Meet the Deedles

As much flack as this movie has gotten, I was pleasantly surprised I was laughing out loud at some of the dumb humor. Although I would classify Bill & Ted's as more intelligent than this movie, it's still a fun picture. Let me put it this way, if you don't find it funny that two guys try to rid Yellowstone Park of prairie dogs by concocting something that makes the animals poop uncontrollably when in the area (and accidentally releasing this concoction on a bus load of unsuspecting tourists), then you probably won't like this movie. If you think this stunt is so "out there" that it's hilarious, then you'll like it. Just a good old Disney farce for today's audience. Give it a chance and rent it when you're in a nutty mood.

Just like "The Big Green" and "Honey, I Shrunk Ourselves,"

"Meet the Deedles" can be checked under the list of Disney's lousiest live action flicks! I mean, come on, who really wants to see two bonehead surfers who land in Yellowstone Park

just to catch some waves? Huh??! How can anyone be that dumb? The chemistry between the two leads (Paul Walker and Steve Van Wormer) kind of reminded me of the relationship between Bill and Ted from those old "Bill and Ted" flicks; all crude and

no IQ! Dennis Hopper is terribly wasted in this flick, which he plays a deranged ex-ranger park ranger.

As another reviewer said; "I recommend it for Paul Walker fans and immature people." Being both these things I was wetting myself laughing at a fair few points of the film. Mainly because I find farts very very funny indeed. I had a rip-roaring hangover this afternoon and decided to put on a film that was so simple it required no thinking whatsoever to watch. This was the ideal thing. It's cringe worthy and very tacky at times but that doesn't mean it's absolute rubbish. Worth a watch if you're into tacky comedies that rely heavily on bodily function jokes or if you want to see Paul Walker in a wetsuit. I'd like him to put a Deedle in my haystack.......

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.

Okay, so maybe I'm a little biased by the fact that I'm in my late teens, but personally, I wasn't a big fan of this movie. Very unrealistic, cartoony...in short, standard Disney live-action material. As adult fare, it definitely doesn't get a high rating in my book. BUT, the movie does have its merits. Specifically, like all Disney movies, it has an ability to enchant just about every young child under the age of 12. I saw it while keeping an eye on a group of 9-year-olds, and while I found myself glancing at my watch to see if the film was almost over, the children (boys AND girls, I might add!) were sitting on there seats watching in rapt fascination, wishing that they could BE the Deedles. I had the same experience recently when I watched in on TV with pair of 11-year-olds I was taking care of for the evening...they loved it! So, in short, I'd warn adults away from it, but don't ban it from your house, as it could come in handy if you have some unruly kids around!