Meet the Deedles
Encyclopedia
Meet the Deedles is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Steve Boyum
and starring Paul Walker
and Steve Van Wormer
. It was the first theatrically released film to be produced by DIC Entertainment
since 1986 (after Heathcliff: The Movie
). Its name is a play on the Beatles album Meet The Beatles. It is also one of Disney's attempts to capitalize on surf culture
, the other two prime examples are Johnny Tsunami
and Rip Girls
.
) and Stew Deedle (Steve Van Wormer
) are two fraternal twin brothers who are complete surf bums living in Hawaii off of their wealthy father. After the two decide to skip out on school to go on a special surfing expedition with friends for their birthday, the twins are expelled from their high school for truancy. Their father Elton Deedle (Eric Braeden
) has become tired of their insolence and lazy lifestyle and thus decides to ship them to a boot camp to straighten them out. The boys are horrified that they’re going to have to fly state-side in order for this to happen, as the camp is located in Yellowstone National Park
in Wyoming
.
The boys arrive in Wyoming ill prepared for the far-cooler weather, disembarking from their plane dressed in shorts, flip-flops and hula shirts. They attract the attention of a small crowd when they summon a remote controlled crate containing a mini-bar that they use to create hula drinks. Afterwards they leave the terminal, noticing a gruff looking mountain man whom they make fun of, to their shock the man reveals a sign with their last names written on it, indicating he’s their ride. Major Flowers (M.C. Gainey) is already disgusted with their behavior, on the drive back to Yellowstone from the airport, Flowers reveals that his once successful camp was shut down by the children’s parents and their lawyers but the camp wasn’t necessary anymore because he intended for the Deedles to undergo survival training. Flowers becomes distracted in describing his plan and fails to pay attention to the road, eventually driving over the edge of a hillside and crashing into a river. Thinking he had killed the Deedles, he runs off thinking he’ll hide from the authorities.
The Deedles awaken from their crash and find some women’s clothing that had caught onto Flower’s truck before it crashed, since it was their only option for dry clothes they opted to wear them. After, they begin to hike towards the parks main entrance, they find some of their gear and decide to land-luge down a long hill with their hula crate remotely in tow. They bypass a long line of traffic awaiting entry into Yellowstone but unable to slow down or gain enough control of their boards they crash into the park’s sign and are then collided into by the hula machine—cracking their helmets off. When the Park Rangers arrived, the only identity the boys had on them were the names “Mel” written on Phil’s sweatshirt tag and “Mo” written on Stew’s. After the incident the boys are carted off to the Ranger medical center and nursed back to health and decide to assume the false identities as it appears to be a one-way ticket to success and approval of their father.
The boys find it difficult to live in their new identities, as the park rangers have already learned that the “real” Mel and Mo are vegetarians, thus the boys are forced to become such as well in order to maintain their cover. Because of their dimwitted surfer nature, the boys do not click well with the commanding park ranger, Captain Pine, although Phil falls for his stepdaughter Lt. Jesse Ryan whom the Captain is very protective of. This leads to a series of accidents all of which the Deedles are to blame for and land them in disfavor with Captain Pine.
Through their trials, the Deedles inadvertently discover that an ex-park ranger named Slater (Dennis Hopper
) feels he’s been betrayed by the park, the Rangers and mainly Captain Pine and so he has created a secret bunker underground near Old Faithful and has devised a plan to divert Old Faithful’s waterflow into a new geyser he’s created on his own land which he is christened “New Faithful”. Unable to win any support for investigation from their fellow rangers, the Deedles take matters into their own hands and attempt to thwart Slater’s plan.
However, the real Mel and Mo arrive at the Ranger’s base at a very untimely moment to reveal that Phil and Stew are not who they say they are. Pine, Jesse and the other rangers are disgusted with their dishonesty and banish them from Yellowstone.
As the Deedles are walking down the highway attempting to hitch-hike, the big picture dawns on Phil and they devise a plan to get back into Yellowstone in order to stop Slater once-and-for-all. They rig a grappling hook into a grate in the roadway, and as an unsuspecting car passes it would catch the undercarriage and tow the Deedles (whom are wearing parachutes), essentially a land version of parasailing. From a few hundred feet up in the air, they both notice a familiar stench and discover the person towing them is none other than Major Flowers—whom becomes distracted by his stowaways and subsequently drives over a cliff (again) landing himself in a river.
The boys parachute to the entrance for Slaters underground tunnel network and go underground, where they locate and subdue Slater’s two cronies Mr. Crabbe (Richard Lineback
) and Mr. Nemo (Robert Englund
). They devise a plan to re-divert the water from New Faithful back to Old Faithful, and to escape by donning heat-resistance suits and escaping through the plumbing and through Old Faithful’s spout.
