The very second that the “Happy Madison Productions” logo comes on screen you know exactly what type of humour is going to be found in Strange Wilderness. The company run by Adam Sandler is not exactly known for its high brow humour and a quick look at the cast list will show a number of actors who seem to appear in every Sandler movie made, again an indication of what’s to come. Luckily though, if you like this brand of childish then you will certainly enjoy Strange Wilderness as it has it in spades.
When his father dies, a stoner called Peter takes over his deceased father’s popular nature program called Strange Wilderness. Unfortunately his complete ineptness leads huge a reduction in ratings and eventually two weeks notice of the cancellation of the show. Peter recognizes a chance to save the show when friend of his fathers shows him a photo of big foot in Ecuador as he decides to bring the crew on a long road trip and make a documentary about the creature. Needless to say there are many mishaps along the way as well as having to try and beat a rival production team to the punch.
First off, if you don’t like low brow childish humour including crude jokes about vomiting and farting then stay well away from this film as that is about as sophisticated it gets. Strange Wilderness is an incredibly stupid film populated by incredibly stupid characters going on an incredibly stupid mission to capture Bigfoot on film. This line alone should be enough to make you want to watch the film or run screaming for the hills. Luckily as low brow comedies go it’s a good one despite the hit and miss nature of the jokes. There are some genuinely laugh out loud moments, many others that will have you laughing with sheer disbelief and plenty of chucklesome moments too. There are also a large proportion of terrible jokes that will have wondering just how anyone would think they would be funny. The story itself is nothing more than a setup for the jokes but it works well enough and keeps you entertained. The acting is solid and it’s clear the cast had a good time making the film. Many of the lines seem to be ad-libbed, particularly the funniest moments which doesn’t say an awful lot for the script. To put it simply, if you think a man getting is penis stuck in a Turkey’s throat is funny, then this is the film for you.
Strange Wilderness is definitely one of the better efforts from the Happy Madison Production Company; particularly of the films not starring Adam Sandler. The jokes are hit and miss but when it’s funny then it can be very funny but when it’s bad it can also be very bad. If low brow humour is your thing then there is plenty of entertainment to be had here but of Woody Allen comedies and sophistication are your thing then I advise you to stay well clear.
