For some reason every time someone makes a film regarding kids and camping trips it either works or is just so dumb it’s unwatchable. Usually these films are family friendly stories that offer little new to the idea. With Nature Calls it takes a bit of a different approach going with the rated R film and featuring a great cast including Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle, and the late Patrice O’Neal in his final film role.
Nature Calls follows a pair of brothers who have never seen eye to eye. One is a Boy Scout troop leader who just wants to pass on his father’s scouting legacy, while the other is more interested in sports and electronics. When the troop leader hijacks his brother’s sleepover and takes all the kids on a scout camping trip, it turns into an adventure they won’t soon forget. The trailers for this movie alongside the funny cast gave hope that this could end up being a really fun time. While it does deliver some funny moments and overall works to deliver a decent entry into the camping genre, it never really steps up to push the envelope it needed it to be what it could have been. Oswalt is pretty subdued here playing the straight part, where Knoxville, Riggle, and O’Neal take on the role of the crazies of the film and are responsible for most of the most entertaining parts. The story is pretty simple not adding a whole lot more than what is on the surface, but still adds a bit of heart close to the end to attempt to make it have more depth.
This is an entertaining movie, but doesn’t deliver near as many adult laughs that it could have given a bit more time with the script. Everyone does a fine job with their parts and look to be having a great time. While this doesn’t offer anything more than a pretty standard comedy, it is still a pretty decent rental.
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