Meet the Deedles (1998)

User Rating:

3.4/10   

Director:

Steve Boyum

Writer (WGA):

Jim Herzfeld (written by)

Release Date:

27 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Tagline:

Fish out of water...Surfers in Yellowstone

Plot:

Two surfers end up as Yellowstone park rangers and have to stop a former ranger who is out for revenge. |

Plot Keywords:

Park | Prairie Dog | Geyser | Hit In Crotch | Mistaken Identity

Cast

Steve Van Wormer	...	Stew Deedle
Paul Walker	...	Phil Deedle
A.J. Langer	...	Lt. Jesse Ryan
John Ashton	...	Capt. Douglas Pine
Dennis Hopper	...	Frank Slater
Eric Braeden	...	Elton Deedle
Richard Lineback	...	Crabbe
Robert Englund	...	Nemo
M.C. Gainey	...	Major Flower
Ana Gasteyer	...	Mel
Megan Cavanagh	...	Mo
Michael Ruud	...	Ludwig
Hattie Winston	...	Jo-Claire
Tom Matsusaka
Larry Rippenkroeger

Also Known As:

The Deedles

MPAA:

Rated PG for language, violence and crude humor.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:13 | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

O`ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company:

DiC Enterprises

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Everyone nows how to surf at the end of the movie, including the Deedle father.

Quotes:

Phil Deedle: Don't you find it odd?
Stew Deedle: What?
Phil Deedle: Boo bear has absolutely no relation to Yogie, yet they roam around the park in bow ties and no pants.

Movie Connections:

References Diddy Kong Racing (1997) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Wrong Thing Right Then

If you liked "Dumb and Dumber" ...

On their 18th birthday, Hawaii surfer dudes Stew and Phil Deedle skip school. Their wealthy father Elton, informed that the boys will get no more second chances, has to do something. Realizing the boys will someday take over his business, he must see that they are turned into men, so he sends them to a sort of boot camp in Wyoming. A couple of unexpected detours result in the boys ending up unconscious at the entrance to Yellowstone Park, wearing the labelled clothes of Mel and Mo, the park's newest ranger trainees. (Did I mention Mo and Mel are female?)

Mel and Mo were hired because of their rodent expertise, because the park has a serious prairie dog problem. This was caused by former head ranger Frank Slater, fired after an incident several years ago and now out for revenge, along with his associates Crabbe and Nemo. Stew and Phil don't bother to correct Capt. Pine, the current head ranger, when he believes they are who the clothes say they are. They see an opportunity to satisfy their father in a way that lets them have a good time. Mel and Mo, meanwhile, are otherwise occupied. The big event coming up, which Slater wants to sabotage, is the billionth birthday of Old Faithful.

Another reason the boys want to stay at Yellowstone--Lt. Jesse Ryan, another ranger who is the stepdaughter of Capt. Pine, who declares her off limits. That doesn't stop the boys from trying.

I don't understand how Disney could be associated with such garbage. For one thing, there was too much off-color humor for my taste. But I enjoyed this mess overall. There was plenty of slapstick comedy, especially the constant misfortunes of poor Capt. Pine, and Slater's brainless sidekicks. And we were taken on several exciting thrill rides, especially in the sequences immediately preceding the boys' arrival at the park. Another thrilling sequence involved surfboards (In Wyoming? Yes).

Steve Van Wormer and Paul Walker had their good moments, reminding me a lot of the superior Bill and Ted movies. So did A.J. Langer and Robert Englund. But one doesn't watch movies such as this for good acting. And there wasn't much. I'm surprised a respected actor such as Dennis Hopper would get involved with something like this. He really didn't add that much. John Ashton also didn't make me as happy as he could have. And despite talent he has shown over the years on "The Young and the Restless", Eric Braeden fell flat in his brief appearances as the boys' father.

As mindless enjoyable entertainment, though, this film succeeded. I can say I had a good time.