"A completely silly but surprisingly funny comedy ... and a real crowd-pleaser." Steve Rhodes STEVE RHODES' INTERNET REVIEWS "A mildly pleasant comedy that viewers may find more endearing than they expect." Craig Roush KINNOPIO'S MOVIE REVIEWS "More enjoyable than we have any right to reasonably expect." Jonathan R Perry TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH TEXAS "City Slickers remade for Three Stooges fans." Jeff Strickler MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE "The movie does have funny moments, and there's a sweetness unusual in your standard stupid summer comedy." Matt Weitz DALLAS MORNING NEWS

"A guy film that chicks will dig, too." Kathy Cano Murillo ARIZONA REPUBLIC "Without a Paddle is a skillfully written comedy in a world abundant with silly teen comedies." Stefan Halley HERO REALM "A consistently amusing, often hilarious outing with surprising heart." Lisa Kennedy DENVER POST "A successfully infantile new spin on Deliverance." Amy Biancolli HOUSTON CHRONICLE "Without has all the freshness of moldering Playboys stashed under a mattress, but it evokes what few boys-will-be-boys larks can: chumminess." Scott Brown ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

At A Glance

"Without a Paddle just misses being rip-roarishly funny." Emily Blunt BLUNT REVIEW

While many may overlook the 'moral' message hidden deep within the buddy comedy "Without A paddle" there are still attributes that make this film worth seeing by those who (a) love a buddies flick; (b) love big cuddly animals and (c) those who love the silly humour found in the genre of films which fall into the teen flick catagory. Oh yes, there is one more. If you found the woefully devoid "Taxi" worth spending your money on, then this is far better fare. Why? Simply because this provides more fun, adventure, scenery and 'poop' action to the dollar. This is the sort of film that on the surface doesn't appear all that good. Or does it. There's a wicked white water segment; drug growing hillbilly brothers armed to the teeth and on the rampage; a couple of horny young nymphs living in the tree tops; a corrupt sheriff; a mountain man; $200,000 somewhere in the woods and a scene stealing bear. Unlike "Taxi", "Without A paddle" hasn't given away all its good bits in the promotional trailer which has preceeded its release. Wise move indeed. And did I mention the fabulous scenery from New Zealand. It's breathtaking. But hang about. There aren't any bears in New Zealand are there? No your right. You nearly got me. One of the stars is Bart the Bear a four year old Alaskan Brown Bear who, as the ambassador for Vital Ground, the nonprofit group that works to secure wildlands for wildlife, was granted a special passport. Bart was named after the original Bart who appeared in a number of films before his recent death including "Windwalker", "The Great Outdoors", "Grizzly Falls" and as the ferocious bear in the Anthony Hopkins, Elle Macpherson film, "The Edge". Bart was born in born in 1977. Bart's mother was also a film star appearing in films such as "Grizzly" and "Day of the Animals". Bart made his acting debut in 1980 and passed away at the age of 20 [natural causes] while working on the documentary "Growing Up Grizzly." It was a sad day for many who had worked with him. Now a new Bart has taken to the screen and evidently he is just as much fun to work with as his name-sake. "I've never been that close to a bear before and it was amazing to be that close to an animal his size," Seth Green says. So how was it working with such a huge animal? "Actually," he said, "Bart is very playful and gentle." But he is a bear, isn't he? "There's still a great awareness that he's essentially a wild animal," Green said. "Well trained, but wild," he adds. Of course of the attraction in "Without A paddle" is the mess the three lead characters get themselves into. There's many a farcical, silly fun moment to be enjoyed, even if we've seen it all in some shape or form before. And here's some important film trivia. All three actors did most of their own stuntwork, something that impressed Burt Reynolds, who is well known for doing his own stunt work. "Actors really grow when they experience the thrill of doing their own stunts," he said. "These guys, Seth, Matt and Dax, showed they are real professionals by truly gaining an understanding of what their characters experience." High praise from a Hollywood legend who laughingly admits, "I've been sending stunt doubles home for years." Bart The Bear 2 Many cinema fans will remember Bart the giant bear who appeared in over a dozen films including "The Edge" and "Legends Of The Fall". The late great Bart made a massive impression on audiences and now a new Bart is stepping into the limelight, taking the plunge with