The plan succeeds, Slater is exposed and the Deedles become heroes for saving Old Faithful. In a fortunate turn of events, the force of the explosion of water was so great it created a small lake which naturally created waves large enough to surf on, and the boys were able to create a park out of it. Earning the respect of their father for their success, from Captain Pine for their help in saving Yellowstone, and for Phil the love of Jesse.
and Dumb & Dumber
. Areas of the film that drew the most criticism were its two-dimensional characters, overuse of surfer slang, ludicrous plot, and questionable morals.
The film also features cameos from former Oingo Boingo
members Steve Bartek, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, Carl Graves, and Sam "Sluggo" Phipps as the band at the luau.
The original music for the film was composed by former Oingo Boingo
member Steve Bartek
. Most of the songs featured on the soundtrack were from third-wave ska bands, as the genre was at the peak of its popularity at the time of the film's release.
Steve Boyum
Steve Boyum is a long time Hollywood stunt performer, television director and film director. He has appeared in over 60 films as a stunt performer.-Selected filmography as a director:*Human Target...
and starring Paul Walker
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV is an American actor. He became well known in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues. He is also known for starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious. His other films include Joy Ride, Running Scared, Into the Blue and Eight Below...
and Steve Van Wormer
Steve Van Wormer
Steve Van Wormer is an American actor and comedian. He was born in Flint, Michigan, attended Grand Blanc Community High School and Michigan State University, and moved to Los Angeles, California upon graduation. He has acted in movies including Groove, Meet the Deedles, and Jingle All The Way...
. It was the first theatrically released film to be produced by DIC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
since 1986 (after Heathcliff: The Movie
Heathcliff: The Movie
Heathcliff: The Movie is a 1986 low budget animated film from DiC Entertainment, released by Atlantic Releasing under their Clubhouse Pictures label. Paramount Home Video released Heathcliff: The Movie on VHS in 1988...
). Its name is a play on the Beatles album Meet The Beatles. It is also one of Disney's attempts to capitalize on surf culture
Surf culture
Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the art of surfing.The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more...
, the other two prime examples are Johnny Tsunami
Johnny Tsunami
Johnny Tsunami is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie. It was nominated in 2000 for the Humanitas Prize as Children's Live-Action Category. Johnny Tsunami is the predecessor to Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board, released in June 2007.-Plot summary:...
and Rip Girls
Rip Girls
Rip Girls is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Camilla Belle. This movie is about a teen-age girl and her father come to an island on Hawaii, they find a closer relationship to each other and think about changing the island...
.
Plot
Phil Deedle (Paul WalkerPaul Walker
Paul William Walker IV is an American actor. He became well known in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues. He is also known for starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious. His other films include Joy Ride, Running Scared, Into the Blue and Eight Below...
) and Stew Deedle (Steve Van Wormer
Steve Van Wormer
Steve Van Wormer is an American actor and comedian. He was born in Flint, Michigan, attended Grand Blanc Community High School and Michigan State University, and moved to Los Angeles, California upon graduation. He has acted in movies including Groove, Meet the Deedles, and Jingle All The Way...
) are two fraternal twin brothers who are complete surf bums living in Hawaii off of their wealthy father. After the two decide to skip out on school to go on a special surfing expedition with friends for their birthday, the twins are expelled from their high school for truancy. Their father Elton Deedle (Eric Braeden
Eric Braeden
Eric Braeden is a German-American film and television actor, best known for his role as Victor Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless and as John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film Titanic...
) has become tired of their insolence and lazy lifestyle and thus decides to ship them to a boot camp to straighten them out. The boys are horrified that they’re going to have to fly state-side in order for this to happen, as the camp is located in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
The boys arrive in Wyoming ill prepared for the far-cooler weather, disembarking from their plane dressed in shorts, flip-flops and hula shirts. They attract the attention of a small crowd when they summon a remote controlled crate containing a mini-bar that they use to create hula drinks. Afterwards they leave the terminal, noticing a gruff looking mountain man whom they make fun of, to their shock the man reveals a sign with their last names written on it, indicating he’s their ride. Major Flowers (M.C. Gainey) is already disgusted with their behavior, on the drive back to Yellowstone from the airport, Flowers reveals that his once successful camp was shut down by the children’s parents and their lawyers but the camp wasn’t necessary anymore because he intended for the Deedles to undergo survival training. Flowers becomes distracted in describing his plan and fails to pay attention to the road, eventually driving over the edge of a hillside and crashing into a river. Thinking he had killed the Deedles, he runs off thinking he’ll hide from the authorities.
