struggling to settle into adult life. This trip offers a return to their carefree childhood days and a "last chance to do something really stupid together." The guys must navigate a formidable river, survive fantastic encounters with wildlife such as being carried away by a bear and the variety of people they meet up with as they try to make their way through the woods. \nThe guys nostalgically reference the pop culture of their '80s boyhoods, all the while mulling over their current problems. The storyline involving Matthew Lillard's character is given more attention than that of the others. Lillard plays a guy who resists the life of career and family until he finds himself on the verge of losing both job and girlfriend. Fondness for Lillard was one of the reasons I was attracted to this film and I was neither disappointed nor impressed with his performance. Dax Shepard plays a guy who loves women and motorcycles, and if you like the way he is on "Punk'd" you will like him in this. Seth Green, in a role that was written just for him, puts aside the coolness he usually brings onscreen. He plays an asthmatic doctor who is crippled by anxiety and desperately wants some respect from the world, as well as someone to have sex with. Green tackled the role admirably and was able to do some funny things with it. \nThe humor definitely reflects the characters' regression to childhood and is on par with what you might expect from director Steven Brill ("Mr. Deeds," "Little Nicky"). There are a few laughs in the film, but most of what is obviously supposed to be funny misses its mark. Also, some of the more serious moments are so sappy that it hurts to watch and one can only hope that the script is trying to be intentionally self-mocking.\nThe special features that come with the DVD are fairly basic and include MTV's "Making the Movie," a video commentary track of the director/cast and thirteen additional scenes. The special features show a lot of Green, Lillard and Shepard horsing around, which is probably exactly what anyone who wants to see this movie is looking for. If you are a huge fan of these guys, you might want to rent this DVD sometime when you have time to kill. Otherwise, I would advise you to skip it.