Wild Hogs parents guide

Wild Hogs Parent Guide

Overall C

The Wild Hogs are a weekend motorcycle group made up of four old high school chums (played by John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy). Saddled with responsibilities and middle-age spread, the gang decides to hit the road and chase the memory of their carefree youth. But their crazy adventure creates more crisis than it cures.

Release date March 1, 2007

Violence B-
Sexual Content C
Profanity C-
Substance Use C+

Why is Wild Hogs rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Wild Hogs PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and some violence.

Parent Movie Review

Someone once said, “The goal in life is to die young…as late as possible”. But for the Wild Hogs, a weekend motorcycle group made up of four old high school chums afflicted with middle-age spread and saddled with the responsibilities of family and career, life is feeling old before it’s time. And about the only thing left of their carefree, pubescent period is the childish outbursts they occasionally succumb to.

Then Woody (John Travolta) proposes a cross-country road trip. No maps, no technological gadgets, no time restraints, and no helmets (okay, that one is stupid)—just the men, their bikes and the open road.

Initially, the other members whimper about why they can’t go on such a ride, even though they are fed up with their predictable, suburban lives. Doug (Tim Allen) can’t imagine taking a break from his dental office. Bobby (Martin Lawrence) is troubled about coming up with a feasible story to tell his overbearing wife. And Dudley (William H. Macy), the blithely clueless computer geek, worries about looking the part of a real biker. (He finally goes all out and has the Apple computer logo tattooed onto his bicep.)

Ultimately though, they work through their excuses and hit the pavement. Once underway, the men feel their groove coming back when they are ogled by a bunch of teenaged girls. However, the riders soon get more than they bargained for when a gay highway patrolman mistakenly believes they are having homosexual sex and wants in on the action. To make things worse, the weekend warriors cross paths with real bikers in New Mexico. After inadvertently, burning down the Del Fuegos’s hangout, the Wild Hogs find themselves holed up in a little town trying to avoid the inevitable aftermath of their mistake.

This buddy movie is clearly aimed at the over 40 crowd—those who understand the concept of a little paunch worn with a certain panache. Like many adults, these men come to realize the value of longtime friendships and gain an appreciation for the ability they have to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others. Yet their antics often waffle between daft (like throwing camping fuel on an already burning tent) and downright questionable (taking on a whole gang of irate bikers).

However, teens and children probably won’t be clamoring to see this film featuring middle-aged actors. And that’s not all bad because they’ll miss the sexually-laden remarks and innuendo making up much of the script. They’ll also avoid the repeated exposure of male buttocks and the fist fights between rival gang members. Even the target audience, that is more apt to appreciate the motivation behind this road trip, may still find themselves wondering at the characters’ distinction between aging gracefully and simply forgetting to grow up.

Starring Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, John Travolta, Ray Liotta, William H. Macy. Theatrical release March 1, 2007. Updated

Wild Hogs
Rating & Content Info

Why is Wild Hogs rated PG-13? Wild Hogs is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for crude and sexual content, and some violence.

When four friends take off on a weeklong road trip, their baggage includes plenty of sexual references and innuendo. A gay highway patrolman runs into the travelers and wants to get in on the sexual action he mistakenly believes is going on between the riders. A skinny-dipping stop (with repeated scenes of male buttock nudity) goes bad when a family of vacationers shows up. While searching online in a public location, one man mistakenly pulls up pornographic Internet sites. Along with the sexual dialogue, there is ample potty humor including hits to the groin, defecation jokes and urinating on side of road. After encountering a real biker gang, the foursome is involved in several fistfights and physical skirmishes, one of which results in a building being blown up. The men ride without helmets and climb into the corral with a bull that chases them and tosses them off his horns. Once on the West Coast, the men eyeball girls in itty-bitty bikinis. The script frequently uses scatological slang, vulgar expressions and cursing.

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Wild Hogs Parents' Guide

Is middle age as negative as it is portrayed in the movies? What types of experiences can make a person take stock of his or her life? What struggles can be inherent to this time of life?

Peer pressure is often considered to be a challenge for teenagers and children, but how does it affect these men when they play “slap the bull”? In what other instances do the men succumb to coercion from their friends?

How do the people work together to take back their town? Why are some kinds of projects more successful when undertaken by a large group? What community efforts have you been, or would you like to be, involved in?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Wild Hogs movie is August 13, 2007. Here are some details…

Relive the Wild Hogs’ mid-life crisis with the release of this movie to DVD (full and wide screen presentations) and Blu-ray. Included are deleted scenes, outtakes and an alternate ending, as well as an audio commentary by director Walter Becker and writer Brad Copeland. A featurette titled Bikes, Brawls, and Burning Bars lets you look at the making of Wild Hogs, and there are also some tips on How to Get Your Wife to Let You Buy a Motorcycle. Audio tracks are available in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French and Spanish), with subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

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After injuries sideline the aspiring pitcher, Jimmy Morris settles into life as a husband, father and high school science teacher until his students push the old guy into trying out for the major leagues in The Rookie. Setting a record on his Indian Scout motorcycle has been a life long dream of New Zealander Burt Munro who travels around the globe to test his bike on Utah’s Salt Flats in The World’s Fastest Indian.