I have never seen any published research study or anything concert imprint but it does appear to be a correlation between a downturn in the economic status of the country and an audience’s acceptance of silly comedies. After the great depression there were the Keystone cops and Chaplin’s Little Tramp to help the population forget about their woes for at least a little while. Well, once again the economy both here and aboard is in the toilet and people need that mindless comedy for as a distraction. One possible choice is ‘Without A Paddle: Nature's Calling’. This flick will never make any top ten lists in the art of cinema. It will be derided and ignored by most critics and dismissed as yet another direct to video release. It is so absolutely mindless and foolish that it will serve the intended function of giving a couple of laughs to the audience. It has all the required elements for a little flick of this sort. There is a buddy movie contained within it and a nice simple romance that has the tendency to get overly complicated at a point. A lot of studios have come to the realization that a movie like this has its place in the world and provide enough money to have it made. This is obviously done with a shoestring budget and a very quick shooting schedule. What it lacks in technical grace and style it tries to make up for with the enthusiasm of the cast and crew. Most specifically this is the strange genre of action adventure comedy. This tends to mean that it is driven more by the situations and circumstances than developing the characters. This all goes to the point of being a distraction. So, if all you really want out of a flick is to sit back and have a reasonably good time with some friends this may be just the right thing for you. It is the sort of flick that is best viewed with some friends on a rainy weekend afternoon over some beer and pizza or perhaps a large tub of popcorn. Paramount has some of the best that film has to offer so it is reassuring that they still take a moment for a little foolishness now and then.

The script was written by Stephen Mazur. He has a track record that shows talent in genres other than this type of comedy. He wrote a dramatic screenplay about the Enron scandal a few years back and took on the issue of gay marriage in another comedy. Also part of his resume is the mother daughter con artist comedy ‘Heartbreakers’ and the film version of the old time ‘Little Rascals’. Perhaps his best remembered script was a Jim Carrey vehicle ‘Lair, Lair’ which also can be called a silly comedy. Mazur handles this project with a touch of flair that comes across with a story that is able to engage the audience. The main characters are provided with just enough background and motivation that the audience can identify with them. In a situational comedy such as this it is important in order to get the viewers to care enough about the leads to feel for them as they go through the myriad of bizarre circumstances. You need to be able to cheer on the heroes of the story no matter how puerile they might be. I’ve seen all of the films this man has scripted for and he knows how to write. It does take a special talent to dumb down your writing for a project like this; Mazur manages to get the job done. Some of the themes employed here are important and controversial such as environment protection but they are handled in such a way that you really don’t have to think at all about them. They just are included to give a touch of motivation for the location; out in the woods.

Ellory Elkayem has been directing films for about a decade now. Almost all of hiss previous credits have been with one variation of horror or another. He directed two installments of the horror franchise, ‘Return of the Living Dead’. He also did another science fiction oriented horror flick ‘They Nest’. This is not his first comedy though. He directed the cult classic ‘Eight Legged Freaks’ which most of us have caught while channel surfing the cable in the wee hours of the night. In this flick Elkayem has to follow a previous one, ‘Without a Paddle’ that loosely has a similar theme but had the advantage of some more recognizable cast members. This was done to help draw people to the movie. He paces the film well which is a lot to say with this kind of flick. He tries to treat the movie with the same care as one of a more serious vein. He tempers this with the full knowledge that this is a piece of fluff entertainment with no true content other than a few laughs.

Zach (Kristopher Turner) and Ben (Oliver James) have been friends for as long as they can remember. In typical buddy movie fashion their personalities are completely different. Zach was always the high spirited kid constantly getting into trouble at home and in school. Ben, on the other hand, was the more serious of the two. He was by nature shy and retiring. He always had a crush on a girl in their class, Heather (Madison Riley) but was never able to muster up the courage to let his feeling known. Just as he pulls himself together and is about to tell Heather how he feels her parents move out of town. This does set up one of the classic romantic comedy ploys; the one that got away. As the pair of friends grow up and become young adults they find they have taken their lives in different directions. Ben is now working for a law firm and is kept busy. Almost all of his time is taken up by his job leaving him with little to spend in any enjoyable pursuits. This is juxtaposed with how Zach turned out. He works at a nursing home; a means of employment that offers plenty of free time to enjoy his life. He also lacks the internal censor resulting in speaking his mind; a habit that frequently gets him into trouble. In all this time Ben has never forgotten Heather. He still pines for her and dreams of what could have been had he only taken the chance when he could. Zack misses the old times hanging out with Ben. He sees Ben as caught in a life with no pleasure; something that is completely repugnant to him. One day an elderly man at the nursing home makes a strange request of Zack. He wants to see his granddaughter once again. In a coincidence that can only happen in a flick like this that granddaughter just happens to be Heather. She has taken off into the woods to help the environment. Zack gets in touch with Ben and the pair go off to locate her not only for the grandfather but to give Ben one last chance with her.

Paramount gives the same premium treatment to this DVD and Blu-ray release that they do with their higher profile movies. The audio and video is both top notch. There is also some extras included. There is making of featurette and a look at some of the effects used in the movie. A gag reel and deleted scenes are also on the disc. You can also download a digital copy of the film. When you get to the point that you need to let go of your adult responsibilities and laugh give this one a try.