The Same River Twice (2003)

The film keeps referring to "20" years having passed. But it came out in 2003, which would be 25 years. Was it filmed in 1998? Also, does the original River Dogs explain who the hell these people are, where they were from, how they learned river rafting, where their clients were, how old they were at the time, and whether they knew each other before the trip?? One thing I have always wondered about trips like this and hippies in general is the hygiene issue. I wondered if they flossed during the trip, and ironically, it shows one of them flossing 20 years later and admitting that he didn't years ago.Where did they use the bathroom? Were there porta-potties? Did they use condoms? Where did the food come from? Where specifically were they on the Colorado River and where was that in relation to where they lived? It seems like viewers are thinking of them having been kids on the trip, but they weren't. The men seemed to be in their late 20s. What did they all do for a living during the other 9 months of the year? River Rafting, and being responsible for tourists is not a hippie thing. It requires a schedule, possibly CPR skills, an employer I would assume, courage, and certain alpha qualities. I don't see them smoking pot, nor decrying capitalism.Yet we see Jim's trailer filled with Leftist type books 20 years later and Cathy is Mayor of a notoriously liberal college town. Jeff is an environmentalist. Barry is Mayor of a notoriously Conservative town. Were they leftists as hippies, or just into nature and nudity? I like the drifting back and forth between the old footage and the new, and I like seeing the people in their domestic lives now. But I didn't watch long enough to hear any deep insight into the nature of youth, the passage of time, or what is important in life.I did respect Jeff's admission that he was too into becoming a "player" in the environmental movement to maintain his marriage, and Jim's humble admission that he did not want kids and was happy that Danny got some with another man.As one reviewer already mentioned, the most poignant aspect of the film involves the guy whom everyone looked up to back then. Now he is just a non-productive loner with nothing to show for a lifetime of self-indulgence.The film maker did not use any manipulative mood music (that I remember), or 70s soundtrack. A soundtrack would have been a big mistake, but I wouldn't have minded a little new age music.Nudity on a tropical beach seems to me more appealing than nudity at a desert campsite in summer. I'm not a fan of nudity during normal daily activities. I prefer bikinis. I want nudity to be exciting when it counts, not humdrum.I kept thinking about the novel and film called The Beach. It's a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which reminds me of this river film.At the end of that film he explains that "paradise" is not a place, but rather a period of time when one is a part of something memorable. He says that no one can take that away from you, because it lasts forever in your memory.I guess that is the case with these aging hippies. I just hope they take showers now.

Similar to the movie, my Mom had a group of friends in the 70's that she'd go to the lake with. They weren't river guides, but they'd get naked, drunk, and sing Jerry Jeff Walker, just like in the film. Watching it I recognized the era and the setting immediately and I recalled the general feeling of that time, when I was still a kid. I also found myself contrasting the middle age live's of these people with my Mom's life as she got older. In my Mom's case, the drugs and alcohol became permanent, so there were more problems than just settling into middle class life and aging. Like Robb Moss though, she kept a couple of old photo albums of her lake trips and looked back with fondness. She would always say it was more fun to be young back then. It was probably the only time it felt normal to be naked with your friends.

This is the movie of all of us in a lot of ways. It follows life from the carefree and uninhibited days of twentysomething to the burdens of fortysomething. With one exception, each of the half-dozen river guides of the 70's grew up, settled down and became entangled in the humdrum, perplexities and small successes of adulthood. Yet in watching film of themselves mostly naked and carefree 20 years earlier there's little wistfulness, nostalgia or regret for the loss of youthful abandon. That was then, this is now. As one woman said, "we did it because we could." But most people can't do it forever and these former river rats have largely found as much adjustment and peace amid mortgages and child-raising as they did floating through the Grand Canyon.One of the most interesting aspects is the fact that three of them have held elected office, and in fact two are mayors of their small towns. Not what anyone would expect watching them negotiating rafts through the rapids in the early footage.The filmmakers, and particularly the editor, did a masterful job of letting characters in his documentary reveal themselves. It's a compelling film, not as powerful as "When We Were Kings" or "Don't Look Back", but nonetheless a strong and worthy effort. It was highly recommended by the New York Times reviewer and I concur wholeheartedly. No doubt will be appreciated by middle-aged people who, like myself, were lucky enough to have a few years of completely uninhibited life before being drawn into much more conventional settings.I was surprised to even find this movie at the video store because it never really found distribution outside the film festivals. You may have to dig around for it but it'll be well worth your trouble. A good, solid eight.(I have sympathy for the kinds of people who watch this movie and can only focus on the nudity.)

Ladies and gentlemen… naked hippies! Enjoy! Okay, that said, I have to say this documentary, a sequel to filmmaker Robb Moss's 1978 documentary, "River Dogs," catches up with his fellow former Colorado river guides in the present day. It's been compared to Michael Apted's "7Up" series, but it plays more like a real life "Big Chill," minus the soap operatics of a full-blown reunion, but, alas, complete with (thankfully few) existential musings on these fifty-somethings transitions from just-out-of-college wandering river rats, to successful politicians, fitness gurus and… well… river rats. Yeah, I know, life is just a long strange trip for the flower children turned `yuppie scum,' and yet, the film still comes off like a hilariously funny and occasionally sad little story about human beings. Go figure.