a film career and if "Without A Paddle" is any indication of his acting ability, then I for one can't wait to see him in a bigger role. I say bigger because Bart, named [after the late Bart] by his trainer the legendary Doug Seus, has a lot of growing left in him. The Alaskan Brown Bear who currently stands at 8 and 1/2 feet tall and weighs 1000 pounds, is still growing. At 4 years of age he's only a youngster in bear terms. Seus says Bart is only just filling out and will put on another 300 lbs and a few more inches in height. Like a teenager, Bart has a healthy appetite and even though he's an omnivore with a liking also for meat, chicken and certain fruit drinks, his favourite treat is whipped cream. Now it's no mean feat appearing on the screen with a big boy like Bart, who by the way has, even if he is well mannered, a very short attention span. How short? "he can stay focussed for about 18 seconds," says co-star Dax Sheppard, who thinks that's quite funny. Why? Because Bart is "very much like myself," he notes, "and then he goes off into a world of his own." What did he mean by that? "Well, for example, he'll be running along doing what he's supposed to do, and then he just stops and tears a tree apart so they have to wrangle him back." Bart must be happy with his new life after such a tragic start. His mother was killed by poachers in the Alaska wilderness but luckily Bart and his film star twin sister Honey Bump were rescued by Rangers. At just three months they faced a bleak future but fate stepped in and animal trainer extraordinary Doug Seus became the bears new parent. For those who are bear lovers, Bart and Honey Bump recently made cameo appearances in the film Dr Doolittle 2", but Bart will be seen shortly in the feature film "An Unfinished Life" co-starring with Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford. After enjoying Bart's effort in "Without A paddle" I don't know if I can 'bear' the wait. Crew Bytes "Without A Paddle" was .......
directed by Steven Brill ["Heavyweights", "Late Last Night", "Ready To Rumble" and "Mr Deeds"]; screenplay by Jay leggett ["Employee Of The Month"] and Fred Wolf ["Black Sheep", "Tommy Boy", "The Adventures of Joe Dirt" and "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star"]; original story by Harris Goldberg ["Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo", "Master of Disguise", "Love Conquers Paul" and "Les Boys"] and Tom Nursall ["Little League Confidential", "A Step Toward Tomorrow", "Dead Man's Gun" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas"]; costume design by Academy Award, BAFTA, Costume Guild and Saturn Award winner Ngila Dickson ["Heavenly Creatures", "The Lord Of The Rings II", "The Last Samurai" and "The Lord Of The Rings III"]; production design by Perry Andelin Blake ["Billy Madison", "Mr Deeds", "Big Daddy", "The Wedding Singer" and "Around The World in 80 Days"] edited by Debra Neil-Fisher A.C.E ["Teaching Mrs Tingle", "National Security", "How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days" and "Welcome To Mooseport"]; and Peck Prior["Uncle Buck", "The Animal", "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" and "The Hot Chick"]; director of photograhpy Jonathan Brown ["The Third Wheel", "Big Fat Liar", "Just Married" and "Cheaper By The Dozen"]; original music by Christophe Beck ["Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star", "Cheaper By The Dozen", "Under The Tuscan Sun" and "Garfield; The Movie"]; music supervisor Julianne Jordan ["Dead Man Walking", "Swingers", "Go", "The Bourne Identity", "Agent Cody Banks I & II" and "The Italian Job"]; produced by Donald De Line ["Pretty Woman", "Domestic Disturbance", "The Stepford Wives" and "The Italian Job"]. Casting About "Without A Paddle" stars .......
Seth Green ["Knockaround Guys", "The Italian Job", "America's Sweethearts" and "Austin Powers I, II & III"]; Matthew Lillard ["Scream", "Scooby-Doo", "Thirteen Ghosts" and "Wicker Park"]; Dax Shepard ["Boyz N the Burbs", "Peruse", "Hairshirt" and "Cheaper By The Dozen"]; Ethan Suplee ["Mallrats", "Road Trip", "Blow" and "Evolution"]; Abraham Benrubi ["Twister", "The Man Who Wasn't There", "U Turn" and "Open Range"]; Rachel Blanchard ["Road Trip", "Carrie 2", "The Wild Dogs" and "Nailed"]; Christina Moore ["Second Skin" and "The Sore Losers"]; Ray Baker ["Total Recall", "Ed Wood", "Girl, Interrupted" and "Holes"]; Bonnie Somerville ["Bedazzled", "Crime and Punishment in Suburbia", "Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes" and "Spider-man 2"]; Liddy Holloway ["The Clinic", "Squizzy Taylor", "Jubilee" and "Sylvia"] and NINE times People's Choice Award winner; Golden Globe & EMMY Award winner Burt Reynolds ["Sharky's Machine", "Gator", "The End" and "The Final Hit"] as Del Knox. The Story

