Nature Calls

Not many comedy films start off with a group of adults telling a small child his father is dead. This is the ramp-up to a family-style comedy about Boy Scouts and a camping trip in the woods.

“Manhood. It’s the only badge that matters.”

The disappointing part is Nature Calls stars Patton Oswalt, Rob Riggle, Daryl Hammond, and the last appearance of Patrice O’Neal; disappointing because some of the best names in comedy starred in a comedy film that simple isn’t funny. Nature Calls also stars Johnny Knoxville (of Jackass fame), Maura Tierney (Liar Liar, Semi-Pro), and Kelly Coffield Park (Scary Movie, In Living Color); each of which is no stranger to comedy film and television. Assumedly they had no input in the writing of Nature Calls. Luckily, with a running time of only just over an hour, it’s a quick ride to disappointment.

The biggest problem with this film is in its inability to properly identify its audience. While it seems targeted at a younger crowd, its R-Rating keeps it from the Disney market. A rating that is also extremely well earned, both in extremely pervasive language and a few random appearances of nudity and violence. The jokes and humor however don’t even fall under the umbrella of sophomoric. Once the shock value of an early teen using the F-word passes, the viewer is left with fart humor, and quite poorly executed slapstick.

“Nature is your toilet. Pee anywhere!”

Nature Calls centers on Randy (Patton Oswalt) and Kirk (Johnny Knoxville), brothers with different opinions about the Boy Scouts. Randy a dedicated scout with dreams of taking over the troop his father started. Kirk is more interested in the luxuries of modern, upper class life. When the majority of Randy’s group bails on a camping trip, he takes it as an opportunity to show the group of children what they’re missing. The plot then slides through an hour and twenty minutes of weak performances, poor writing, and dialogue too low for the adults and far too high for the children in the film. The Boy Scouts were originally founded in 1908, there are currently 32 million active members, with only 7.5 million in the United States. While there is a time-honored tradition to scouting and worldwide attention, it’s hardly a timely subject for a film. The only recent attention the scouts have received (and likely a strong contributor to their declining numbers) is in controversy and criticism for their barring of homosexual, agnostic and atheist members.

Patrice O’Neal was a prolific standup comic in New York, having starred in film and television, with roles in the films In The Cut, Furry Vengeance, 25th Hour, Head of State, and host of television’s Web Junk. O’Neal also had several full-length comedy albums, including the award winning Elephant in the Room, and Mr. P. On October 26th 2011, the Opie and Anthony show reported O’Neal had suffered a debilitating stroke, which left him unable to move or speak. His condition rapidly declined until his death, from complications of his condition, on November 29th 2011. Nature Calls had an extremely limited run in November of 2012, and was made available on home media January 22nd 2013. Currently, the film is available for immediate viewing on Netflix Instant, Amazon Instant Video, and Redbox Kiosks. A film too young for adult humor, too old for children’s comedy, with too many really talented people to be this bad but, luckily, too short to be painful for very long.