In trailers, Without a Paddle looks like the usual idiotic MTV slacker comedy featuring the usual MTV slacker cast. And after the unusually sentimental first act, which sets up the premise and introduces characters very much like The Big Chill did, that's exactly what it becomes. I don't mind dumb juvenile comedies as long as they're funny, but I didn't laugh a whole lot. I'm not sure if its intended audience will, either.

Seth Green, Matthew Lillard & Dax Shepard play three friends reuniting for the funeral of a childhood buddy, who was obsessed with finding D.B. Cooper's lost cash (Cooper is the guy who hijacked a plane in 1971, then vanished in the Cascade Mountains with $200,000). After the funeral, they decide to use the research compiled by their late friend to find the treasure themselves, which involves renting a canoe and paddling downriver through the foreboding wilderness. It's at this point the movie becomes the slapstick farce touted in ads. Things go wrong from the get-go; they have a run-in with a bear who eats their cell-phone; they lose the canoe and all their supplies after tumbling over a waterfall. Finally, they run afoul of two backwoods rednecks and their pot farm, who pursue the three throughout the remainder of the film. While on the run, the three meet two women conservationists (and, of course, despite their excessive body hair, they're totally hot), and a reclusive mountain man (Burt Reynolds), who was D.B. Cooper's partner, and has been living in the woods ever since. Without a Paddle struggles hard for its laughs, and delivers a few; Reynolds is a hoot, stealing every scene he is in (when was the last time you could say that about him?), and the scene in which our three stars are forced to huddle together for body warmth is pretty funny. But too many of the gags backfire, and the movie is undone by its cliched & predictable script. For example, the instant a bear swallows their cell-phone, we know with utter certainty it will later be found in a huge pile of shit. Another problem is when the movie drifts into sentimentality, with a heavy-handed theme of discovering what's truly important and appreciating what you already have. For a movie that promises a lot of dumb, slapstick comedy, we are subjected to too many scenes in which these characters "find" themselves. The cast is certainly game. Lillard actually turns in the best performance of the three, which I never thought I'd say, considering he has always played the same guy in every movie he's ever done; Green is okay, but nothing compared to better work he's done in other films (he seems sort of reeled-in here); Shepard does what he can with a character who's phenomenally annoying.

Both the picture and sound quality of this disc are better than they had to be. The movie is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio (a fullscreen version is also available), and makes surprisingly good use of the widescreen format. Plus, the colors are all sharp and accurate. The soundtrack, rendered in both 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Surround, is also very good for what's essentially a throwaway comedy.

Two commentaries are offered; the first is by director Steven Brill, who's joined by the primary cast for the second, which is the better of the two. It's obvious these guys had a good time making the movie...more fun than I had watching it, anyway. Also included is a 20 minute MTV Making the Movie promo, which contains the usual stuff...everyone gushes about what a great project this is, while summarizing the film to the point where you probably don't need to actually watch it (most of the funniest bits in the movie are included here). There's a bunch of deleted scenes with director commentary, 6 MTV promo spots and the original theatrical trailer.

It isn't exactly a bad movie, but while Without a Paddle may offer some mild amusement to an undemanding viewer, it isn't really as consistently funny or outrageous as the trailers suggest. Fans of the principle actors may also be somewhat disappointed, as they aren't really given much of an opportunity to display the talents they are known for. This disc one I'd definitely recommend renting before buying.