Strange Wilderness (2008)

Director:

Fred Wolf

Writers (WGA):

Peter Gaulke (written by) &
Fred Wolf (written by)

Release Date:

1 February 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

This ain't March of the Penguins.

Plot:

With the ratings dropping for a wilderness-themed TV show, two animal fans go to the Andes in search of Bigfoot.

Plot Keywords:

Bigfoot | TV Show | Friend | Ecuador | Shark Attack

Cast

Steve Zahn	...	Peter
Allen Covert	...	Fred
Jonah Hill	...	Cooker
Kevin Heffernan	...	Whitaker
Ashley Scott	...	Cheryl
Peter Dante	...	Danny Gutierrez
Harry Hamlin	...	Sky Pierson
Robert Patrick	...	Gus Hayden
Joe Don Baker	...	Bill Calhoun
Blake Clark	...	Dick
Justin Long	...	Junior
Jeff Garlin	...	Ed Lawson
Ernest Borgnine	...	Milas
Jake Abel	...	Conservationist
Kevin Alejandro	...	Hispanic Man #1

MPAA:

Rated R for non-stop language, drug use, crude and sexual humor.

Runtime:

USA:87 min | Argentina:87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #42934) | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Canada:16+ (Québec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Germany:16 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Pelican Productions LLC (I)

Trivia:

When the vultures are eating the zebra, the zebra "responds" with "Oh my God, oh my God." That's a clip from the movie Super Troopers (2001). Paul Soter says is while his character is "flashing" Marisa Coughlan outside of the police station, while on the phone with her.

Goofs:

Continuity: Junior has his eyelids tattooed. We never see the tattoos again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Peter Gaulke: [talking on phone] Look at my dad. He was the king. I mean, no matter what happened, I mean he was as cool as a cucumber. He never forgot a line, and he never let anything ruffle him. My dad was the king. No doubt. And his TV show ruled the ratings.
[lights up weed]
Peter Gaulke: What was that?
[coughs while getting high]
Peter Gaulke: Excuse me. It was a wildlife show called Strange Wilderness. Oh, you remember that? Do you remember my dad? Oh cool. Yeah, then he died and then I took over the show, then it went all to hell. I mean, I'm nothing like my dad. Nothing at all. I don't know. I don't know if it was like I wasn't bright enough, or I didn't work hard enough, or I used to smoke a lot of dope. So...

Movie Connections:

References Friday (1995)

Soundtrack:

Clique Chic

inspired silliness

"Strange Wilderness" is a good-natured, frequently hilarious takeoff on all those nature documentaries that play on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, and whose pedigree stretches all the way back to the granddaddy of them all, "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom." Peter and Fred are the producers of a wildlife series entitled "Strange Wilderness" that has been foundering in the ratings ever since Peter's father, a Steve Irwin-type naturist and the original host of the show, passed away, leaving his less-than-stellar son to carry on his legacy. The sheer scientific illiteracy of much of the commentary that Peter provides for his footage probably hasn't helped matters much in this regard. Now faced with the prospect of series cancellation, Peter and his crew of incompetent dweebs head off to the wilds of South America to file an exclusive report on the famed Bigfoot who has recently been spotted there.

Though adolescent in the extreme, "Strange Wilderness" turns out to be a zany, endearingly random and unflaggingly energetic little comedy whose likable cast is obviously dialed into what the movie makers are trying to do here. Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Covert, Ernest Borgnine, Jeff Garlin, Kevin Heffernan, Justin Long and Harry Hamlin seem to be having the time of their lives here and their enjoyment rubs off on us as well.

Is it dumb? Of course it is. Is it lowbrow, inane and hopelessly juvenile? You betcha'. But unlike so many other films that fall into those categories, "Strange Wilderness" has a shrewd mind for parody and a liveliness of spirit that actually make the movie funny. Credit scenarist Peter Gaulke and co-author/director Fred Wolf (who first developed this concept as sketches on "Saturday Night Live") for some excellent joke-writing and pacing and for their willingness to pull out all the stops in their effort to get the laugh. In fact, the crew's ill-fated encounter with Bigfoot is alone worth the price of admission.