Without a Paddle

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2:22

Without a Paddle

PG-13

2004

1h 39m

Comedy

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

15%

Tomatometer

123 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

After their friend Billy (Anthony Starr) dies, Tom (Dax Shepard), Jerry (Matthew Lillard) and Dan (Seth Green) go on a camping trip to honor his memory. The campsite, however, has special significance. Billy believed famous airplane hijacker D.B. Cooper hid money in the area, and his friends aim to find it. Unfortunately, they are not prepared for the adventure. After falling over a waterfall, they are left to the mercy of wild animals and a harsh wilderness terrain.

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Critics Consensus

Without a Paddle has a few laughs, but not enough to sustain its running time.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 29, 2010

1/5

Even a paddle can't keep this movie from sinking.

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Ali Catterall

BBC.com

Dec 21, 2004

2/5

While striving for a bit of liberalism (ain't we City types the real stoopid ones) almost every scene then throws in the towel and falls back on a clutch of unfunny country-livin' clichs.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Aug 28, 2004

1/4

But what can you say about any picture where the bear puts in the best performance and is the most talked about entity in the movie's own press kit?

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

Nov 23, 2009

3.5/5

Shepard, Green and Lillard have good chemistry, and this bodes well considering there are three characters to play off each other rather than just two

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John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

May 12, 2009

4/10

Maybe the filmmakers should have called the picture Without a Laugh.

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Gregory Freitas

Hollywood.com

Nov 20, 2008

2/5

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Jarrod K

@RT07072968 Sep 7, 2026

A good daytime comfort comedy that aims low so the common folks can understand.

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Marco L

@decatur555 Aug 21, 2026

Without a Paddle has a simple adventure premise and three actors fully capable of comedy, but almost everything around them falls flat. The film relies on physical gags, ridiculous situations and constant accidents, yet very few of them are genuinely funny. Even worse, it later tries to turn all that silliness into a touching story about friendship, growing older and remembering the past, but the characters have never been developed enough for the emotion to feel natural. Matthew Lillard, Seth Green and Dax Shepard bring energy, but they cannot overcome a weak script and jokes that repeatedly confuse stupidity with humor. The result is noisy, sentimental and surprisingly dull for a film that works this hard to entertain.

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Maeve O

@Maeby_Mae Jul 21, 2026

I love this movie. Thank you for reading🥹

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Joseph K

@RT60548808 Jun 25, 2026

nostalgic + matthew lillard

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Jun 8, 2026

Trio adventure comedy that casted a perfect recipe and provides chuckles. Quotable, endearing and fun. Plus Suplee and Reynolds.

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Mar 20, 2026

One of the goofiest movies of all time!

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Steven Brill

Director

Seth Green

Dan Mott

Matthew Lillard

Jerry Conlaine

Dax Shepard

Tom Marshall

Ethan Suplee

Elwood

Abraham Benrubi

Dennis

Without a Paddle: Official Clip - City Slickers vs. Hillbillies

2:05

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Without a Paddle: Official Clip - Flower and Butterfly

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Without a Paddle: Official Clip - I Love This Part!

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Without a Paddle: Official Clip - ATV Speeder Chase

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Without a Paddle: Official Clip - I'm In Over My Head

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Without a Paddle: Official Clip - Dan the Bear Cub

1:57

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Without a Paddle: Official Clip - You Gotta Go Out and Get It

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Without a Paddle: Official Clip - D.B. Cooper's Treasure Chest

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Without a Paddle: Official Clip - Shine the Fish

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Synopsis

After their friend Billy (Anthony Starr) dies, Tom (Dax Shepard), Jerry (Matthew Lillard) and Dan (Seth Green) go on a camping trip to honor his memory. The campsite, however, has special significance. Billy believed famous airplane hijacker D.B. Cooper hid money in the area, and his friends aim to find it. Unfortunately, they are not prepared for the adventure. After falling over a waterfall, they are left to the mercy of wild animals and a harsh wilderness terrain.

Director: Steven Brill
Producer: Donald De Line
Screenwriter: Harris Goldberg, Jay Leggett
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, De Line Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Drug Content|Crude Humor|Language|Sexual Material|Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 20, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.2M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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