The Deedles awaken from their crash and find some women’s clothing that had caught onto Flower’s truck before it crashed, since it was their only option for dry clothes they opted to wear them. After, they begin to hike towards the parks main entrance, they find some of their gear and decide to land-luge down a long hill with their hula crate remotely in tow. They bypass a long line of traffic awaiting entry into Yellowstone but unable to slow down or gain enough control of their boards they crash into the park’s sign and are then collided into by the hula machine—cracking their helmets off. When the Park Rangers arrived, the only identity the boys had on them were the names “Mel” written on Phil’s sweatshirt tag and “Mo” written on Stew’s. After the incident the boys are carted off to the Ranger medical center and nursed back to health and decide to assume the false identities as it appears to be a one-way ticket to success and approval of their father.
The boys find it difficult to live in their new identities, as the park rangers have already learned that the “real” Mel and Mo are vegetarians, thus the boys are forced to become such as well in order to maintain their cover. Because of their dimwitted surfer nature, the boys do not click well with the commanding park ranger, Captain Pine, although Phil falls for his stepdaughter Lt. Jesse Ryan whom the Captain is very protective of. This leads to a series of accidents all of which the Deedles are to blame for and land them in disfavor with Captain Pine.
Through their trials, the Deedles inadvertently discover that an ex-park ranger named Slater (Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
) feels he’s been betrayed by the park, the Rangers and mainly Captain Pine and so he has created a secret bunker underground near Old Faithful and has devised a plan to divert Old Faithful’s waterflow into a new geyser he’s created on his own land which he is christened “New Faithful”. Unable to win any support for investigation from their fellow rangers, the Deedles take matters into their own hands and attempt to thwart Slater’s plan.
However, the real Mel and Mo arrive at the Ranger’s base at a very untimely moment to reveal that Phil and Stew are not who they say they are. Pine, Jesse and the other rangers are disgusted with their dishonesty and banish them from Yellowstone.
As the Deedles are walking down the highway attempting to hitch-hike, the big picture dawns on Phil and they devise a plan to get back into Yellowstone in order to stop Slater once-and-for-all. They rig a grappling hook into a grate in the roadway, and as an unsuspecting car passes it would catch the undercarriage and tow the Deedles (whom are wearing parachutes), essentially a land version of parasailing. From a few hundred feet up in the air, they both notice a familiar stench and discover the person towing them is none other than Major Flowers—whom becomes distracted by his stowaways and subsequently drives over a cliff (again) landing himself in a river.
The boys parachute to the entrance for Slaters underground tunnel network and go underground, where they locate and subdue Slater’s two cronies Mr. Crabbe (Richard Lineback
Richard Lineback
Richard D. Lineback is an American actor. He has performed in character roles in such blockbuster films as Speed, Twister and Varsity Blues. He played Deputy Dodd in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning....
) and Mr. Nemo (Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
). They devise a plan to re-divert the water from New Faithful back to Old Faithful, and to escape by donning heat-resistance suits and escaping through the plumbing and through Old Faithful’s spout.
The plan succeeds, Slater is exposed and the Deedles become heroes for saving Old Faithful. In a fortunate turn of events, the force of the explosion of water was so great it created a small lake which naturally created waves large enough to surf on, and the boys were able to create a park out of it. Earning the respect of their father for their success, from Captain Pine for their help in saving Yellowstone, and for Phil the love of Jesse.
Reception
Reviews for the film were almost unanimously negative, claiming the film was nothing more than a poor attempt to revive the goofball duo genre of films such as Bill & Ted's Excellent AdventureBill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction–comedy buddy film and the first film in the Bill & Ted franchise in which two metalhead slackers travel through time to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation.The film was written by...
and Dumb & Dumber
Dumb & Dumber
Dumb and Dumber is a 1994 picaresque or buddy comedy film starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Written and directed by the Farrelly brothers, the film follows the cross-country trek of Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, two good-natured but incredibly moronic friends...
. Areas of the film that drew the most criticism were its two-dimensional characters, overuse of surfer slang, ludicrous plot, and questionable morals.