"Looks like yet another gross-out farce, but it's actually a genuinely engaging comic adventure." Rich Cline SHADOWS ON THE WALL

Dan Mott, Jerry Colaine, Tom Marshall and Billy Newwood were inseperable friends throughout there growing years but have drifted apart since graduating from college. Their childhood was punctuated by moments indulging in fantasies like becoming Ghostbusters, playing out Indiana Jones adventures, daredevil stunts and time spent in their treehouse. Billy was always the adventurous one but life is very mundane for his friends. Dan is a doctor with personal issue problems; Jerry has been dumped by his girlfriend and Tom, well he's never amounted to much at all. When Billy's envied life style is suddenly cut short with his tragic death, the remaining three are brought together at his funeral. After the funeral, they return to their treehouse and are amazed to find it is still intact and that that all the relics of their childhood, kept in a special tin box, are still there. Even more amazing, Billy has left them a map which appears to point to where they can find legendary robber DB Cooper's $200,000 booty, the proceeds of a daring robbery and an even more daring escape. Dr Dan Mott as always is sceptical but Jerry and Tom soon convince him that it's what Billy wanted and they did make a blood pact as kids to stick together. They will soon discover they are up the creek "Without A paddle" but it will lead to each of the three men, discovering their real strengths and their true selves. The Verdict "There's a lot of really good natured fun in "Without A Paddle" even if we have seen much of it in other productions. Yes, this is another buddy flick, but there are plenty of genuine fun moments and silliness thanks to the nymphs of the forrest, redneck hillbilly drug dealers and a huge bear named Bart who steals the show with his antics. If you thought "Taxi" was worthwhile, then "Without A Paddle" will provide far better value and massively more laughs. Bring your own paddle and honey for Bart." The Cast

Dax Shepard Matthew Lillard Seth Green Anthony Starr Ethan Suplee Abraham Benrubi Burt Reynolds Rachel Blanchard Christina Moore Ray Baker Matthew Price Andrew Hampton Jarred Rumbold Carl Snell Nadine Bernecker Danielle Cormack David Stott Bonnie Somerville Scott Adsit Morgan Reese Fairhead Liddy Holloway Mia Blake Bruce Phillips Kate Harcourt Gregory Norman Cruz Susan Brady Connor Carty-Squires Bart the Bear

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Tom Marshall Jerry Conlaine Dan Mott Billy Newwood Elwood Del Knox Dennis Flower Butterfly Sheriff Briggs Young Tom Young Jerry Young Dan Young Billy Angie Tony Dick Stark Denise Greasy Man Sandi Bonnie Newwood Giselle Minister Old Woman River Guide Leslie Boy Scout as the Bear

The Crew Directed by Steven Brill Written by Fred Wolf/Harris Goldberg/Tom Nursall Screenplay by Jay Leggett/Mitch Rouse Produced by Donald De Line Executive Producers Andrew Haas/Wendy Japhet/Richard Vane Original Music by Christophe Beck Cinematography by Jonathan Brown Film Editing by Debra Neil-Fisher & Peck Prior Casting by Sheila Jaffe Production Design by Perry Andelin Blake Art Direction by Simon Bright & Denise Hudson Costume Design by Ngila Dickson Run Time 99 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Paramount Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved