WHEN their old childhood friend Billy (Anthony Starr) dies, doctor Dan (Seth Green), insurance executive Jerry (Matthew Lillard) and pathological liar Tom (Dax Shepard) return to their hometown for the funeral.

Little has changed in the intervening years: Dan still has no luck with women and is developing new neuroses and phobias everyday.

Tom refuses to take any aspect of his life seriously, even ruining the solemnity of the funeral by turning up late on his motorcycle.

Jerry prefers the lure of the surfboard to his job and is preparing to commit to his girlfriend Denise (Bonnie Somerville), presuming she will have him back after he forgets their anniversary.

After the burial, the three friends reconvene at the tree house they built as children.

There, the trio discover Billy's old treasure map, which supposedly led to the $200,000 buried by a bank robber in the treacherous forests of Oregon.

Determined to honour the memory of their pal by following the map's directions, Dan, Jerry and Tom grab their trusty compass and camping gear for a jaunt into the unknown.

En route, the friends cross paths with a pair of gun-toting hicks (Ethan Suplee, Abraham Benrubi) and two tree-hugging eco-babes Flower (Rachel Blanchard) and Butterfly (Christina Moore), who propel the city slickers from one misadventure to the next.

As the friends edge ever closer to the hidden hoard, they meet a grizzled mountain man (Burt Reynolds), who holds the last piece of the puzzle.

Almost from the opening credits, Without A Paddle is up the creek without any idea how to construct a decent gag or character.

The writers Jay Leggett and Mitch Rouse aim for lowest common denominator laughs - ladies with hairy legs, bowel humour - which makes the American Pie series look like high art in comparison.

The screenplay also taps into a rather unpleasant vein of homophobia - making fun of Dan's love of Culture Club and with references to being raped a la Deliverance.

Green, Lillard and Shepard throw themselves into this yawnsome morass with admirable energy but you can't make something out of nothing.

Especially when the most likeable supporting player is an overly friendly bear.

Reynolds conceals his over-the-top performance beneath great tufts of facial hair and the pay-off to the lads' expedition is deeply unsatisfying.

Rating: 2/10