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Film data fromTMDB

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  1. Wokeometer
  2. Movies
  3. Without a Paddle
Without a Paddle
Box Office
Hit · 3.7x
Budget$19M
Worldwide Gross$69.6M
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Without a Paddle

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Without a Paddle

Without a Paddle

movie·PG-13·Aug 20, 2004·
Box OfficeHit · 3.7x
$19M
Budget
$69.6M
Gross
Shop

Shop this title

Without a Paddle

We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.

Digital video
Amazon — Digital video. Search this format: Without a Paddle. Opens in a new tab
DVD & Blu-ray
Amazon — DVD & Blu-ray. Search this format: Without a Paddle. Opens in a new tab

Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.

Explore Prime Video — Opens in a new tab

Catalog availability and subscription terms vary.

Without a Paddle

movie
PG-13
August 20, 2004
Wokeometer Rating
0Based
0/10
Audience Woke Score
No Ratings Yet
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke

TL;DR Verdict

Without a Paddle is pure pre-DEI male-bonding adventure comedy centered on friendship and treasure-hunting laughs, with zero identity politics or progressive messaging. It earns a clean 0/10 woke score as safe, neutral entertainment.

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Detailed Analysis

Without a Paddle is a straightforward 2004 male-bonding comedy adventure centered on three childhood friends reuniting after a death to pursue a classic treasure hunt for D.B.

Cooper's missing money in the Oregon wilderness. The narrative follows traditional tropes of friendship, personal growth through misadventure, and slapstick encounters with bears, pot farmers, and hippies, with no embedding of progressive ideological elements.

Casting features an all-white male lead ensemble (Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, Dax Shepard) with supporting roles that align organically with the story's rural, 1970s-inspired setting and era-appropriate characters. Themes emphasize self-discovery, loyalty, and overcoming personal flaws through classic adventure storytelling, without any framing around identity politics, systemic issues, critiques of traditional masculinity, or diversity mandates.

No evidence exists of creator intent toward activism, race or gender swaps of established characters, or modern social justice messaging. The film predates contemporary DEI influences and shows zero audience or critical backlash tied to progressive content, confirming its complete neutrality on ideological grounds.

Key Factors

  • Traditional male friendship and adventure premise with no identity-based conflicts or messaging
  • Casting and character roles fully consistent with source-era realism and story needs without any diversity alterations
  • Absence of any social justice themes, lectures, or critiques of norms in plot, dialogue, or subplots

Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.

Detailed BreakdownPro

Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism

See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.

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Directed by

  • Steven Brill

Is Without a Paddle Woke?

We've run a full content analysis on Without a Paddle and scored it 0/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of woke content is in Without a Paddle?

Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into Without a Paddle's overall score.

Is Without a Paddle family-friendly?

Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Without a Paddle is rated PG-13. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.

How does Wokeometer score movies?

We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →

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Top Cast

Seth Green
1.7Based

Seth Green

Dan Mott

Matthew Lillard
2.9Based

Matthew Lillard

Jerry Conlaine

Dax Shepard
0.7Based

Dax Shepard

Tom Marshall

Ethan Suplee
1.2Based

Ethan Suplee

Elwood

Abraham Benrubi
3Based

Abraham Benrubi

Dennis

Antony Starr
4.5Mixed

Antony Starr

Billy Newwood

Burt Reynolds
0.5Based

Burt Reynolds

Del Knox

Christina Moore
0Based

Christina Moore

Butterfly

Rachel Blanchard
0Based

Rachel Blanchard

Flower

Bonnie Somerville
0Based

Bonnie Somerville

Denise

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