There Is A Seth Green Movie With An A+ Cast From 2004 That Doesn't Deserve Its 15% Rotten Tomatoes Score

I’m not going to sit and say that Without a Paddle, the Seth Green movie from 2004 that co-stars Dax Shepard, Matthew Lillard, and others, is up there with The Godfather or Citizen Kane or anything. However, I do think it’s a funny movie that doesn’t deserve the 15% that it currently holds on Rotten Tomatoes. It helps that the plot involves one of the great mysteries of the 20th Century, one that I’m completely fascinated with, and it features a really fun, slightly more than a cameo role for the late, great Burt Reynolds. Let’s go on this choppy ride…

The Plot Is Built Around The D.B. Cooper Hijacking

Dan Cooper (which almost certainly wasn’t his real name) was a plane hijacker who took control of a flight from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA on November 24th, 1971 by claiming to have a bomb. He demanded $200,000 ($1.6 million or so in 2025 dollars), and four parachutes. After landing in Seattle, authorities gave Cooper, who has become known as D.B. Cooper in the years since, what he wanted, and the plane took off again, after he released the other passengers and the plane refueled.

Cooper demanded the pilots fly to Mexico City, but before long, he opened the rear door of the plane and presumably jumped out, wearing one of the parachutes. He vanished into the night sky somewhere over Oregon and has never been heard from again, and very little of the money has ever been recovered. It’s a mystery that has intrigued many people over the years, including myself. Weirdly, there have not been many fictionalized versions of this incredible story ever put on film. Without a Paddle is one rare exception.

In the movie, three friends, played by Green, Shepard, and Lillard, set out to find out the truth about Cooper and hopefully recover the money. From there, it basically becomes a parody of Deliverance, and that’s what makes Burt Reynolds' appearance in the movie, as Cooper’s “partner,” even better. I love the late Burt Reynolds, especially his work in the ‘70s, so even if this movie isn’t the funniest movie I’ve ever seen, I’ll always love it for that.

My Weird History With The Movie Also Helps

So, here’s my personal backstory with Without a Paddle, and it may help explain why I personally think it’s better than it gets credit for. The first time I saw it was on cable. I’d never even heard of it, but I was flipping channels (like we used to do) and happened upon it. It was probably 15 or 20 minutes into the movie when I found it. I had no idea why these guys were canoeing down a river, and at some point, I picked up on the fact that they were looking for D.B. Cooper’s missing treasure.

It was about the time Reynolds showed up, so I got excited that he could be Cooper. I got this all from vibes, not from the script, so I felt like I was getting an inside joke. It turns out, of course, that this was the plot established all along, but I didn’t know that. It made me love the movie right away. I’ve never wavered, even after watching the full movie a couple of times since. The jokes are corny, and the movie certainly isn’t Caddyshack, or Animal House, or any of the other comedies I consider the GOATs, but it’s fun, and it never slows down. For that, it deserves at least a 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, and I’ll die on that hill. Or in that river, whatever. By the way, you can watch it with the FuelTV add-on with your Prime subscription, if you want to tell me why I’m wrong.