Strange Wilderness (2008): Dir: Fred Wolf / Cast: Steve Zahn, Alan Covert, Ashley Scott, Kevin Hefferman, Jonah Hill: A pitiful comedy about man's relationship with nature. Too bad the screenwriter didn't get it on quite as well with the screenplay. Steve Zahn and Allen Covert host a nature program that is threatened with termination so they set out to film Bigfoot. Lame setup fades into routine road movie clichés and gross humour. Director Fred Wolf does his best but production is cheap right down to the rubbery looking Bigfoot costume. The idea of Zahn and Covert as nature hosts is appealing but they quickly becomes props to the clichés and juvenile humour. Zahn storms into a hospital after a turkey tried to "gobble" his penis. Covert is seen but does little. Ashley Scott serves no other purpose other than to be presented as a sex object for the guys. Kevin Hefferman scores a few laughs as a former mechanic and alcoholic but perhaps if the film was about this guy then maybe its chances of being funny would increase. This is a major deduction for Jonah Hill after his hilarious work in Superbad. Unfortunately he too becomes lost within a parade of idiocy. This is Fred Wolf's second unfunny comic mess this year. He also helmed the extreme xeroxed bunny brained House Bunny as well. This is a stupid comedy that should be stomped upon by Bigfoot itself. Score: 2 ½ / 10

what might have been a brilliant series of short clips on funnyjunk or youtube, this film (and i use the term loosely here) is a complete waste of your time. any laughs that can be found in this film are all condensed down into the 2 minute trailer. watching the full hour and a half film will leave you disappointed and with an awful taste in your mouth. while the movie is studded with very capable actors (steve zahn and jonah hill) the characters they play are entirely forgettable, the plot is utterly pointless, the gags are not only cheap but unfunny the majority of the time. seriously, your time is better spent just watching the shark scene from this movie on youtube for 187 minutes than the actual film.

"Maximum antics, minimum laughter." - My review of Weekend at Bernie's II.Adam Sandler's production company "Happy Madison" has been known to make other comedies starring many other different actors. It seems they gathered up a group of pretty well known actors for Strange Wilderness, just not all of them are there. This is the kind of comedy that will rank in its favor when it gets its debut on Comedy Central at midnight.Steve Zahn is one of my favorite actors today simply because he can play as anyone. He was lovable as the idiot brother in Joy Ride, fantastic as the deadbeat in Riding in Cars With Boys, and here he does the best he can with the material he has to work with. Sadly, he doesn't do too much and neither does his character.Zahn plays Peter Gaulke, a likable shulb who is struggling to keep the pace of his father's television show Strange Wilderness. The main problem is not only is he incompetent, but so is his crew (composed of Kevin Heffernan of "Broken Lizard," Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Allen Covert, and Ashley Scott).After a stern warning from the Television executive Ed (played amusingly by Jeff Garlin), the gang schemes to buy a map that leads to the urban legend Bigfoot. Once they get the map, they run amok in every cliché possible.For example, the Junior character (Justin Long) character is a heavy pothead, which is already disappointing seeing a great actor not all there. Once they find out they need $1,000 for the Bigfoot map, at the Dentist where Fred (Covert) and Peter are getting their teeth fixed, Junior decides to steal a heavy tank of laughing gas worth about, hmmm, $1,000. Most illogical or a mere coincidence? Humor is present, but when it comes it's not strong enough to keep you laughing. Which is why Strange Wilderness is poor in the field is shouldn't be. Humor is subjective, and I believe some will be able to dive into Strange Wilderness and laugh the day away. This film greatly reminds me of Weekend at Bernie's II. There are constant crazy antics but only about a third of them are actually funny. The rest, well, aren't.Strange Wilderness has a lively cast, but the script is below average and the directing sub-par. It's shocking that this actually had a limited run in theaters seeing as there is nothing remotely special about it. It's the perfect example of why more companies should start investing in crafty independent films rather than just dead-in-their-tracks comedies.Starring: Steve Zahn, Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Peter Dante, Allen Covert, Kevin Heffernan, and Ashley Scott. Directed by: Fred Wolf.

Is it the godfather? No. Is it raging bull? No. Is it a decent waste of time? Sure. I am a Steve Zahn fan, so I enjoyed it. The acting is not the greatest--this is a group of friends that have access to cameras, and just had a good time. There isn't much of a script--again, it is a group of friends that got together. But, not every movie has to change the world. You can't watch every movie just to change your life or perspective on world hunger. I don't think I would go so far to buy this movie, or even rent it. But to watch it on cable? Not a bad deal. Sometimes, sometimes, you just want to go to woods and wander around and look at porcupines. Strange wilderness, indeed.