Without a Paddle (2004)

After their friend dies, three men decide to fulfill their childhood dream by going on a camping expedition for the lost D. B. Cooper bounty, with calamitous results.

Director:

Steven Brill

Writers:

Fred Wolf (story), Harris Goldberg (story)

Stars:

Matthew Lillard, Seth Green, Dax Shepard

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Price	...	Young Tom
Andrew Hampton	...	Young Jerry
Jarred Rumbold	...	Young Dan
Carl Snell	...	Young Billy
Antony Starr	...	Billy Newwood (as Anthony Starr)
Dax Shepard	...	Tom Marshall
Matthew Lillard	...	Jerry Conlaine
Seth Green	...	Dan Mott
Nadine Bernecker	...	Angie
Danielle Cormack	...	Tony
David Stott	...	Dick Stark
Bonnie Somerville	...	Denise
Scott Adsit	...	Greasy Man
Morgan Reese Fairhead	...	Sandi
Liddy Holloway	...	Bonnie Newwood

Storyline

Three friends, whose lives have been drifting apart, reunite for the funeral of a fourth childhood friend. When looking through their childhood belongings, they discover a trunk which contained details on a quest their friend was attempting. It revealed that he was hot on the trail of the $200,000 that went missing with airplane hijacker D.B. Cooper in 1971. They decide to continue his journey, but do not understand the dangers they will soon encounter.

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Plot Keywords:

tree house | homoeroticism | environmentalist | homophobia | underwear | 

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Taglines:

Three lifelong friends... One lost treasure... What could go wrong?

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for drug content, sexual material, language, crude humor and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount [United States]

Country:

USA New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jusqu'au cou

Filming Locations:

Huka Falls, Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,528,946, 22 August 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$58,169,327

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$71,274,967

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,De Line Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Burt Reynolds part in this movie is a nod to Deliverance, another movie where friends go on a rafting trip together.

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Goofs

When the sheriff finally finds the boys near the end of the movie, he pauses to light a cigarette. A second later, the cigarette has disappeared.

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Quotes

River Guide: So... are you a class... 4,5?
Tom Marshall: Yeah? Yeah? Why don't you try to put those numbers together. Yeah. I shot a class 45, and haven't lost a man yet.
River Guide: Lie to me! I don't care. I'm not the one who's going to drown.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

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Soundtracks

Beans and Grits
by Ali Dee & Zach Danziger
Performed by AD
Published by Spirit One Music o/b/o Canvas One Music (BMI)
Courtesy of Deetown Productions

User Reviews

Rolling with laughter

"Where are we?", Seth Green asks, clueless, as the guys are standing in a street in a nondescript little Oregon village. "Corner of Bumfuck and You Got a Purty Mouth", Matthew Lillard snarls in way of answer.

Now, you need to know and appreciate John Boorman's thriller classic 'Deliverance' in order to get the full implications of this scene and countless others in 'Without a Paddle'. The film can be enjoyed by all & sundry, but those in the know will be rolling with laughter more often.

'Without a Paddle' establishes itself in a niche of its own among goofy modern comedies. It is really well written, not just the one-liners, but also the situations as such and the exposition and development of material. The actors all shine, especially young Dax Shepard as the loser type of the three buddies in their late 20s that go camping and looking for a buried treasure in a canoe up Spirit River. There they meet up with wild man Burt Reynolds, who was acclaimed for his performance in the original 'Deliverance', actually the character that Shepard inherited in this 'remake'.

There are no actual thrills in 'Without a Paddle' (unlike 'Deliverance'!!!), it sets its sight on glorious comedy. The huge surprise is that the gags are relatively 'tasteful', for want of a better word. It is not ALL about tits, dicks and feces.

Recommended. Absolutely.