Starring: Maura Tierney, Patton Oswalt, Rob Riggle, Johnny Knoxville, Robert Longstreet, Darrell Hammond, Kelly Coffield Park, Patrice O'Neal
Review: Brothers Randy (Patton Oswalt) and Kirk (Johnny Knoxville) have never seen eye-to-eye, but their rivalry is taken to a new level when Scout Master Randy hijacks his adopted nephew's sleepover for a camping trip that goes beyond badges, hiking, and bird-watching - it's bananas!
Nature Calls is not a great movie. What it does have is a stellar cast (Maura Tierney, Patton Oswalt, Rob Riggle, Johnny Knoxville, Darrell Hammond, and the late-great Patrice O'Neal) and some gut-busting laughs.
This comedy does have it all - men acting like boys, camping mishaps, gun-play, fowl language, kidnapping, out-of-control campfires, first-aid training, and a naked motorcyclist. The big problem is that it doesn't go "all-in" on the comedic premise. It tries to go more of a sentimental route with the story which undercuts the over-the-top ridiculousness of the comedy. It tries to have it both ways and falls flat most of the time. I think that another big problem with Nature Calls is that it's horribly miscast. The cast seems to be there because of who they are not because they're right for the roles. The movie seems to keep Oswalt and Knoxville from truly reaching their comedic potentials. But Riggle and O'Neal go for it! Oh, and it seems like it was re-edited to death. It really feels like so much was removed to keep things moving along. I wonder if a longer cut would have improved things overall.
The two big highlights are the chemistry between Patrice O'Neal and Rob Riggle. They seem to be having a blast! And the wonderfully talented Maura Tierney is so endlessly watchable. She funny trying to keep it together as things get worse and worse.
I do enjoy Nature Calls for the most part. It has its moments. It's a weird, forgotten flick that makes me miss Patrice O'Neal and makes me happy that goofy R-rated comedies are still making me laugh, even when they don't quite hold together. I hate to say it this way, but it's way more fun than getting poison ivy!