THE trailer for this alleged comedy about four friends on a midlife crisis road trip makes it looks crass, crude and a four-letter word beginning with c' that rhymes with map. The movie lives up - down? - to that impression.

The actors look as though they had a good time making the film. I'm glad someone did, I was too busy averting my eyes to avoid the embarrassment to enjoy myself.

Friends Doug (Allen), Woody (Travolta), Bobby (Lawrence) and Dudley (Macy) face middle age by behaving childishly.

They rev up for a cross-country motorbike trip, aiming to escape responsibilities and demanding wives and children.

An interlude with a gay cop, who finds them sleeping together under the stars (after setting their tents on fire) and skinny-dipping in a rock pool, contains sniggering innuendo that even schoolboys would reject.

Men on bikes are similarly portrayed.

They are all rough, tough and completely lacking in charm. Liotta's gang leader is a compendium of every bigoted, blackhearted biker you've ever seen on screen. Women are treated no better, they're either harridans (their wives) or bowled over by their charms (Tomei's café owner who falls for technological geek Dudley). US audiences have made Wild Hogs a big box-office success and a sequel inevitable. At least, it can't be worse than this original.

Stars: Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H Macy, Ray Liotta, Marisa Tomei
Running time: 100 mins
Rating: Two stars