Cast
- Steve Van WormerSteve Van WormerSteve Van Wormer is an American actor and comedian. He was born in Flint, Michigan, attended Grand Blanc Community High School and Michigan State University, and moved to Los Angeles, California upon graduation. He has acted in movies including Groove, Meet the Deedles, and Jingle All The Way...
as Stew Deedle (Stuart Michael James Deedle Esquire) - Paul WalkerPaul WalkerPaul William Walker IV is an American actor. He became well known in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues. He is also known for starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious. His other films include Joy Ride, Running Scared, Into the Blue and Eight Below...
as Phil Deedle (Phillip Andrew Preston Deedle III) - A.J. Langer as Lt. Jesse Ryan
- John AshtonJohn Ashton (actor)John David Ashton is an American actor born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and graduate of the University of Southern California School of Theatre.John Ashton attended Enfield High School in Enfield, Connecticut....
as Capt. Douglas Pine - Dennis HopperDennis HopperDennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
as Frank Slater - Eric BraedenEric BraedenEric Braeden is a German-American film and television actor, best known for his role as Victor Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless and as John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film Titanic...
as Elton Deedle - Richard LinebackRichard LinebackRichard D. Lineback is an American actor. He has performed in character roles in such blockbuster films as Speed, Twister and Varsity Blues. He played Deputy Dodd in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning....
as Crabbe - Robert EnglundRobert EnglundRobert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
as Nemo - M.C. Gainey as Major Flower
- Ana GasteyerAna GasteyerAna Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
as Mel - Megan CavanaghMegan CavanaghMegan Cavanagh is an American actress who portrayed the roles of Marla Hooch in A League of Their Own , Broomhilde in Robin Hood: Men in Tights , Essie in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and was the voice of Judy Neutron in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Hilary Higgenbottom in The Mighty B!...
as Mo - Hattie WinstonHattie WinstonHattie Mae Winston is an American television, film and Broadway actress best known for her role as Margaret on Becker and as a prominent cast member of the PBS children's series The Electric Company.-Early career:...
as Jo-Claire
The film also features cameos from former Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band. They are best known for their influence on other musicians, their soundtrack contributions and their high energy Halloween concerts. The band was founded in 1972 as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, a performance art group...
members Steve Bartek, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, Carl Graves, and Sam "Sluggo" Phipps as the band at the luau.
Soundtrack
Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band. They are best known for their influence on other musicians, their soundtrack contributions and their high energy Halloween concerts. The band was founded in 1972 as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, a performance art group...
member Steve Bartek
Steve Bartek
Steve Bartek, born in Garfield Heights, Ohio on January 30, 1952, is an American guitarist, film composer, conductor and orchestrator.-Early career:...
. Most of the songs featured on the soundtrack were from third-wave ska bands, as the genre was at the peak of its popularity at the time of the film's release.
- "Wrong Thing Right Then" - The Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
- "Lady Luck" - Dance Hall CrashersDance Hall CrashersDance Hall Crashers is an American ska punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California.-Early years:The original incarnation of the Dance Hall Crashers was formed in 1989 by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong, formerly of the seminal Bay Area ska-punk band Operation Ivy, after both musicians...
- "Seems Like Yesterday" - GoldfingerGoldfinger (band)Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer...
- "Dr. Bones" - Cherry Poppin' DaddiesCherry Poppin' DaddiesThe Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by Steve Perry and Dan Schmid , the band has experienced many membership changes over the years, with only Perry, Schmid and Dana Heitman currently remaining from the original line-up.The Daddies' music...
- "I Can't Wait" - HepcatHepcatHepcat is a ska and reggae band formed in southern California in 1989.Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave....
- "Psycho Gremmie" - Gary HoeyGary HoeyGary Hoey is a surfer-rock musician.- Early life and early career :At fourteen, Hoey often lingered outside Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music, making friends and offering to pay for lessons. To devote his time to music, he dropped out of high school and began playing Boston's local clubs...
- "For You" - Save FerrisSave FerrisSave Ferris was a ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.-History:...
- "Go Where You Go" - Geggy TahGeggy TahGeggy Tah is a band initially composed of writer/singer Tommy Jordan and keyboard/guitarist Greg Kurstin. Each of them has a younger sister who was unable to pronounce her brother's name when very young; "Geggy" and "Tah" were the baby girls' mispronunciations of their brothers' names.Their first...
- "Failing and Leaving" - RadishRadish (band)Radish were a self-proclaimed "Sugar Metal" band formed in 1993 by Ben Kweller, John David Kent, and Bryan Blur.-History:The trio played locally in and around Greenville and recorded two independent releases, Dizzy and Hello . Kweller sent a copy of Dizzy to Guitarist Nils Lofgren who grew up with...
- "American Girls" - HomieHomie (band)Homie is a side project of Rivers Cuomo, lead singer of the band Weezer. Homie, as it stands now, was a one-time effort. Homie has released just one song, "American Girls", for the soundtrack of the 1998 film Meet the Deedles...
- "Hawaii Five-O" - Perfect Thyroid
- "Who Are Those Guys?" - Steve BartekSteve BartekSteve Bartek, born in Garfield Heights, Ohio on January 30, 1952, is an American guitarist, film composer, conductor and orchestrator.-Early career:...